Nickel Plate

Nickel Mining and Exploration

by Stanley Park

As an exceptionally versatile metal, nickel enjoys a special place in the industrial world. With its lustrous, silvery-white appearance, low thermal and electrical conductivities, high resistance to corrosion and oxidation, excellent strength and toughness at higher temperatures, ability to be magnetized, and a melting point of 1453° C, nickel is not only attractive and durable in its own pure form; it also readily alloys with many other metals.

Nickel is readily recognized in coins, where it is used by many countries in both pure and alloy forms, and as bright and durable electrolytically-applied “nickel plating” coatings on steel. Its primary use, however, is as an alloying component with chromium and other metals in the production of stainless and heat-resistant steel used not only in industry and construction, but also for household products such as pots and pans, kitchen sinks, and other everyday items. Stainless steel is produced in a wide range of compositions to meet industry requirements for corrosion and heat resistance, and also to facilitate a clean and hygienic surface for food and other processing.

About 65% of nickel is used to manufacture stainless steel. Around 20% is used in other steel and non-ferrous alloys, often for specialized industrial, aerospace and military applications. About 9% is used in plating, while 6% in used in other applications, including coins and a variety of nickel chemicals.

As the emerging middle class in countries such as China and other Asian nations demand more stainless steel products from sinks to door handles, nickel consumption is on the rise. Stainless steel currently accounts for about two-thirds of nickel consumption up from one-third in the past three decades. While nickel demand in Europe and the Americas decreased in the period from 1997-2002, this demand increased in Asia and the former East Bloc countries.

Chinese nickel consumption increased by 15.4% in 2005, slightly less than the 19.1% growth reported in 2004. Chinese consumption during this decade has actually been the single largest factor impacting the nickel market, with supply struggling to keep pace with this rising demand due to a physical shortage of the metal. In fact, China recently announced a cut-back in stainless steel production because they are unable to source enough nickel.

This rising demand and limited supply is pushing up prices. As of July 2006, nickel was trading at over $12.00US per pound in contrast to historical prices of less than $5.00US over the previous 15 years. Experts predict that this continued high demand – based not only on China ’s continuing economic boom but also on the West’s demand for hygiene, will continue for the foreseeable future.

Only about 1.3 million tons of new or primary nickel are produced and consumed annually, compared with over 15 million tons of copper and nearly 800 million tons of steel. The growing world economy through the mid-nineties triggered an expansionary drive in nickel capacity by existing manufacturers resulting in a production increase of 30%

in the five year period from 1993-1998. European expansion in both Finland and the United Kingdom accounted for most of the 48% (60,000 ton) increase in production, while expanded production in Australia and New Caledonia accounted for all of the 39% (35,000 ton) increase in Oceania . Japan accounted for most of the 22% increase in production in Asia during that same period.

The rising demand for nickel production , with its associated high commodity prices, has spawned new approaches to nickel production. Historically, most sulfide nickel ore bodies are mined underground at relatively low production rates and with mining costs that can approach $20 per ton, or even more. The current lack of high grade nickel sulfide exploration targets has more recently shifted attention to laterite nickel deposits, which can be mined at low cost using modern mining and process methods that recover ore at grades well below those that had traditionally been exploited. These new methods are changing the way large mining companies and knowledgeable investors are looking at mineral properties.

The trend began in the 1960’s with copper projects going from smaller underground operations, often with grades exceeding 2% to larger low grade projects with

grades that could be less than 0.5%. By the 1970’s the bulk mining of other low grade metals was advancing, most notably gold using new hydrometallurgical techniques at grades well below those that had traditionally been exploited. It may now be nickel’s turn to benefit from this approach. Historically most sulfide nickel ore bodies have had grades of 1% to 2% Ni, mined underground at relatively low production rates and with high operating costs. Laterite nickel deposits can be bulk mined, but the nickel can’t be concentrated, so that both capital and operating costs are typically higher than sulfide projects. As a result major mining companies are not necessarily looking for high grades, but rather for large tonnage potential that can be shown to be economically attractive.

