U.S. Silica offers stock to fund expansion

You find U.S. Silica plants in Ottawa and a dozen other U.S. locations.

But starting Wednesday you also can find it on the New York Stock Exchange with the listing symbol of SLCA.

The initial public offering by U.S. Silica Holdings was 11,764,705 shares of common stock at a price of $17 per share.

The company announced it expects to receive net proceeds of approximately $42.5 million from the offering and intends to use approximately $34.5 million to fund future capital expenditures for its business, including the construction of its new resin-coating facility.

U.S. Silica Holdings, a Delaware corporation headquartered in Frederick, Md., is the second-largest domestic producer of commercial silica used for a variety of industrial and specialty products end markets.

During its 111-year history, U.S. Silica Holdings has focused on mining, processing, logistics and materials science that enable it to produce and deliver more than 200 products.

U.S. Silica's Ottawa plant is North America's largest silica production facility, mining fine grain, nearly pure quartz sandstone from the location's St. Peter sandstone deposits.

Ground and unground silica products from the Ottawa facility have a wide variety of applications, including glass production of all kinds, foundry and refractory sand, abrasives, polishes, paint and other fillers, filtration sand, frac sand and cement testing sands.

Silica sand mining began in Ottawa in the 1860s. At that time in Ottawa, glass manufacturing was one of the most important industries and the silica sand and glass manufacturing businesses grew simultaneously.

The Ottawa facility with an office at 701 Boyce Memorial Drive became part of U.S. Silica in 1987 and has a production rate of 2.2 million tons of silica annually.

Blackwoods 2012 catalogue to reveal new 'green' workplace solutions

The catalogue will present over 20,000 new products, including the new Blackwoods Greener Workplace Range, complete with technical information, sizing and conversion charts.

The 1,800-page catalogue reflects “the Blackwoods commitment to service the ever-growing needs of their diverse customer base, with the addition of new technologies and the broadest range of workplace essentials available,” according to the company.

Product types featured in the catalogue include:  Site Safety and Traffic Control; Industrial Fasteners; Welding; Abrasives; Personal Protective Equipment; Industrial Clothing and Footwear; Safety Products; Oils and Lubricants; Hand and Power Tools; Hygiene, Janitorial and Cleaning products.

The catalogue itself will be printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved paper, meaning it is from a sustainable source; Blackwoods says each step of the print, pack and delivery process has also been monitored and implemented to reduce the impact on the environment.

“To minimise the impact of the paper production, printing and transportation – Blackwoods has also taken the industry lead and purchased carbon offsets,” said Blackwoods.

3M Stock Worth $97: Trefis

3M continued its consistent performance as it delivered another quarter of steady growth driven by strength in the Americas region. This growth was broad-based as four out of the company's six divisions recorded solid growth. 3M competes with other industrial conglomerates like Dupont and Avery Dennison.

The company's revenues for the fourth quarter of 2011 stood at $7.1 billion, up 5.7% compared to the prior year. This sales increase was driven primarily by acquisitions (+2.3%), with some organic volume growth (+1.3%). While 3M's gross margins shrunk for the fifth consecutive quarter to 46.5%, its net income increased to $954 million. The fastest region of growth for the company was Latin America/Canada where it recorded a 10% growth in sales while in the U.S. it recorded a strong 7% increase.

With the cooling of the Chinese economy and weakness in the consumer market, growth in Asia fell considerably from previous quarters to about 3%. The surprise has been Europe where, in spite of macroeconomic conditions and softness in Western European demand, the company was able to register 4% growth. The company's operating margins decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 19.2% from the prior year mainly on account of higher pension costs. To contain these pension costs, the company has put a freeze on hiring in developing countries. See our complete analysis for 3M.

The Industrial and Transportation division was the company's fastest growing segment in the fourth quarter, as sales increased 14.3% from the prior year to $2.4 billion. The division saw double digit growth in abrasives, aerospace, industrial adhesives & tapes, energy & advanced materials and auto OEM, while operating income of $472 million was up 14% from the prior year. Sales increased by 17% in Asia Pacific, 15% in the U.S. and 12% in Europe.

