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September 8, 2017, 10:10 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: April 19, 2017
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 17
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What's wrong with battery lead?
So, I've not had a problem getting all the wheel weights or range lead I want. However I happen to have several car batteries laying around but I understand the lead in them is not useable for bullet casting. Why?
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September 9, 2017, 01:27 AM | #2 |
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Join Date: June 20, 2006
Location: Surprise, Az.
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Battery lead works fine. Make sure you wash it off first.
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September 9, 2017, 07:04 AM | #3 | |
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Join Date: December 13, 2010
Location: Virginia Beach
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Smelting recovered lead from old car batteries is dangerous.
A good explanation can be found here: Quote:
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September 9, 2017, 07:48 AM | #4 |
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Join Date: July 26, 2011
Location: USA
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Very little lead in the battery, i took apart years ago. Dont waste your time.
Picking bullets out of the berm/backstop is more productive. |
September 9, 2017, 08:10 AM | #5 | |
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Join Date: October 28, 2006
Location: South Central Michigan...near
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Quote:
Most automotive batteries now are of the "Maintenence Free" variety. There is no access to the filler caps on the cells. The alloy used for these modern batteries contains Calcium. Calcium renders the alloy unusable for bullet casting inasmuch as it expands way too much when melted and correspondingly contracts way too much when returning to the solid state. So, the melt will seem fine and pours alright, but when the mold is opened to drop the bullets, you will find that the bullet has shrunk away from the walls of the mold (more on one side than the other), resulting in a misshapen bullet that is not usable. There is no way I know of to get the Calcium out of the alloy using home methods. Mixing/diluting a Calcium tainted alloy with pure lead results in just a larger batch of contaminated lead that cannot be used for bullets. Avoid the lead alloy relative to Maintenence Free batteries at all costs if you are scrounging for bullet alloy...it is but a headache and a waste of time. Ask me how I know. |
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September 9, 2017, 09:56 AM | #6 |
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Join Date: February 28, 2008
Location: Michigan
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Where you are at now is a good time to smelt the lead. With Erma coming the
winds will blow all the fumes away! |
September 9, 2017, 12:35 PM | #7 |
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The minuscule amount of lead in modern batteries isn't worth the trouble, in itself.
Add the not insignificant risk of harm to yourself or others that might breath the gasses released, and it's just a dangerous waste of time.
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September 11, 2017, 11:22 AM | #8 |
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Bust out the post's. The rest is not worth the time it takes to get it. The grids inside will be so messed up your won't get a thing out of them other than a lot of nasty smell! Post are the only thing worth while. But, after you get the post's I'm not sure you can turn them back in? You certainly can't with a battery you tear apart!
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September 11, 2017, 04:04 PM | #9 | |
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Join Date: October 28, 2006
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Quote:
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September 11, 2017, 10:29 PM | #10 | |
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Join Date: August 25, 2008
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Quote:
There is no need to have an aneurysm over one unintentionally omitted word, in this context. Let me fix my statement, so you can calm down: "The minuscule amount of >usable< lead in modern batteries isn't worth the trouble..."
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September 12, 2017, 06:41 AM | #11 | |
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Join Date: October 28, 2006
Location: South Central Michigan...near
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Quote:
Last edited by dahermit; September 12, 2017 at 08:44 AM. |
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September 12, 2017, 11:53 AM | #12 |
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Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
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Just because I haven't volunteered the information, doesn't mean that I do no possess it.
I HAVE salvaged lead from 'classic' lead acid batteries (6V, 12V, and 24V). It wasn't worth the trouble. For modern batteries, there is no need to make the attempt. I already know that it isn't worth the trouble. And the chemistry of modern batteries means that it's a bad idea. Are you inferring that one should not be able to talk about how dumb of an idea it is to try melting down modern batteries, until one has actually attempted such?...
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November 14, 2017, 01:13 AM | #13 |
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Join Date: April 19, 2017
Location: Central Florida
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Thanks for all the responses. I had heard it wasn't a good idea but was wondering why exactly. I now know so thank you all again.
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