Investment Guide|Precious Metal Investment Expert » Titanium

Titanium Chips Spy On Us

PreciousMetalInvestment.com — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:59:14 +0000

Did you know that your whereabouts can now be tracked from the banknotes in your wallet?

Well its true!

Since 2005 Euro bank notes and US $20 bills have had a minute titanium chip called an RFID incorporated in them – try microwaving one.

Retailers, with Wal-Mart and UK retailer Tesco in the forefront, are adding the same type of chip to a multitude of consumer items.

Information about this technology entered the public domain in 2003 and from that time on those in the know began to speculate on the extent these chips could intrude upon our privacy.

Last year it was suggested that the US government would make it mandatory for computer manufacturers to incorporate these spying chips in their products.

This would simply mean that all and every piece if information and communication stored or passing through our PCs could be accessed by the powers that be.

The UK now has more spy cameras installed than the rest of Europe put together.

Of course all this spying activity is excused in the name of security, and no doubt that this is true, even convincing, in the light of continuing terrorist threats, but we do have to ask ourselves – is this the thin edge of the wedge?

Governments will have access to our every source of communication with the exception of head to head, and even then our personal conversations can be eavesdropped upon unless we take precautions.

From our political beliefs to our philandering nothing will be secret and can be divulged or accessed to our disadvantage by governments and corporations seeking to either muffle us or make us part with our cash.

Even George Orwell could not envisage that every thought and activity of our every day lives would become an open book to our masters.

One further thought occurs.

Who and how many will be needed to monitor all this spying upon us?

One thing is certain it is the public who will pay the taxes that will pay the wages to our ever increasing number of overseers and the more we pay the more our civil liberties and right to privacy will be eroded.

Why Not Invest In Titanium Jewelry?

PreciousMetalInvestment.com — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:37:14 +0000

Catch up with fashion by investing in jewelry made from one of the most versatile metals on earth.

Titanium is a durable, tarnish resistant, hard silvery colored lightweight metal that has extensive uses in numerous branches of industry and is considered a critical strategic metal by the military.

It is completely benign when implanted in the human body, it does not induce any form of allergy, and does not react with salt, making it an ideal choice for use in personal jewelry.

As it can be worked into highly intricate and durable designs, the use of Titanium is revolutionizing the jewelry trade, as an ever-increasing range of creative items are developed.

Depending upon the application, solid Titanium or when it is alloyed with Gold, Platinum or other Precious Metals or when set with gemstones, an extensive, comprehensive and affordable choice of fashionable modern jewelry items have become available.

Rings made of Titanium will last a lifetime. For men particularly, their light weight and ability to withstand heavy wear but still look good, makes them a practical choice.

Titanium jewelry can have either a polished or satin effect or combination of the two and for something completely different, Black Titanium jewelry is another alternative.

For beautiful and creative designs at affordable prices that can give lasting pleasure, check out this exciting fashion trend in jewelry.

No Related Post

Titanium Rises But For How Long?

PreciousMetalInvestment.com — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:21:25 +0000

Interest in Titanium since Boeing’s order book showed a healthy increase has caused sharp rises in the metal’s producers in recent weeks.

Yesterday Titanium Industries (TIE: NYSE) showed us the way with a 9% rise that has continued through to this morning’s trading.
With producers showing up to 30% gains since the beginning of the year and after Boeing’s union troubles we trust you will pardon us using the pun `titanium flies`.

In case you do not know, titanium has many uses in the aviation industry, both civil and military, as well as other numerous industrial and medical applications such as dental implants, golf clubs, jewelry, spectacle frames and some sunglass lenses to name a few lesser known uses. Nor should we forget that titanium oxide is an essential ingredient of white paints.

We have a couple of friends who are airline pilots that have been telling us for over a year that Boeings Dream Liner will knock spots of it’s European rival, the Airbus.

Although their explanations were too technical for us to understand, we did at least gather that the Dream Liner is considerably more fuel efficient. This recognition has now resulted in an excellent order flow with a knock on optimistic effect on titanium.

Whether there is any further substantial mileage in titanium stocks we would hesitate to advise particularly as we feel that stock markets are looking in the face of a sharp fall before long. We can see no justification for the markets to attain the peaks of 2007 and that this very substantial bounce is rapidly running out of legs.

Be that as it may, those of our readers who fancy that titanium can outperform other rarer metals used in industry and are prepared to have a bet, then we believe that buying call options is the way to go.

As a general rule of thumb we do not like to pay more than a dollar a share for each contract and prefer below 50 cents but it is important to always keep in mind time erosion.

Of course you may think, as we tend to, that buying puts in the present state of the market might make more sense, however there are many more likely candidates in the stock market for dropping like a stone than our titanium producers.

Either way when such uncertainty in the markets is around buying call or put options draws a line under your potential losses. When to close a loss making position is just about the hardest thing a trader or investor has to learn.

Judicious trading in options can take those decisions away from you so that you should never face running out of money.