One example of low grade sulphide nickel deposits is Hard Creek Nickel Corporation’s (HNC) 100% owned Turnagain Project located near Dease Lake , BC , Canada . Turnagain’s nickel grades, low by traditional standards, show exciting potential if treated with newly developed process technology, and a bulk tonnage open pit mining approach. At Turnagain, early stage process studies carried out by several independent and well recognized mineral industry testing laboratories suggest that there are promising opportunities to recover metal on site, at a high production rate, for an excellent financial return on the necessary capital investment for equipment, steel, cement, energy, labor and other costs, while nickel is priced at historical levels.

In a Preliminary Assessment recently prepared by AMEC Americas Limited (AMEC), one of the top three international mine engineering design firms, a 50,000 tons per day milling operation by Hard Creek Nickel at Turnagain is modeled with a 17 year mine life that is predicted to produce a total of 833 million pounds of nickel, 57 million pounds of cobalt and 85 million pounds of copper over the life of the mine, representing the largest new nickel deposit in Canada. There are very few similar low-grade nickel projects in the world.

Hard Creek Nickel plays a vital role in the Canadian Mining Industry , which employs 370,000 Canadians, representing 235 major mines, and accounts for over 4% of the national Gross Domestic Product. With annual wages of $17.38 billion, the Canadian mining industry provides a market to 2,200 suppliers of goods and services and invests about $300 million in annual R&D expenditures. To learn more about Canadian nickel mining, and the Turnagain Project a free news release registration is available at the Hard Creek Nickel website . http://www.hardcreeknickel.com

About the Author

Stanley Park is a technical writer and his work is published at the following url http://www.netsplorer.com/nickeldemand.htm

ANTIQUE / VINTAGE / OLD ACME THUNDERER G.C.T. NICKEL PLATE WHISTLE $9.99

20ea 3/8″ D-Ring Zinc Diecast Nickel Plate 452Z $1.99

Athearn New HO RTR GATC 2600 Airslide Hopper, NKP #623 ATH87581 $35.95

Athearn New HO RTR GATC 2600 Airslide Hopper, NKP #634 ATH87582 $35.95

NICKEL PLATE ROAD DIESEL O SCALE DECAL $2.50

CMC Nickel Free Gold Plate Speaker Binding Pots 2 pairs $20.00

ANTIQUE / VINTAGE / OLD NICKEL PLATE PEA WHISTLE / C T W ‘ S ROUSER $9.99

NEW 2-Toggle Plate S. Nickel Pack Specialty Switch Plates 94TTN 070686555781 $15.59

GIBSON® GUITAR JACK PLATE LES PAUL NICKEL METAL *NEW* $12.79

OH-HOLGATE-B & O TOWER-NICKEL PLATE JUNCTIOIN-M22023 $12.00

Kingston Brass Satin Nickel Finish Pedestal Round Plate Towel Rack $315.11

Old Vintage Nickel Plate Desk Office Electric Lamp w Pen Holder $65.00

MEPLA 26mm GLASS DOOR HINGE COVER PLATE #4, RECTANGULAR, POLISHED NICKEL $5.95

Plated Chain EXTENDER 4mm Rollo ~ U-PICK Color/Size $6.25

Plated Chain EXTENDER 4mm Rollo ~ U-PICK Color/Size $6.50

Plated Chain EXTENDER 4mm Rollo ~ U-PICK Color/Size $6.75

Brushed Nickel Stainless Bath Lav Sink Hole Cover Plate $4.39

Kingston Brass Satin Nickel Vessel Sink Faucet w/Handle4″ Cover Plate No Pop Up $199.02

Kingston Brass Satin Nickel Vessel Sink Faucet w/Handle4″ Cover Plate (No PopUp) $189.44

