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Samurai-Sword Maker May Cool Nuclear Revival

Posted by kdawson on from the can't-cut-it dept.

NobleSavage sends a story from Bloomberg about Japan Steel Works Ltd., a company that still makes Samurai swords, and how it may control the fate of the global nuclear-energy renaissance. "There stands the only plant in the world, a survivor of Allied bombing in World War II, capable of producing the central part of a nuclear reactor's containment vessel in a single piece, reducing the risk of a radiation leak. Utilities that won't need the equipment for years are making $100 million down payments now on components Japan Steel makes from 600-ton ingots. Each year the Tokyo-based company can turn out just four of the steel forgings that contain the radioactivity in a nuclear reactor. Even after it doubles capacity in the next two years, there won't be enough production to meet building plans."

7 of 317 comments (clear)

  1. Hm by scubamage · · Score: 4, Funny

    So what I want to know is... can they make me a sword out of uranium? Now THAT would be sweet.

    1. Re:Hm by steveo777 · · Score: 4, Funny
      True, a uranium sword would be sweet, but what happens when you grow that third and fourth arm? Sure, you'd think the extra gripping power would be 'handy' on your sword now. But what happens when they deliver that bad boy and in your first uranium sword fight they both go critical mass... Did you ever think of THAT?!

      Maybe depleted uranium.

      --
      This sig isn't original enough, it's time to come up with something witty...
    2. Re:Hm by scubamage · · Score: 5, Funny

      Psh, you're missing the point. URANIUM SWORD! And we could create uranium sword wielding robots. This has badass written all over it and highlighted with AWESOME.

    3. Re:Hm by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Funny

      It'd still make a sweet mace.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  2. Re:Japan, WWII, allied bombing, and nukes by morari · · Score: 4, Funny

    Godzilla only serves as a warning of the hazards of nuclear fission gone awry, right?

    --
    "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
  3. Re:Candu by lju · · Score: 4, Funny

    A series of tubes? So it works like the internet, then?

  4. Re:4 per year by Zerth · · Score: 5, Funny

    >I don't think I would want to be near a Chinese forged reactor core
    >any time in my life. QC does not seem to be their strong point.

    On the plus side, it is very likely to come coated in lead.

    That's good in this case, right?