Keep an eye on Titanium Industries (TIE) and RTI International Metals Corp (RTI), they are both trending up in a very healthy manner. Old market hands will always tell you that “the trend is your friend”.

Titanium Strategically Important Metal Loses Appeal

PreciousMetalInvestment.com — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:08:35 +0000

From toothbrushes to airframes, jet engines to spectacles golf clubs, to replacement joints in humans, and not to forget its growing use in fashionable jewelry, new uses for titanium seem to constantly hit the headlines.

Despite the versatility of this extraordinary metal, global recession has taken its toll on the price.

The Boeing strike, followed by order cancellations and delays to the Dreamliner program was arguably the principal catalyst in the metal and its producers losing investor appeal. The Boeing situation should not be taken out of context, the current order book will keep the company busy for a few more years yet.

It is the general malaise in base metal prices that has spilled over into this strategically important metal, and so far it has not yet begun to recover.

Titanium dioxide, the metals major derivative, is an essential component of paint, a product in the global firing line during this economic crisis, so it is hardly surprising that demand has taken a tumble.

Are we seeing a bottom and can we now expect to see a recovery in price, as users need to replace the stocks that they have run down since the economic downturn?

We wish we knew the answer but we are taking the opportunity to adorn our wives with titanium jewelry as a long-term investment rather than put our hard earned cash into titanium ingots and store them out of site in the cellar.

A masterstroke in domestic relations, we hope!

The alternative is to look at producers like Titanium Metals (TIE:NYSE), RTI International Metals (RTI:NYSE), this last having beaten earnings estimates despite net earnings being down by over 80% from 2007.

What Exactly Is Titanium?

PreciousMetalInvestment.com — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 11:15:12 +0000

Titanium is arguably the most interesting and versatile of all metals.
It is the ninth most plentiful element in the Earths’ crust and the fifth most common metal.
Titanium is a hard silvery colored, non-magnetic, corrosion resistant, lightweight and durable metal

The minerals, principally rutile and ilmenite, from which the metal is obtained, can found in a great variety of mineral and iron ores, in igneous rocks and their sediments and are distributed across the globe.
The extraction of Titanium is an expensive and complicated process as it is highly reactive with oxygen and other elements.

It is the most compatible metal with the human body and is used extensively in joint replacements and dentistry.
Titanium has been found in meteorites and rock samples brought back from the moon by the Apollo mission.

It has been identified as being present in the Sun and M-type stars.
Nearer to home, Titanium is present in the human and animal bodies, plants and coal.
Although first discovered over two hundred years ago it is only in the last sixty years that Titanium has become increasingly used and is now considered an important strategic metal with many diverse applications.

Cement Neutralizes Pollutants

PreciousMetalInvestment.com — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:20:36 +0000

There are reports that an Italian company, Italcementia has developed a cement enhanced with titanium oxide that can neutralize some harmful pollutants when exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet light.

Titanium oxide, which is used in white paints to make them brighter, was added to cement to provide the architect involved in the Jubilee Church in Rome with a very white material.

It was after this that it was realized that the cement had the ability to considerably reduce pollution.

The jury is still out on this claim but a pollution-destroying cement in worldwide use might make the Kyoto agreement
redundant!

No Related Post

Who Produces Titanium?

PreciousMetalInvestment.com — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:47:26 +0000

Titanium is always found as a compound with other elements.

Despite being the ninth most plentiful element on the Earths’ surface and is distributed all over the world there are few concentrated deposits that make commercial extraction viable.

Titanium is found in most igneous rocks and their sediments primarily in the form of sand.

It occurs in the minerals anatase, brookite, ilmenite, perovskite, rutile and titanite and in a number of iron ores.

At present only ilmenite and rutile are commercially viable as sources of Titanium and it is difficult to discover new sources with sufficiently high concentrations to make extraction economically viable using the only available current process.

Principal producers in order of importance are annually :-

Australia – 1291 tons
South Africa – 850 tons
Canada – 767 tons
Norway- 382 tons
Ukraine- 357 tons

Other significant Titanium ore deposits are in New Zealand, Malaysia and Kenya.

An interesting and heartening development in Titanium production has been the joint association between a leading Russian producer and a US producer to provide Titanium products to the industrial, automotive and consumer markets but not to supply the military market.

The joint venture is known as Uniti Titanium

Potential investors should keep an eye open on Titanium Metals Corporation, a US based business, to get some insight on where the price of the metal is heading

Who Discovered Titanium?

PreciousMetalInvestment.com — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:56:23 +0000

Reverend William Gregor

An amateur geologist and rector of Creed in Cornwall, England, is credited as the discoverer of Titanium in 1791.

Educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge, where he won academic honors in classics and mathematics and also became deeply interested in chemistry and mineralogy.

He carried out a series of experiments on some sand originating from nearby Manaccan in Cornwall and when melted with an alkali he noted the residue had a metallic sheen that was non magnetic.

From this and the other unique properties of the residue he came to the conclusion that it contained a new metal and although he was unable to separate it he named it manaccanite after the area in which it was found.