The company also won some new business which holds strong promise for future periods. 3M won major contracts from auto majors for catalytic converters and cabin noise reductions while 30% of its growth in tapes and adhesives came from new applications in medical devices, specialty vehicles and construction markets. 3M is also partnering with a systems integrator to deploy the world's largest solar collector in the Mojave Desert region.

3M Exhibits State-of-the-art Scale Control Water Filters at Hotelympia 2012

3M's filter portfolio protects professional catering equipment from expensive scale build up caused by hard water, helping reduce product downtime and service costs

Bracknell, UK, 30 January 2012 - Diversified technology company 3M will exhibit its Reverse Osmosis (RO) filtration system and high capacity anti-scale filter on Stand S1113 at Hotelympia 2012, the UK's largest exhibition for foodservice and hospitality, taking place 26 February to 1 March at ExCeL, London. These popular filters offer an enhanced taste experience for the consumer while lowering the operating costs of catering equipment in commercial kitchens, pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels.

The ScaleGard LP2-BL (SGLP2) Dual Port Reverse Osmosis System from 3M is a compact, wall-mounted unit designed to deliver great tasting filtered water every time. The system provides two water qualities for specialty coffee and flash steam applications, which means that only one filtration is required for all the back-of-house catering equipment typically found in a professional kitchen - from steamers and combi ovens to ice machines, bulk coffee brewers and espresso machines. These are all expensive pieces of equipment to buy and maintain so the elimination of multiple filtration units presents significant cost and time savings.

Using twin RO membranes, the system purifies mains water, removing solids and minerals that can cause limescale and corrosion problems typically associated with flash steamers, thereby helping to minimise equipment downtime and servicing costs. Also, as a non-electric system, with filtration driven by incoming water pressure, the system offers high reliability with low ownership costs, immunity to power outage and enhances energy efficiency.

For water and coffee applications, the SGLP2 Reverse Osmosis System provides a second RO-filtered supply, which is recombined with a controlled quantity of mains water via a blending valve to maintain a consistent mineral composition. This source of Recipe Quality Water is then passed through a 3M cyst-rated filter to deliver tailored quality softened, particle-free water as the starting point for great-tasting coffee and ice.

At filter end-of-life, the RO membrane cartridges can each be replaced quickly and easily by in-house staff using 3M's Sanitary Quick Change (SQC) cartridge attachment, helping to save the cost of service calls. In daily use, the system also contributes to reducing water consumption, delivering savings in both supply and waste water costs compared to traditional RO systems.

The ScaleGard Pro (SGP) P1175 Anti-scale Filter from 3M provides a high capacity of 6000 litres, which increases convenience for owners and reduces equipment downtime by extending the filter change-out interval. The filter matches the high level of filtration achieved by other SGP filters to ensure effective removal of scale-forming minerals. It also features 3M's SQC cartridge attachment.

The SGP1175 Anti-scale Filter's proportional bypass provides consistent hardness reduction for repeatable water quality and scale prevention, while also ensuring that all water passes through 3M's carbon-block post filter for chlorine and odour removal. This unit is fitted in the SGP1175BN-E fixed-bypass variant of the new high-capacity filter. An additional variant, the SGP1175-E, is a non-bypass version providing a cost-effective alternative capable of protecting the heating elements of equipment such as steamers. Preventing scale build-up in coffee vending machines and steamers helps maintain optimum efficiency, enhancing business performance by minimising energy consumption and the costs of machine downtime and service calls.

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Its culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better.

The $27 billion diversified technology company has, since 1902, been creating innovative products that help make the world healthier, safer and more productive. Well known 3M brands include Scotch, Post-it, Scotchgard, Thinsulate and Scotch-Brite.

3M employs some 80,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. The UK and Ireland is home to one of the largest 3M subsidiaries outside the USA, employing more than 3,500 people across 19 locations, including 10 manufacturing sites.