CLASSIC HOME SINGLE SWITCH WALL PLATE SATIN NICKEL NIP! $0.99

MEPLA 26mm GLASS DOOR HINGE COVER PLATE, ROUND, POLISHED NICKEL AND BLACK $5.95

Nickel Free White Gold Plate Hoop Dangle Earring 10X $3.49

Paris Letter Opener, nickel plate, 8 7/8″ long $43.08

MEPLA 26mm GLASS DOOR HINGE COVER PLATE, ROUND, BRUSHED NICKEL AND BLACK $5.95

Kingston Brass Satin Nickel Vessel Sink Faucet with BL Handle & 6″ Plate $188.03

Plated Chain EXTENDER 3mm Curb ~ U-PICK Color/Size $6.00

Plated Chain EXTENDER 3mm Curb ~ U-PICK Color/Size $6.25

Plated Chain EXTENDER 3mm Curb ~ U-PICK Color/Size $6.50

Kingston Brass Satin Nickel 8″ Single Handle Kitchen Faucet with Sprayer & Plate $190.48

Kingston Brass Satin Nickel 8″ Single Handle Kitchen Faucet w/Brass Spr & Plate $236.15

Kingston Brass Satin Nickel 8″ Single Handle Kitchen Faucet w/o Sprayer & Plate $155.21

Silver Plate Nickel free Adjustable Cab ring setting Blank base resin 12mm $5.49

Silver Plate Nickel free Adjustable Cab ring setting Blank base resin 12mm $9.41

Silver Plate Nickel free Adjustable Cab ring setting Blank base resin 12mm $17.25

BALDWIN SATIN NICKEL QUAD (4) TOGGLE SWITCH PLATE $15.99

10ea 3/8″ Swivel Zinc Diecast Rounded Nickel Plate 177Z $2.49

4 Real Fender Vintage Nickel Phillips Neck Plate Screws $6.99

Accurail 7716 Offset Twin Hopper NKP Nickel Pl HO Scale $12.49

N Scale Nickel Plate (NKP) 34′ Composite Side 2 Bay Hopper Car by Micro Trains $4.35

20ea 3/4″ ID x 4.5mm THICK WELDED STEEL RING NICKEL PLATE 7STNP $2.49

Ceramic Insert Ebony Nickel Double Duplex Cover Plate $5.99

Nickel Plate Road Physical Exam Slip Form 1953 $7.59

Laser Art Building Kit HO NKP Trackside Shed Pak #671 $33.99

5ea 1″ Trigger Snap Hook Diecast Square Eye Nickel Plate 5015Z $6.99

Labb & Co (Boston) issued 1956 NKP Stock. Nickel Plate Road. UNFOLDED. NYC&StL $4.95

Cattle Ranchers Behold! BULL & CO issued 1961 NKP Stock. Winston-Salem, NC $6.95

HO NKP Drop End Mill Gondola /Load Walthers 920-54117 $37.99

HO NKP Drop End Mill Gondola /Load Walthers 920-54118 $37.99

Big Plate PASSOVER Seder Pesach Table,Jewish Judaica Nickel Israel $59.00

HO Con-Cor NKP 65′ Branchline HW COACH # 86 w/ LIGHTED Interior NIB $58.88

VINTAGE GABRIEL Alarm Clock by Lux & Robertshaw Exposed Alarm Bells Nickel Plate $49.50

Nickel Plate Road Physical Exam Slip Form 1955 $7.59

Nickel Plate Road Physical Exam Slip Form 1953 $7.59

St. Benedict Crucifix Nickel Plate Enamel – Red 4.5″ $19.99

wholesale lots 1300pcs nickle plate color Fold Over Crimp Beads~Cord End Tips # $0.99

Nickel Plate Road Physical Exam Slip Form 1950 $7.59

Nickel Plate Road Physical Exam Slip Form 1945 $7.59

25 Card/Label Holder 3 1/2×1 1/2 Nickel Plate w/screw $30.89

LITB Didadi BLACK NICKEL PLATE TENOR CURVED Bb SAX SAXOPHONE SAXOFON $365.00

Hansgrohe Interaktiv 1901 06608820 Lavatory Faucet w/ Base Plate Brushed Nickel $249.95

NEW Toggle Plate Satin Nickel Pack Specialty Switch Plates 94TN 070686555750 $12.82

New HO Scale Bachmann 60810 GP30 Diesel, Nickel Plate Road #905, DCC Equipped $41.95

