FE rod options?

[mmason]

"However, since 1981, none of the bauxite mined in the US was used to make metallic aluminium. US bauxite is instead used for abrasives, high-temperature refractory materials, and as a high-strength proppant for hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells."

From Wikipedia

[chris401]

So....
Crowler is the last US rod manufacturer? Blair had some made up, what are there origins?

[scott foxwell]

Very little of that bauxite was used for aluminum.

Apparently you're not the expert you think you are, in every subject known to man.

Says the pot to the kettle.
You just can't resist the chance for a snyde comment or insult, can you, God love ya...
For you and Barry, both:
(Thanks mmason for posting this)

However, since 1981, none of the bauxite mined in the US was used to make metallic aluminium. US bauxite is instead used for abrasives, high-temperature refractory materials, and as a high-strength proppant for hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells.

I think it's safe to say that by the late 60's very little was used for aluminum, if by the early 80's NONE was used.
I never even heard of bauxite till this thread, but I did do a little OBJECTIVE reading of more than one source of information.
FYI, it takes four tons of Bauxite to make one ton of aluminum, so at a rate of 25%, the US was responsible for very little of the aluminum producing bauxite in the world.
According to your source,:

Until 1942 the only company mining bauxite
in Arkansas primarily for use in the manufacture of aluminum was a subsidiary of
the aluminum Company of America [renamed the ALCOA Mining Company in
1945]. Other companies, including the American Cyanamid & Chemical Corp.,
the Norton Company, General Abrasive Company, Dulin Bauxite Company, and
Dixie Bauxite Company were mining bauxite for uses other than aluminum metal.

and goes on to say:
 

by the end of 1945 only ALCOA, Reynolds, and the group of
nonmetal producers active prior to 1942 remained as producers.

So out of that 38m tons you came up with, do you think there was enough bauxite for Alcoa and Reynolds to produce enough aluminum for ALL of manufacturing in the US at that time? Lets say they mined 25% of that 38m tons. That is 9.5m tons. 25% of that would be 2.37m tons of aluminum, over a period of how ever many years you calculated, for ALL of aluminum manufacturing needs in the US.
Does that sound reasonable to you?
What's interesting is, although we were at the bottom of the list when it came to Bauxite mining, we were at the top of the list for alumina and primary aluminum production. Had to be getting that Bauxite from somewhere!

[plovett]

This is ridiculous.  So IF the aluminum used in the factory made FE-powered cars was made from foreign bauxite, then a 1968 Mustang becomes a "global car" like a 2018???  You guys are arguing about nothing.   

JMO,

paulie

[scott foxwell]

This is ridiculous.  So IF the aluminum used in the factory made FE-powered cars was made from foreign bauxite, then a 1968 Mustang becomes a "global car" like a 2018???  You guys are arguing about nothing.   

JMO,

paulie

So ignore it.

[plovett]

This is ridiculous.  So IF the aluminum used in the factory made FE-powered cars was made from foreign bauxite, then a 1968 Mustang becomes a "global car" like a 2018???  You guys are arguing about nothing.   

JMO,

paulie

So ignore it.

No, I will state my opinion.  You can ignore mine if you want to.  That's up to you.

paulie

[plovett]

Everybody here knows that American car manufacturing in the 1960's was very different than it is now.  The whole car, or almost the whole car, and all it's parts were manufactured here.  It is very different today.  Where the bauxite that Ford sourced it's aluminum for thermostats was from doesn't change that at all.  Tommy's first statement doesn't really mean anything significant.  I don't mind though.  It's interesting to talk about.  Silly, but interesting.

JMO,

paulie

[Heo]

Interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMlPonSrqVo
FE manufacturing
You decide where they are built out of what but
interesting

[plovett]

That's neat!  Amazing.  Thanks.

paulie

[scott foxwell]

Great video! Thanks Heo!

[Barry_R]

This thread has gone way astray - - but its been really educational.

The Arkansas bauxite mines look to have been the victims of multiple issues coming together at once.  Its a material that is strip mined - we all know how the environmental folks love that process.  The fact that it is really common in low cost countries, combined with the labor and environmental pressure, a weak economy in the early 80s, and the rise of recycling (aluminum is among the most recycled materials around) made the mines non-competitive.  I think we all need to schedule a group field trip to the bauxite museum in - of course - Bauxite, Arkansas....for research.  They have to have a bar there....

The Rouge video is awesome.  Check out the gang hone doing four cylinders at once.  Or the lifter bore machine that hits all of them in a group.  The huge cutter doing the front face is cool.  Using a hand compressor to squeeze the rings is kinda surprising, as was the idea that the short block was assembled standing on end.  They point out the pressure check on the deck oil feed - that sunnuvabitch has apparently been a problem child from day one.  The hot start is neat and answers a couple questions that pop up from time to time - notice the cut away valve covers so they could do a visible oiling check.

[plovett]

They do mention domestic and foreign sourced ores being used, in the video.  Still, it's amazing how the American car manufacturers produced almost every single part on the car from raw materials.   

JMO,

paulie

[cjshaker]

So out of that 38m tons you came up with, do you think there was enough bauxite for Alcoa and Reynolds to produce enough aluminum for ALL of manufacturing in the US at that time? Lets say they mined 25% of that 38m tons. That is 9.5m tons. 25% of that would be 2.37m tons of aluminum, over a period of how ever many years you calculated, for ALL of aluminum manufacturing needs in the US.
Does that sound reasonable to you?

I guess you missed the part about that being Arkansas production only? And I didn't come up with that 38 million tons, it's a fact stated by knowledgeable professionals who know the actual figures. I'll even overlook the fact that ALCOA, being a major mining company, would probably have dealt with the biggest companies in the U.S. to sell their product. I get the fact that you can never admit that there's even a possibility you might be wrong about something. I'm pretty sure we all get that.

My apologies to the OP and Jay for turning this thread into a s#*tshow. I'm done with it.

[cjshaker]

Still, it's amazing how the American car manufacturers produced almost every single part on the car from raw materials.   

JMO,

paulie

That was Fords entire goal for decades, until the mid '70s when the gas crunch hit the American car companies HARD. From the mid '70s on, everything changed, to the point that very few raw materials used today come from the U.S.  I have several friends that live in Arkansas, one being an older gentleman who was affected by the lost jobs in the mining industry in the '70s, so I have a little more than a passing knowledge of the subject, not that that makes me an expert on the subject.

[Nightmist66]

So....
Crowler is the last US rod manufacturer? Blair had some made up, what are there origins?

No. I mentioned Carrillo and Oliver. Both are 100% Made in USA. I haven't checked into the aluminum rod companies, but there may be someone else that is completely US also.