Products manufactured in the UK include coated abrasives, occupational health and environmental safety equipment, adhesive tapes, industrial microbiology products, drug delivery systems, high-performance coatings, secure documents and passport scanners.

Solar panels coming to utility poles in Montclair

The solar panels that Public Service Electric & Gas Co. has been putting up across northern and central New Jersey will soon be coming to Montclair.

Starting next Monday, Jan. 23, contractors for PSE&G will start suspending the panels about 15 feet off the ground on utility poles in the township, as they've done in many neighboring municipalities, including Clifton, Verona and Cedar Grove.

Cary Africk, the Township Council member for Montclair's 2nd Ward, said the 5-foot-wide by 2.5-foot-high panels are fine on major thoroughfares, where they will likely be camouflaged amid the busy streetscape. But Africk was concerned that the solar units could spoil the look of quieter, residential streets, he said.

"People will get used to it on streets like Grove Street, where there is so much other stuff," Africk said. "But in a residential area, it will have a much greater impact.

"It has the potential to be very ugly, depending on where they put them," Africk said. "It can blend in, or people can drive around and say, 'What is that?'"

The look of the panels has caused a stir in some nearby towns such as Verona, where PSE&G delayed installing the units after township officials expressed misgivings.

Verona's township manager, Joseph Martin, said last October that municipal officials were holding meetings with PSE&G reps about the program and he was hoping that, especially along Bloomfield Avenue, where the township invested money to spruce up its business district, "we can work with Public Service just to avoid putting panels in that area."

Fran Sullivan, a PSE&G spokesperson, said the panels are "no more intrusive than any other piece of equipment on those poles."

Sullivan was uncertain how many panels would be going up in Montclair. Work crews scout for locations that seem to fit the bill, and once they find a good spot they set up a unit, a process that takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Under PSE&G policy, utility poles with a clear exposure to the southern sky and that have access to the proper-voltage electric wires are eligible for the solar units. The panels will only be mounted on poles where they won't conflict with existing equipment.

"We don't pre-survey the town. The crews go out with a supply of panels and if they find a pole that meets the criteria, they install the solar unit," Sullivan said.

When the entire "Solar 4 All" project is complete later this year, there will be 180,000 to 200,000 utility-pole-mounted panels across the state providing a combined 40 megawatts of solar-generated electricity. That's enough energy to power about 6,500 average-size New Jersey homes annually. So far more than 120,000 panels have been installed.

PSE&G estimates that the project's environmental impact on air quality will be on par with removing about 3,800 cars from the road for one year.

In Montclair, workers will not be putting up the panels in designated historic districts, meaning the Upper Montclair and Montclair Center business districts and the Pine Street Historic District should not have any panels within their confines.

But the rest of Montclair is fair game, unless an objection is raised based on safety concerns. A complaint grounded solely in aesthetics won't be enough to have a panel removed or prevented from being installed.

"We can't go into some towns and follow this policy in this town and not in that town," Sullivan said. "We have been absolutely evenhanded about installing these solar units."

He said PSE&G is "willing to talk if there is some kind of real issue" with where a panel is situated, but generally "there are not a lot of exceptions."

The panels have undergone testing in which they have withstood 110 mph winds, plus PSE&G has not "had any incidents of snow falling off and injuring someone," Sullivan said. The panels heat up as they collect energy from the sun, and that rise in temperature prevents significant accumulations of snow from forming on the panels.

PSE&G decided to go with pole-attached units since its service area is heavily developed and populated, and this would provide a means to generate solar power without acquiring land or the rights to put up solar panels on the ground or on rooftops, Sullivan said.

Your new to-do list

Today's homes are filled with components that weren't so common years ago. They make your home more efficient and less work. You can't ignore them entirely, though. So, as you plan your chores and projects for the coming year, here are some to keep in mind.