N scale MICRO TRAINS 50′ boxcar/NICKEL PLATE ROAD/New $18.99

New York,Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company Stock Certificate Nickel Plate $11.20

WE/TSD Tactical P08 Full Metal Gas Blowback Nickel Plate Barrel Airsoft Pistol $163.99

Colonial Rope Brushed Satin NIckel Switch Duplex Outlet Cover Plate $5.99

Colonial Rope Brushed Satin Nickel Single Switch GFCI Cover Plate $5.99

Rare-MODEL POWER 612 Nickel Plate High Box Car Speed -HO Scale- Original box $8.00

Nickel Plate Road #538 #548 NKP RR Railroad Train 35mm Slide Photo $7.95

Nickel Plate Road #869 #482 NKP RR Railroad Train 35mm Slide Photo $7.95

Nickel Plate Road #578 NKP RR Railroad Train 35mm Slide Train Photo $7.95

Nickel Plate Road #519 & NW #2701 NKP RR Railroad Train 35mm Slide Photo $7.95

Nickel Plate Road #805 NKP RR Railroad 35mm Slide Train Photo b $7.95

Peugeot Zeli Electric Brushed Nickel Plate Pepper Mill 14cm/5.5″ $74.95

Peugeot Zeli Electric Brushed Nickel Plate Salt Mill 14cm/5.5″ $74.95

6-48807 American Flyer Nickel Plate Road Ventilated Refrigerator Car New-OB $20.00

20 OFF 2BA x 1.1/2″ NICKEL PLATE STEEL DOME HEAD SCREWS $1.55

Bowser HO #11035 (3 pk)70 Ton Offset Hop – Nickel Plate #78070, 78074, 78078 $38.97

HO SCALE TRAINS BACHMANN GP-30 DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE NICKEL PLATE #904 BAC62304 $54.99

6-48610 American Flyer Nickel Plate Road Covered Hopper New-OB $20.00

Sheffield SSD2 Electro Plate Nickel Silver Dinner Fork $2.99

Bellari phono Ruby 7025/12AX7 SS (Silver Selected) Nickel Plate tube $5.00

NEW BRUSHED NICKEL FAUCET HOLE COVER PLATE KITCHEN SINK $10.99

ART DECO CREAM & SUGAR W DANCING NYMPH ROMAN PLATE ON NICKEL SILVER W.MOUNTS $24.95

N NE-6 Caboose Bodies NKP Style (2) ATLAS N SCALE $4.99

Brasstech 226/15S Solid Brass Trim Plate For Moen Positemp SATIN NICKEL NEW! $110.00

Nickle Plate 130mm Neck Wire 1/4 GR 26pcs $29.99

MDC Roundhouse 1465 2-Bay Covered Hopper Car NICKEL PLATE ROAD NKP 91500 $14.99

N Caboose Glazing Sets (2) Ne-6 Caboose Glazing Set Nkp $3.99

2 Liberty Hardware 126365 Country Fair Double Switch Wall Plate, Satin Nickel $11.04

Electro Plate Nickel Silver E.P.N.S. English Souvenir Spoon 1950 Grouse Hunt $12.99

1950 Electro Plate & Nickel Silver E.P.N.S. English Souvenir Spoon Grouse Hunt $12.99

HO SCALE MODEL RAILROAD TRAINS LAYOUT ENGINE NICKEL PLATE GP-30 DCC EQUIPPED 905 $21.08

BRUSHED NICKEL FAUCET HOLE COVER DECK PLATE BATH SINK $9.99

41-NKP 1941 Nickel Plate Road Railroad Police Car New In Box $15.00

Conn Wonder C Melody Nickel Plate Sax Rolled Tone Holes Micro Tuner Neck $225.39

B.M.Mounts Silverplate Nickel Plate Serving Platter Footed Hallmarked $42.00

Dice Engraved NICKEL Finish Neck Plate $15.99

“Scorpion” Engraved NICKEL Finish Neck Plate $15.99

Yin-Yang Engraved NICKEL Finish Neck Plate $15.99

Oneida Mooncrest 45-Piece Flatware Set, Service for 8 $49.97 Unadorned. Sleek. Simple. The Ideal Flatware Choice For The Purist At Heart. This Popular Design Boasts A Bright, Highly Reflective Finish. A Pattern Well Suited For Contemporary Tableware. Mooncrest 45 Piece Service For 8 Contains: 8 Salad Forks, 8 Dinner Forks, 8 Dinner Knives. 8 Place Spoons, 8 Teaspoons, 2 Serving Spoons, 1 Serving Fork, 1 Sugar Spoon, And 1 Butter Knife. Dishwasher Safe. 18/0…

