[TheForge] Aluminum vs. Aluminium

[Robert Oppenheimer]

Interesting aside on aluminum manufacture and recycling.

In 1970, I got a tour of the St. Lawrence Power project in Massena, New 
York. This is a huge hydro electric dam on the St. Lawrence river which 
stretches between the USA and Canada. Because of the lower cost 
hydro-power and river transit of raw materials, Reynolds and Alcoa 
located their refining plants nearby. If there was ever any question 
about how much power the electrolytic refining process for aluminum 
requires, the control room wall put that in perspective. Away from all 
the rows of panels, switches and meters, there were four chart recorders 
on the wall. They were labeled "US Power Grid", "Canadian Power Grid", 
"Reynolds" and "Alcoa".

Recycling aluminum saves 90% of the energy used to refine new aluminum 
from ore. http://www.aluminum.org/sustainability/aluminum-recycling


On 9/25/2017 11:32 AM, Dave Smucker wrote:
> There is an interesting and I think true story about how the second "i" got dropped from the US spelling of aluminum (aluminium in most of the world outside the USA).  The story inside of ALCOA, (Aluminum Company of America) when I went to work there in 1968 is that the first company stationary using Aluminium Company of America the "i" got dropped as an error.  With the large printing of the letter head they when ahead and used it because it had cost $600.00.  I can't prove this but it what I learned as a young employee.
>
> Dave Smucker
> Brasstown, NC
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Mike Spencer
> Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2017 10:53 PM
> To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [TheForge] Re: Iron Bridge
>
>
>> In the mid 70's ALCOA decided to produce aluminum (aluminium for you
>> Canadians) can sheet for the European Market.  We built a new hot
>> line, cold mill and finishing line using technology never used before
>> for can sheet.  It was a complete disaster and 3000 miles from the
>> companies technical base in Pittsburgh. PA.  Our recovery rate was
>> about 30 percent....
>> [snip]
> Wow.  Good yarn.  Thanks.
>
>> ...aluminum (aluminium for you Canadians)...
> Well, maybe in central Canada, not here.  We say "aluminum".  Some few illiterate older people, ones who dropped out of school in the 3rd or 4th grade, say "alumium" but mispronouce many other words too.
>
> - Mike
>