These ancient materials are more popular than ever. Not all stones need sealing. Ask your stone pro. Buy the best sealers you can afford. Grit and acids are the biggest threats to marble and limestone. So:

Clean surfaces with a few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap (available at hardware stores) or a mild liquid dish detergent and warm water. Go easy on the cleaner or soap, because too much can leave a film. Rinse thoroughly and dry.

Do not use abrasive cleaners, or ones with lemon, vinegar or other acids.

Closed, or sealed, crawl spaces are touted as efficient - and healthy - alternatives to the traditional vented crawl spaces. They're certainly drier and cleaner and brighter, so you shouldn't mind sticking your head under your house from time to time. And you absolutely should, experts say. Don't ignore this chore.

Check regularly to make sure no moisture is getting in. If there's a dehumidifier, make sure it's working.

Look for condensation. And "If you see standing water, you have a real problem," Charlotte, N.C., home inspector Bob Boucek said.

More complete inspections and repairs are best left to experts. Check your attic, too.

Vinyl windows are tough, and extremely popular. They should get a yearly inspection.

Clean window tracks of debris, says Burt Harold, a rep for Pella Windows. Make sure weather stripping is sound and making proper contact. Replace as needed.

When cleaning, never use abrasives. That can damage the vinyl skin of the window. If you need to lubricate a track, use pure silicone spray, not WD-40.

Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for caulking. When washing windows, be cautioned that bleach can discolor dark vinyl colors. And, remember, window films can void your window warranty.

It won't rot. It holds paint. And it's very durable. It's the siding of choice on many new homes Often called HardiePlank, it's almost trouble-free. Still, inspect annually.

If caulking fails, water can penetrate the joint and damage the wood and framing behind the siding. If you're going to check your home's exterior less often, says Charlotte home inspector Dave Hahn, use caulk rated for at least 20 years, and longer is better. Choose a quality silicone or polyurethane.

Minor dents can be filled with auto body putty. Follow the instructions on the can and, just as if you were working on a car, don't stint on the sanding. Uneven spots will show. For larger areas, cut out damaged fiberglass with a grinder. Repair with mat and resin from fiberglass repair kit. Prime, then paint. with 100 percent acrylic.

Stainless steel is hot for kitchens because it looks good, resists rust and cleans easily. The biggest complaint about stainless is that the fridge shows all those little handprints.

Clean with a specialty product such as 3M Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish. Such products create a barrier against fingerprints.

Avoid products with chlorine; mild abrasives can scratch. Read labels.

There are six times as many connections that can leak, six times as many shower heads that can clog. Check regularly and clean with CLR or some other solution. You can use white vinegar to clear a shower head that has been clogged with mineral deposits. Place vinegar in a plastic bag, enclose the head and secure the bag to the shower neck with a rubber band or twist tie. Let stand for at least two hours.

Early on, composite decking was billed as a trouble-free - and chemical-free - alternative to treated lumber. You still have to clean it.

The best way to prevent stains is to sweep or hose off regularly.

To wash, use a commercial composite deck cleaner. Jomax is one popular brand.

For stubborn stains, allow solution to sit for a few minutes and scrub with a bristle brush.

Be careful with power washers. Some decking manufacturers recommend against them, and using one can void your warranty. Other makers suggest smaller washers with no more than 1300 PSI, with the fan tip no closer than 8 to 10 inches from the surface.

The best known maker of composite decking, Trex, recommends that you wash your deck twice a year, in spring and fall, to prevent mold and mildew.

If you've invested in expensive technology consider protecting your investment with regular service by a professional. Builders, inspectors and other experts say that's always wise. Don't let the contract lapse.

Follow the manufacturer's advice for care and service.

Owner's manuals are online. Just check the product for a model name or number, and go to the company site. The manual should answer most questions. Many have helpful pictures, and there's usually a toll-free hotline on which an expert can answer questions.