Godinger Nickel Plated Gumball & Candy Dispenser $24.99 Godinger Gumball & Candy Dispenser is a nickel plated and tarnish resistant gumball or candy dispenser that will add a classical and whimsical touch to any room. Candy not included….

American Kitchen by Regal Ware Stainless Steel 12 inch x 15 inch Cookie Sheet $14.58 AMERICAN KITCHEN AK415CS-BP 12″ X 15″ COOKIE SHEET…

Dust Bowl: Special Edition (2CD) $21.99 2011 release from the American Blues guitarist and singer/songwriter, winner of Billboard Magazine’s #1 Blues Artist Of 2010 award. Dust Bowl combines the gritty, blues-based tones of Bonamassa’s first albums with the fluid, genre-defying sounds he’s mastered in the years since, plus a dose of Nashville in duets with legends John Hiatt and Vince Gill. Dust Bowl, producer Kevin Shirley explains, is…

Nickel Plate Road 1. Back on My Street (4:50) 2. One (3:40) 3. Still Loving You (4:31) 4. Cheap Talk (3:43) 5. It’s OK (5:09) 6. Six Gun Man (4:07) 7. Easy on Easy Off (3:50) 8. Tears No More (3:21) 9. Long Road We Travel (5:47) 10. Then the Blues Came Calling (4:23) 11. Woman in Denial (4:56) 12. Journey (5:54) 13. I Can Feel You (4:55)…

Great American Railroads – Volume 2 – The Nickel Plate Story Follow the great Nickel Plate line as the young upstart provides competition to the Central, the Pennsylvania and the B & O railroads….

Interurban 8 VHS Video Railroad Films Collection: Daylighting The Padre Trail, American Rails at Mid-Century, Nickel Plate Story, The Big Power, You and Your Railroad, American Freedom Train, Clear Track Ahead, Slim Princess [8 VHS Videos] $249.99 Rare and hard to find 8 VHS video collection. Interurban Films presents a series of railroad stories. All programs take you back to the 1950s to see the fadeout of steam and the emergence of first generation diesel locomotives in their flashy color schemes. CONTENTS: 1) THE PADRE TRAIL: LA to San Francisco 1939. 2) AMERICAN RAILS AT MID-CENTURY: A trilogy of AAR Films: Big Trains A Rolling…

The Nickle Plate and the Akron Canton and Youngstown $19.95 In 1881, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad achieved its identity as The Nickel Plate Road, and was known by most then as the Nickel Plate. In this production by Emery Gulash, we follow the NKP from the mid 50’s to the mid 60’s just prior to the railroad’s merger with the Norfolk & Western. The Akron Canton & Youngstown, or AC&Y, was a 170 mile railroad located in Ohio, and operating wes…

America’s Steam Trains-Steam in the Summer $9.95 If you like steam locomotives, then summer is a great time! With several steamers running in various parts of the country, it’s not hard to find some steam! In this DVD, you’ll visit 6 steam locomotives or railroads, old and not-so-old, big and small, running through a variety of interesting scenery. Your video visit will include:The incredible Cumbres & Toltec in New Mexico and Colorado with 2-…

Steam to the State Fair, The Story of Nickel Plate #587 (Railway Productions) $24.95 The New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, better known as “The Nickel Plate Road” was famous for its handsome, dependable steam locomotives. One such engine, Nickel Plate 2-8-2 #587 is still in service today, now owned by the City of Indianapolis and part of the Indiana Transportation Museum. In this exciting video, we see 587 on one of her premier assignments, hauling the annual “Fairtrain” to …