Why We Had a Primer Shortage & High Prices After Covid

[wanneroo]

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy ... 025-12-09/

The Army discovered in 2021 that China had stopped shipping trisulfide, setting off a drawdown of the military's one-year stockpile and a dash for alternative supplies in India and elsewhere. The refinery plan was born out of a realization that a domestic option was crucial, Mezger said.

I think all of us remember back after Covid, primers went scarce, totally disappeared and were tough to find for a few years. It seemed to be an odd shortage, a lot of us came up with different explanations as to why. I don't remember hearing this at the time but it would appear that a critical component in primer compound, trisulfide, was taken off the market by China. The US military had a one year stock of it, setting off a scramble to find alternate supplies and as all the primer companies in the USA are connected with the US military, it was probably why commercial supplies were tight.

[bladeracer]

Similar issue with powders, China cut off nitrocellulose export so we had to greatly increase supply from Thailand which took time.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-military-developing-small-refineries-critical-minerals-2025-12-09/

The Army discovered in 2021 that China had stopped shipping trisulfide, setting off a drawdown of the military's one-year stockpile and a dash for alternative supplies in India and elsewhere. The refinery plan was born out of a realization that a domestic option was crucial, Mezger said.

I think all of us remember back after Covid, primers went scarce, totally disappeared and were tough to find for a few years. It seemed to be an odd shortage, a lot of us came up with different explanations as to why. I don't remember hearing this at the time but it would appear that a critical component in primer compound, trisulfide, was taken off the market by China. The US military had a one year stock of it, setting off a scramble to find alternate supplies and as all the primer companies in the USA are connected with the US military, it was probably why commercial supplies were tight.

[Wapiti]

And how many countries, including Australia, the US and elsewhere, said the reliance on China for so much of the critical components in all our daily lives needed to be addressed? And changed?

Politicians, being the least experienced and qualified human beings ever born, quietly dropped that when people realised that they were being conned and part of an experiment in compliance.
All's good now, so move along...
"handsome boy"

[Billo]

For 40 years Western nations have embraced Asian manufacturing to keep inflation low and maintain standards of living, they now have the control as demonstrated by Chinas recently reported $1 Trillion trade surplus with the US. Trumps trade war and Tariffs are only wrecking America

[bladeracer]

For 40 years Western nations have embraced Asian manufacturing to keep inflation low and maintain standards of living, they now have the control as demonstrated by Chinas recently reported $1 Trillion trade surplus with the US. Trumps trade war and Tariffs are only wrecking America

Imagine where we'd be today if we hadn't moved all of our Western pollution into Asia. We'd still be manufacturing our own products, and exporting them, instead of exporting our raw materials and then importing the end products.

[Wapiti]

For 40 years Western nations have embraced Asian manufacturing to keep inflation low and maintain standards of living, they now have the control as demonstrated by Chinas recently reported $1 Trillion trade surplus with the US. Trumps trade war and Tariffs are only wrecking America

Imagine where we'd be today if we hadn't moved all of our Western pollution into Asia. We'd still be manufacturing our own products, and exporting them, instead of exporting our raw materials and then importing the end products.

Great reply mate, and you are SO much better than I at an artful retort.

Those who criticise can't see that there's only two ways to turn this around, people supporting their countries' manufacturing by mindset change, or regulation.
Since people will buy cheap rubbish but still complain about the results and not think past that, Trump's come up with the blunt stick as doing and saying by the people are two different things entirely.

For the criticisers, how else can we encourage people to buy local quality when the cheap cr@p is just that? Cheap cr@p which is denying them jobs and quality of life here?
And then complain about the results of doing that?

[mchughcb]

Well who's buying a Turkish shotgun then?

[Wapiti]

Oh praytell, Mr Knowsitall , do Aussies still make shotguns we can buy and support over imports?
Point me in the right direction, chop chop.

[mchughcb]

Are you upset? You sound upset.