Flap Discs for Right-Angle Air Tools Boost Productivity

BobCat abrasive flap discs from Weiler are designed to deburr, grind and blend using a right-angle air die grinder, resulting in increased productivity with fewer change-overs and increased product life. The flap discs replace small-diameter coated blending discs for weld blending and finishing applications. The 2" and 3" flap discs also are suited for detail work and for hard-to-reach areas.

The discs are available in zirconium grain in angled and flat configurations with grit sizes ranging from 36Z to 120Z. Angled discs provide maximum aggression and are best used at an angles ranging from 15 to 25 degrees, while flat discs are suited for smoother grinding and enhanced conformability, and are recommended for use at a range of 0-15 degrees.

Turbine Blade Coating To Combat Wear

ABB Turbocharging is offering special axial turbine blades with hard-faced tips to counter accelerated circumferential wear for engines burning lower qualities of heavy fuel oil (HFO) and particularly with heavy duty operating profiles.

ABB Turbocharging’s turbine blades with hard wear resistant tips are designed to scrape away hard HFO fouling on turbocharger turbine diffusers to minimize contact of the standard blades with the abrasive deposits.

ABB Turbocharging is offering special axial turbine blades with hard-faced tips to counter accelerated circumferential wear for engines burning lower qualities of heavy fuel oil (HFO) and particularly with heavy duty operating profiles.

A build-up of hard, abrasive combustion residues on and around the turbine diffuser causes wear due to contact between the deposits and the rotating turbine blades. This causes a gradual reduction in turbine diameter and consequent increase in exhaust gases bypassing the turbine. The resulting loss of turbocharger efficiency reduces engine efficiency and increases operating cost remedied only  replacement of the complete set of turbine blades.

ABB’s special hard wearing turbine blades, nicknamed “dragon’s teeth” have a hard, wear resistant layer applied to the tips of the removable turbine blades. Only three pairs (6 in total) of the hard tipped blades need to be fitted at 120 degree intervals around the turbine wheel to effectively scrape away hard HFO deposits and clear a path for the standard blades, thus minimizing contact with the abrasive residues. The 120 degree spacing of the coated blades also assists rotor balancing as well as ensuring a well distributed scraping effect.

Tests in the field have proven that by fitting dragon’s teeth, wear on the standard tubine blades is within tolerance and do not require to be changed at overhaul: maintenance of the diffuser is similarly reduced with only the six dragon’s teeth requiring replacement.

Dragon’s teeth turbine blades will be an option on new turbochargers and will be offered as part of ABB’s “Hot Part Package” which also includes modified washing nozzles for ABB Turbocharging’s TPL -A and TPL -C turbochargers on engines operating on HFO.

Mavrix Welding Automation Improves Dual Torch Hard Surfacing System

Improved system now installs in less than 30 minutes, features single pendant control.

Muskego, Wisconsin - Mavrix Welding Automation Inc. has redesigned its dual torch shredder disc rebuild system with an improved mounting system and open carriage design that reduces installation time to 30 minutes or less. The dual torch system can apply 50 lbs. of weld metal per hour, significantly shortening downtime, the frequency of maintenance events and cost per ton of scrap or recycled material.

Mavrix custom builds its systems so that they can be integrated with all hammer-type shredders with disc rotors, including those from Metso-Texas Shredder, Riverside Engineering, Newell, TSC, Wendt and American Pulverizer. Mavrix has installed systems around the country and works closely with many manufacturers to ensure its products fit precisely to the shredder system.

The dual torch disc rebuild system includes two weld carriages that support the weld arm and adjustable open arc torches, wire feeders and 60-lb. coils of wire. The carriage with the new opening design allows the main beam and legs to be installed first and the carriages second, significantly reducing the weight of the system and making installation easier.

Mavrix has now consolidated the controls into a single hand-held pendant that allows the operator to be mobile yet maintain control. The pendant frees the operator to maintain a safe distance from welding fumes yet keep complete control over voltage, amperage, rotation speed and circumferential step-over. With remote Start/Stop, the operator can pause at any time to inspect the work and simply begin again without out worrying about "wire whiskers" because a built-in burn back circuit eliminates the welding wire sticking to the work piece.

