Another steel thief nabbed
Police have arrested a 21 year old man in Wichita, Kansas for a suspected theft of $7'500 in angle iron.
The man was booked into jail Tuesday on suspicion of felony theft as a result of an investigation into a recent string of steel thefts, which local police attribute to rising scrap prices.
Although this particular theft occurred in June, the suspected thief was not located until Tuesday, after he was in a traffic accident.
Meet your new Steel Man of the Year
As we all know, it's award show season, but what you might not know is that the winner of a very prestigious award has just been announced.
No, it is not a Grammy or an Emmy - it is the "Steel Man of the Year" award!
Yes, former US Steel European sales VP and co-founder of the successful Esmark Inc. James Bouchard has been honored as this year's Steel Man.
Mr. Bouchard was named Steel Man for his remarkable achievements in the industry. Over a period of two years, Mr. Bouchard managed to bring the nearly bankrupt Esmark Inc to grossing $700 million in annual revenue. He credits the success of Esmark Inc. to his management and the company's tight inventory.
He was quite surprised that he was recognized for the award, however. "I knew absolutely nothing about it," he says.
"I was very honored because I've been in the steel industry since I was 18 and when you're recognized by your peers, it's a pretty big honor. I just feel pretty lucky. I count my lucky stars every day."
Columbus man uses scrap steel to make futuristic machines
Take a walk into Columbus, Ohio artist Chris Mohler's studio and you will find a warehouse of metalworking equipment, including a welder and pieces of steel pipe and flat rolled steel.
He uses these parts to make unique art pieces like steel quilts, sculptures, even mechanical gadgets.
Scrap steel isn't the easiest medium for artists to work with these days, though. Mr Mohler says, "There's no such thing as scrap steel anymore! Prices have skyrocketed because China is sucking it all up."
Still, Mr. Mohler is able to obtain enough steel to create his octahedral (eight-sided) sculptures and futuristic-looking machines like, "Home Base" - a large mechanical gadget with an electric control panel, lights, drive chains, gears, and a large sliding metal piece shaped like a baseball home plate. The gadget has no apparent use, but hey, who ever said art had to be functional? Mohler said the gadget is supposed to resemble a energy-generating device.
If you happen to be in the Columbus area, Chris Mohler will be hosting a open house in his East Side studio Friday night.
Carbon versus stainless steel: Which is best for cooking potatoes?
While most of us amateur cooks use stainless steel, Teflon-coated, or aluminum pans for our cooking endeavors, it turns out that there is a better material we could be frying our eggs or cooking our potatoes with.
What is this material, you ask? Why, it is "black" or carbon steel pans. According to a cooking and dining section of a Philadelphia newspaper this week, these inexpensive pans are what most professional cooks recommend.
Carbon steel, which heats and cools rapidly, is favored for cooking stir-fried veggies, potatoes, and eggs because they can get much hotter than other pans.
If you use these carbon steel pans, however, you have to protect them against rust - something you don't have to worry about with Teflon or stainless steel.