Friends:
Sorry I havent been around much, but busy hardly comes close.
There are currently three problems with bismuth shot making commercially.
1) Bismuth metal prices have skyrocketed over the last 4 years or so. I was getting quotes of 3.5 dollars US for a pound, in 1 mtric ton lots. Now the same is 6 dollars and more. The Chinese are using a lot of theior own domestic production for lead-free uses ( obviously not children's toys). Worldwide demand has outstripped supply.
2) Petersens patent is about due to expire . April 2009 is the date, I believe. Until that time,though, even finding someone to negotiate a license is unlikely, and the risks of infringement are great.
3) ASARCO holds the other big patent, on the "drip process" that has been much discussed and used by our Australian friends. That patent is possibly susceptible to breaking, but do you have $100k to drop into the legal lottery that a patent lawsuit entails?
4) ASARCO is the single biggest marketer of metals in North America. They want to sell bismuth, not make shot. If someone had a viable industrial operation making shot, I suspect ASARCO would be happy to license their patent. HB intends to find out.
ASARCO will provide quantity breaks for purchases of more than 10 tons. At least that is what they have discussed with me.
5) The "garage-do-it-yourself" drip process works. It produces beautiful, round shot at about 30 pounds an hour from 2 nozzles. A Littleton shotmaker has 7 nozzles in the ladle, so obviously shot can be made at a higher rate, even in a garage.
Hunters Bismuth had been preparing a plan for real production, and will commence negotiation with ASARCO for license to produce drip-shot shortly.
I have also been working on a patent that is a "work-around" ASARCO's drip method patent. Unfortunately, although it works, it is an industrial process, and not a back-yard do it your self method.
More later.
Regards
GKT