The disc rebuild system is a perfect match with Stoody 110MC, a modified high chromium manganese steel metal cored wire designed for parts subject to severe impact loading. This wire allows the system to be used in a single wire welding solution; there is no need to build up with one product and then change over to a hard facing wire. A single wire solution reduces stocking requirements, and it also eliminates concern with residual hard facing material when returning for subsequent build events. Stoody 110MC has great welder appeal, low slag, goes down softly and work hardens to 55 HRC. Mavrix is an authorized distributor of Stoody wire products, each selected for specific customer applications.

Sisters in Conover get a family for Christmas

They got two big-hearted people to call Mom and Dad; a new last name, Davis; and a comfortable Conover house in which to live. Maybe the best part of their early Christmas present was the fact that they got each other. For a good while, they didn't know the joys of sisterhood because they lived in separate foster homes.

Laura and Dennis Davis of Conover became Layla's and Destinie's official adoptive parents on Sept. 21. The process began long before September, however.

According to Laura, "Layla came to us first in May of 2010; then Destinie came in November of 2010." The Davises served as foster parents of the two girls until the adoption was complete, a process that took nearly a year.

"I grew up wanting to be a foster or adoptive parent," said 31-year-old Laura, who has a degree in human and community service and works as a customer service rep for Klingspor Abrasives in Hickory. As a child in her native upstate New York, Laura knew several foster and adoptive families and saw the difference a loving and stable family can make in a child's life.

Adding to Laura's keen understanding of the need for foster and adoptive families was the year she spent working in a Catawba County group home. In 2008, Laura worked in a residence for female teens who were in the foster care system but had no foster families with whom to live. Laura said she saw kids "ready to turn 18 who literally had no one."

A Forsyth County native, Dennis had a childhood friend who was adopted, but Dennis had never considered becoming an adoptive parent until he and Laura married. Fiona and Zoe are Laura's biological daughters from her first marriage; Maddex is Laura's and Dennis's biological son. Dennis is a production worker at RockTenn, a packaging and paperboard company in Conover.

The Davises began their journey toward adoption by first considering becoming foster parents. To help them understand fostering better - and to become licensed foster parents - they took a comprehensive course in parenting offered by Family Builders of Catawba Valley, the foster and adoption agency of Catawba County Social Services. Additionally, they underwent criminal background checks and a home inspection.

"Once Dennis started the classes and saw the need in the community, he was especially supportive [of becoming a foster or adoptive parent]," said Laura.

The first foster children placed with the Davises were a 15-year-old girl and her 18-month-old baby. "It was a positive experience," said Laura. Sometime after the young mother and her child left the foster care system, the mother could not care for her child; the little girl returned to the Davises when she was 4 and stayed until June of last year, when she was placed with her biological father.

Around that time, the Davises were asked to consider two sisters. They readily agreed. The rest is the wonderful history of two little girls returning to each other and getting a family all in one big package. The Davises said their biological children immediately accepted Layla and Destinie as their siblings.

So how do two working parents manage five children? "With a lot of planning and support from family and friends," Laura shared. "We must be organized at home and make great use of time management."

Participating in activities is managed by limiting each child to one or two pursuits, Laura explained. "We want them to experience new things, but we must be able to manage it. There's also school work and chores."

Laura said the children help keep the family on schedule by laying out their clothes each evening, so they can dress quickly the following morning.

"Even Maddex can get out his shoes the night before and put them next to his stepstool," Laura said.

"We've done what we can," Dennis continued, "but we know there are so many children who need quality foster parents or adoptive parents."

State foster home licensing regulations limit a family to no more than five children, so the Davises can no longer accept foster children. What they can do, however, is challenge others to consider the possibility. "A child can't grab hold of anything until they know they aren't going anywhere," concluded Dennis.