Martin Klaproth

In 1795 the German chemist also carried out experiments on the Titanium bearing minerals rutile and ilmenite and was also unable to separate the metal they contained due to the strong chemical bonds.

The strength of the chemical bonds prompted Klaproth to name the new metal ‘Titanium’ after the Titans, a race of powerful deities in Greek Mythology.

Klaproth, who came to fame as the discoverer of Uranium, heard of Gregors work and acknowledged him as the inventor but suggested that Titanium was a more descriptive name for the metal.

Matthew A Hunter

He was born in New Zealand in 1878 where he gained 1^st class honors at Auckland University College

Hunter first isolated pure Titanium in 1910

He was awarded a Doctor of Science degree at University College London and further honors at other European universities

His search for a fellow student with whom he had fallen in love led him to the USA where he remained until his death in 1961.

His importance to the US military during the Second World War and afterwards through his work in metallurgical projects has been recognized.

William Kroll 1889-1973

Born in Luxembourg and moved to the USA as the Nazi Party rose to power in Europe.

He was employed by the US Bureau of Mines where he also used the same process to producing Zirconium, a principal ingredient in the building of the worlds first atomic submarine. He patented the expensive and complex Kroll process for extracting pure Titanium in 1938

In 1946 commercial production commenced with the backing of the U.S. Bureau of Mines.

A new extraction process known as the FFC Cambridge Process has been developed that may replace the Kroll process.

It is hoped that Titanium will become a less expensive material and will be able to replace aluminium and specialist steels used in the manufacture of many products when produced by the FFC Cambridge process.

FFC Cambridge Process patents were first filed in 1998.

As a bonus the process is also expected to lower the production cost of other metallic materials and even to produce new materials that that are unable to be produced by existing technologies.

Titanium Properties

PreciousMetalInvestment.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:28:14 +0000

Titanium is a metal having the chemical symbol is Ti. It is one of the Platinum Group Metals (PGMs)
It is the ninth most plentiful element on our planet. It is present in meteorites and been detected in class M planets and our sun. Apollo 17 returned from the moon with rock samples containing Titanium compounds.
It has a silvery white metallic lustre when pure.
Around 90% of applications worldwide are in the form of Titanium alloys or Titanium compounds
Titanium is as strong as steel but only a little over half its weight.
It is twice as strong as aluminium.
It is ductile, malleable, can be welded and is easy to work.
The metal has very low thermal conductivity and resistance to electric current.
Titanium has an extremely low response to magnetic fields.
It is highly resistant to any form of corrosion, impervious to seawater, chlorine, alkalis and many acids unless concentrated.
The metal will burn in air and one of the few elements that will burn in Nitrogen (it makes spectacular fireworks!)
Titanium can be obtained as wire, sheet, rod, foil, granules, sponge and powder.
Titanium has no effect on human or animal bodies. It is non toxic and physiologically inert.

Precious Metal Investment.com

No Related Post

The Many Uses Of Titanium

PreciousMetalInvestment.com — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:32:24 +0000

The production of commercial quantities of Titanium is an expensive and complicated process and has only been possible for the last sixty odd years.

Nevertheless, in what is a relatively short space of time, many highly sophisticated and technical advances have been made in aviation, marine, medicine, electronics, space travel, paints and decorative materials and numerous other fields due to the unique properties of Titanium, Titanium alloys, Titanium compounds and Titanium coated metals.

Its strategic importance became highly evident during the ¨cold war¨ years when the Soviet Union made an unsuccessful attempt to corner the market to deprive the USA and its allies of the metal.
Titanium and Titanium alloys were extensively used in the construction of the Soviet submarine fleet as it is impervious to the corrosive effects of seawater.
Titanium and Titanium alloys are essential materials in the manufacture of military aircraft, including stealth planes, armored vehicles, various naval and military ordnance and spacecraft.
Paint, plastics, cement, paper and even toothpaste are among the many products that have Titanium Dioxide as a widely used ingredient to impart an intense whiteness, permanency, excellent covering properties and strength to products.
The versatility of the metal enables it to alloy with many other metals in order to improve their durability, strength and lightness.
Titanium golf clubs and tennis racquets, watches, jewelry, dental implants, replacement joints, even a motorbike are among the multitude of fringe uses of this extraordinary versatile metal.

Precious Metal Investment

No Related Post

Investment Guide|Precious Metal Investment Expert » Titanium

Titanium Chips Spy On Us

Related Articles

Why Not Invest In Titanium Jewelry?

Related Articles

Titanium Rises But For How Long?

Related Articles

Titanium Strategically Important Metal Loses Appeal

Related Articles

What Exactly Is Titanium?

Related Articles

Cement Neutralizes Pollutants

Related Articles

Who Produces Titanium?

Related Articles

Who Discovered Titanium?

Martin Klaproth

Matthew A Hunter

William Kroll 1889-1973

Related Articles

Titanium Properties

Related Articles

The Many Uses Of Titanium

Related Articles