Battery lead.

[BADUNAME30]

Anyone ever use dead vehicle battery lead for casting bullets ?
Is it pure lead ?
Any prep other than disassemble and extract ?
Any pros and or cons on this subject ?

 

[rcmodel]

NO!
Very dangerous stuff to mess with.

Modern low-maint car batterys contain many elements in the plates besides pure lead.

Calcium, arsenic, cadminum, etc.

In addition, the white sludge in the bottom of a dead battery is lead oxide & lead sulfate, which is much more easily inhaled or absorbed by the body then pure lead alloy.

Just breathing the fumes while melting old battery plates can kill you.

rc

 

[earplug]

Don't use it.

I have read that the alloy has many things in it that either have poor casting qualities or dangerous fumes due to the acid content.
Many years back, the plates were ok to use. Now there improved batteries but bad bullet alloy.
I haven't messed with any battery lead.

 

[BADUNAME30]

Thanx guys....idea FORGOTTEN !!!!

 

[Larry Burchfield]

Battery lead

Don't bother with it use wheel weights instead. Most of the time the tire repair places in your area will give you or sell you the old wheel weights at near nothing.
Also there is a guy in the want adds selling wheel weight metal in 50 lb boxes for 57.00
Larry Burchfield
SEABEES/RVN/67/68/69
DAV

 

[mp43sniper]

Thanks to Jim for asking and everyone for the answers. I was wondering this myself.

Craig

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

When I used to deliver auto parts I'd pick up dead battery cores from shops by the pallet load (I think it was a $2 credit per 12v battery). They aren't good for much except putting holes in your jeans anywhere they brush against your leg.

 

[FROGO207]

I am a plumber by trade, Most of us have a lot of soft lead that when mixed with linotype lead in the proper ratio will produce good bullets. As a service to you all that use wheel weight lead, if you find an old one that still shines it contains zinc. This will ruin a batch of bullet lead so be sure to remove these before melting the weights down. Your local plumber will probably sell you some lead at a reasonable price if you ask, unless he casts his own bullets also.

 

[lgbloader]

Battery lead... I wish you could use it.

LGB

 

[Chawbaccer]

You can twist the top posts off with vise grips, about the only useful lead out of them, for the rest you have to smelt it, nasty business that is.

 

[qajaq59]

Thanx guys....idea FORGOTTEN !!!!

Smart move!

 

[bremington]

Why does zinc ruin the batch. Also does it melt at a different temp? just wondering

 

[Eric F]

IIRC zinc will make lead brittle but I could be wrong.


Either way lead melts at a lower temp than zinc. If you are careful you can remove zinc from low temp lead easily it will float up with all the steal clips.