Manja Kite Results in the Death of a Surat Village Woman

Manja kites are a type of fighter kite. They use a special abrasive cotton string coated in powdered glass. Fighter kites are a popular sport in Afghanistan, Chile, Nepal, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

On Wednesday, January 5, 2012 a woman in Surat Village fell victim to a Manja. Sita Ishwar Patel was driving a scooter going to pick up her children from school. She came into contact with the glass-coated kite-flying string and this resulted in her throat being slit. She began to bleed profusely. She ultimately died as a result of this accident after being rushed to New Civil Hospital where they tried to treat her, reports Indian Express.

Regular kites come with their own set of dangers, such as ankle injuries and electrocution, but these fighter kites can be particularly dangerous due to their strings being intensely sharp.

During a fighter kite competition, two people will entangle the strings of their kites. They will then fly their kites and pull the strings to try and cut each other's strings. The competition is won when one kite is set free and one is still flying in the hands of a competitor. The person still holding the kite wins.

The loser's kite will then fly into the wind as it is cut completely free. Once fully free, children (and sometimes also, or only, adults) will chase down the free kite and attempt to catch it once it hits the ground. This is referred to as kite running.

In the Indian subcontinent, kite fighters will generally do battle from house rooftops. This also poses danger because fighters have been known to fall and become either seriously injured or die.

Many kite runners also lose their lives each year. Kite runners are often very fixated on the kite that they are chasing. This has resulted in them being hit by trains and vehicles, falling off of buildings or falling out of trees.

Of course, there are also dangers like the one that Sita Ishwar Patel experienced. This is obviously a rather extreme accident, but it is very real and can happen. Those participating in kite fighting or kite running are at risk for this. As evidenced in the news story above, innocent bystanders are also at risk.

While kites may seem like a harmless sport, they can pose a danger, especially when their components are altered. Those participating in this sport should take all possible precautions, and those around when it is taking place should also tread with extreme caution.

New Cordless Jig Saw from Metabo Features Best in Class Performance

Metabo Corporation, a leading international manufacturer of professional grade portable electric power tools and abrasives for industrial, construction and welding applications, introduces a cordless jig saw that is an industry leader in performance. The STA 18 LTX is part of Metabo’s innovative PowerMasterSeries of 18 V lithium-ion cordless power tools.

This high-performing saw, that can cut more than 98 feet of chipboard with just one battery pack charge, is ideal for use in cutting openings for heating duct and plumbing, cabinet fitting, drywall fitting, cutting and sizing plywood or cutting duct openings in HVAC applications.

The STA 18 LTX features a low-lying saw blade support roller for exact blade guidance, a 4-stage adjustable orbital blade stroke and positive bevel cutting stops at 15°, 30° and 45°. The tool also includes Metabo’s Quick toolless blade change system that saves time and energy when replacing blades, increasing productivity and lowering overall cost.

Metabo’s new jig saw can cut a maximum thickness of 5- 5/16” in wood, 1 3/8” in non-ferrous metals and 10 gage” in sheet metal.

The STA 18 LTX features a robust gear housing and motor design, Variospeed electronics producing up to 2,700 strokes per minute, a protective guard and anti-splinter insert to prevent chipping when working on brittle materials like laminate countertops.

Safety features include an ergonomic rubber-coated full grip bow-type handle for user comfort, adjustable blower for a debris-free view of the cutting line as well as an integrated LED work light for optimum illumination of the cutting line.

The cost-effective STA 18 LTX, sold as a tool only, accepts Metabo’s 1.5Ah, 2.6Ah, 3.0Ah or 4.0Ah 18 V lithium-ion batteries that offer 40 percent higher performance and 40 percent less weight than conventional batteries.

The new art of graffiti using felt pens

The illicit art of writing on walls is becoming modernised. Once it was easy to rub out the "Sid Loves Ethel" – or worse – chalked up on the bus shelters and lamp-posts and other amenities of our towns and cities.

Now two factors have combined to give wall literature a permanence which, if not Shakespearean, is at least equal to the local authorities' determination to remove it. Designers of the rebuilt cities have taken to smooth, highly receptive surfaces such as plastic, terrazzo, high-finish concrete and mosaic – and the secret bards have taken to felt-tipped pens – which are more indelible than chalk, pencil, or crayon.