[wanneroo]

Similar issue with powders, China cut off nitrocellulose export so we had to greatly increase supply from Thailand which took time.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-military-developing-small-refineries-critical-minerals-2025-12-09/

The Army discovered in 2021 that China had stopped shipping trisulfide, setting off a drawdown of the military's one-year stockpile and a dash for alternative supplies in India and elsewhere. The refinery plan was born out of a realization that a domestic option was crucial, Mezger said.

I think all of us remember back after Covid, primers went scarce, totally disappeared and were tough to find for a few years. It seemed to be an odd shortage, a lot of us came up with different explanations as to why. I don't remember hearing this at the time but it would appear that a critical component in primer compound, trisulfide, was taken off the market by China. The US military had a one year stock of it, setting off a scramble to find alternate supplies and as all the primer companies in the USA are connected with the US military, it was probably why commercial supplies were tight.

I saw the US Dept of War was setting up a refinery and mine in Western Australia for gallium.

Also yesterday Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth were meeting their Australian counterparts in Washington and it sounds like more upgrades to bases in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland to handle US troops and equipment. But also a big topic was resources and rare earths so I think you will see a major step up in cooperation and development of such things. Being dependent on China for critical resources like this is dumb.

[wanneroo]

For 40 years Western nations have embraced Asian manufacturing to keep inflation low and maintain standards of living, they now have the control as demonstrated by Chinas recently reported $1 Trillion trade surplus with the US. Trumps trade war and Tariffs are only wrecking America

Imagine where we'd be today if we hadn't moved all of our Western pollution into Asia. We'd still be manufacturing our own products, and exporting them, instead of exporting our raw materials and then importing the end products.

Great reply mate, and you are SO much better than I at an artful retort.

Those who criticise can't see that there's only two ways to turn this around, people supporting their countries' manufacturing by mindset change, or regulation.
Since people will buy cheap rubbish but still complain about the results and not think past that, Trump's come up with the blunt stick as doing and saying by the people are two different things entirely.

For the criticisers, how else can we encourage people to buy local quality when the cheap cr@p is just that? Cheap cr@p which is denying them jobs and quality of life here?
And then complain about the results of doing that?

The big problem with all of this people forget is part of these trade issues is our own governments accepted deals which benefited other countries by giving them low or no tariff entry for their goods but with ours getting hit with high tariffs or other trade barriers. Asian countries are notorious for this.

All Trump is really doing is identifying where the USA has been screwed over and rectifying these situations while at the same time recognizing there are some critical things we need to have where basing all of our manufacturing for it overseas is dumb. Hopefully Australia sees the same.

In the end all this shows how on a personal level it's not a bad idea to have your own supplies to last you for a few years because the world is a funky place.

[Wapiti]

Are you upset? You sound upset.

Nah, I never get upset. I'm a bloke that runs on facts, and im waiting to see if you have any yourself. Cos if you're going to pick on something someone's said, follow it up with a fact. Ask your "brains trust" on one of your other sites if you have to.

[mchughcb]

Fun fact. NIOA have stopped importing cci 22LR subsonic segmented hollowpoints.

What a bummer.

[wanneroo]

Australia signed up with Pax Silica with the USA:

https://www.state.gov/pax-silica

Basically a group of countries to coordinate the production and mining of rare earths and other minerals along with energy and technology development.

[mchughcb]

The reality with critical metal is the processing and manufacturing. Whilst Australian politicians fall over themselves with roadmaps, there is the very blunt assessment of how long to approve a mine or processing facility, the cost to mine it versus buying it on the open market, the market for the final product and the volumes required to get the price down under the current open market.

This doesn't work well in a capitalist market system. Mines will be come basically another government enterprise that is propped up until tensions die down and you are left with an unprofitable business that supported by taxpayers.

Don't believe me? Have a look at the tungsten mine at King Island. They took big government cash injection to get the process plant up and running and now, closed down again.