Replies to post #39470 on Cotton & Western Mining Inc. (CWRN)

[balihi]

Thanks,that is something new,never seen that discussed before.

[Kubisiak5]

Thanks...good info to know.

[getmoreshares]

That is GREAT news--I was under the impression that the fines were not worth as much. Just need to find the right buyer. Possibly the previous purchaser was not in the market for "fines".

[Militia Man]

FINES are Worth more?: "The beneficiation process for taconite requires crushing, screening, grinding, magnetic separation, filtering and finally drying. This concentrate product can be processed further to produce pellets which can be fed into a Direct Reduced Iron "DRI" plant, and then later used for steel making. While taconite may require more processing than hematite, it often produces a superior end product with fewer impurities and a higher Fe grade. This higher grade product, in turn, can fetch a significant premium over hematite lump and fine products. Final end products for taconite are generally either concentrate, pellets, sinter, or DRI. Concentrate is generally the first product you get from Taconite beneficiation. The concentrate product is then binded together with bentonite or metallurgical coal to produce a pellet or a sintered pellet, and those pellets can be fed into a processor to create DRI."

http://seekingalpha.com/article/262764-the-important-factors-to-consider-when-investing-in-iron-ore?source=feed

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TH9-4PC3SGX-1&_user=10&_coverDate=04%2F09%2F2008&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=gateway&_origin=gateway&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1717472490&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=61d847cf4fd84d3174e663d1f43db341&searchtype=a

http://books.google.com/books?id=alLmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA164&lpg=PA164&dq=sintered+magnetite+costs&source=bl&ots=Goo0B9yw4R&sig=DZZWK6T2MghHndOi4NFFf5VSixk&hl=en&ei=Mj6mTavdKZP6swPvleDlCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

Interesting article partly right and partly wrong. Magnetite is the preferred iron mineral of choice for junior iron mineral miners and in most cases is the higher grade of Fe%. In north America, Mexico in particularly, the majority of iron mineral deposits are mixed Fe203 and Fe 304, with the magnetite ranging from 47 to 72% Fe, in most ore bodies. Hematite on the other hand presents a more difficult processing procedure since it is non-magnetic as opposed to simple low cost magnetic scrubbing when processing magnetite.. The cost per metric ton to produce a finished product varies greatly between operators, depending on stripping ratios, location of ore bodies, techniques employed by the operator is usually were the savings is found. The cost per metric ton is also dependent on the production rate as the more tonnage per month, the less the cost. Non-mining cost for most companies, is the highest cost, i.e., Royalty Fee structure (if the operator is not the concession owner), surface and access rights payments to the landowner, heavy haul trucking, port loading cost and shipping cost if the operator is selling on a CFR bases, which now seems to be more prevalent than the FOB you sited in your article. In my observation, there are a lot of new start-up iron mineral miners, and many are finding that it is not as simple as it looks and sounds..~Bob Cotton

[jaetrader]

great info, thank you!