The Precinct, the centre of Coventry's rebuilt city centre, has steadily become a literary anthology and art gallery in this way. The subways, faced on both sides with terrazzo, have proved especially tempting. Felt-tipped pens left behind a legacy that had to be scrubbed off with abrasives doing the surfaces no good at all. Following this, the walls were deliberately coated with advertisements – only for the nubile young ladies pictured on them to acquire unlikely beards, pince-nez, and warts.

The nature of many of the sentiments expressed on public property has suggested that people between the ages of 15 and 22, rather than schoolchildren, are principally responsible. All the same, the local authority had to start somewhere, and the education committee has discussed the matter.

Councillor N.P. Lister, vice-chairman of the committee, says: "It was all very well for a courting couple years ago to spend a whole afternoon carving 'Jack Loves Judith' on a tree. It took them a long time and the marks grew out anyway. With a felt pen on some of these new surfaces you can do lot of damage in a few minutes and nothing will wash it out."

The short-term answer, in the opinion of the committee, is to make the culprits feel that there is no future in their particular art form. "The marks should be scrubbed out immediately, so no one thinks he is leaving a monument to posterity behind him," says Mr Lister. This solution is rather Utopian, as it is estimated that it would need a gang of half a dozen men working full-time for a week, to clear up the present crop of outpourings in Coventry.

The long-term solution lies in the education of the young. Here Coventry is leading the way. The Education Committee is to ask the Head Teachers' Association to consider the possibility of making a film about the wayward art of the wall literati. This would be the first film of its type. "I should think the censors would have to give it an X certificate," said a corporation workman sadly.

Norton 20X High Performance Abrasive Flap Disc

Norton 20X high performance type 27 flap discs are suitable for blending and smooth finishing on flat surfaces on a variety of metals. Norton flap discs are designed for right-angle, handheld, grinding machines for heavy stock removal and surface blending.

With a type 27 flap disc, hold the grinder in operation at an angle less than fifteen degrees to the work surface. Steeper angles will weaken the flap edges. The weight of the backing is designated by letters J, X, Y, T or M. J is the lightest and M is the heaviest. A more flexible backing will follow irregular contours of a workpiece better than a stiffer one. Stiffer backing is more suited for regular round or flat surfaces.

Coated abrasives have individual abrasive grains spaced at a predetermined distance from one another. This is a closed-coat disc. A closed coat covers 100 percent of the surface with abrasive grains, for more stiffness and better surface finish than an equivalent open coat, where abrasive grit covers 50 to 70 percent of the surface. This disc features a resin bond. Resin bonds have good moisture resistance, are harder and less flexible than glue bonds, and have good heat resistance and grain retention. Resin bonds are useful for abrasive operations with high operating speeds, impact, and sudden loading, as the resin bond is strong and can withstand rough treatment. Use with molded rubber back-up pads, using a hard pad for aggressive cutting, a medium pad for general purpose applications, or a soft pad for contours and fine finishing work.

Zirconia alumina is a self-sharpening abrasive that allows for a faster cut rate and longer life than aluminum oxide, due to its ability to fracture and refracture, creating new cutting edges. Zirconia alumina is often used for high stock removal on wood and metals.

Abrasives are used for a variety of applications from shaping a part to fine finishing, depending on the grit size. Low grit numbers like 40 are coarse and are used for removing excess material and shaping a part. High grit numbers like 400 are fine and help to create a smooth surface finish.

Norton Abrasives manufactures a wide variety of sanding, sanding, and polishing abrasives, and has been located in the United States since 1885. In 1990, Saint-Gobain purchased Norton, keeping its manufacturing facilities and offices in the same location. Norton/Saint-Gobain has been recognized as a Global 100 Sustainable Company, as well as earning ISO 9000 and 14001 certification for quality and environmental management standards.