recycling of battery scrap to lead ingots for bullets

[denmav]

Does any one knows how to recycle old batteries to make lead bullets. Where to buy a smelting oven, moulds and procedure to make it.. also does any one knows the technical specifications of the lead ingots and most popular ingots size...

Is there a book or website I can go to find this information..?

I live in Australia.. but I do not mind information from Australia.

[redgum]

G'day denmav,
Ther'es all sorts of conflicting info on battery lead. Some say it contains contaminants not suited to casting bullets, others warn of deadly toxicity and so on.
In years past I've recycled half a dozen or so old batteries gathered from here, and neighboring farms. I just took them up the back paddock and built a bonfire around them. Come back the next day and you have a solidified puddle of metal, with ash, dirt and other debris which can be skimmed off whe re-melted. At least this way you don't have to deal with the acid, plastic and fumes.
Be warned however I'm not saying this is safe or even legal these days but it can be (and has been) done.
Anyway, where abouts in OZ are you?:-D

[cbrick]

denmav, welcome to the cast boolits forum.

The first thing to be aware of is that modern maintenance free batteries contain less lead and more of other metals than batteries of older mfg. Yes, they are toxic containing such things as strontium and other poor casting and toxic metals. Use caution, batteries are not recommended.

Many high quality casting books available. Lyman is a great one and available from online supply stores such as Midway USA (http://www.midwayusa.com/). Browse their bullet casting section and everything you could need is there. Midway isn't the only one by any means, simply the first one that popped into my mind. Midway is a bit pricey these days but they have by far the best web site for seeing what is available.

As questions come up this forum is a great place place to ask them. Many hundreds of years collectively in experience pouring boollits. The only dumb questions are the ones you didn't ask. Everyone here started a complete beginner at some point.

Hope this helps ya out.

Rick

[Salmon-boy]

Ok. I'm not suggesting that you actually do this. It's a pain and you'll be much better off trading for usable ingots.

Find a large plastic container suitable for holding the batteries in question. Crack them open with your chosen implement of destruction. I suggest a hand chisel and hammer to puncture in a few places CAREFULLY. Let the acid run out into said container and add baking soda. This will neutralize the sulfuric acid, do not discard as it still contains heavy metals. I boiled this down and added sawdust, then reduced as below.

Once the batteries are drained and the plastic removed, you'll have a bunch of mushy plates. Place all these into your chosen implement of melting, and add the same amount of sawdust and cover. Heat until molten and sawdust has reduced to ash. Skim off the dross to a secondary container (do not discard) and ingotize the molten lead. Re-process the dross with more sawdust to reduce as much of it to molten lead as possible. Needless to say, do NOT inhale any smoke or fumes from this process!

There will be alot of remaining crap left over. We successfully disposed of this in bags at a hazardous waste dropoff day.

We did this to far too many batteries in order to cast a keel for a sailboat. I think parts of my hands still have acid burns from splitting the cases. WEAR LONG PLASTIC GLOVES! I did and still got some burns. We burnt alot of the scrap wood from building the boat in reducing the sludge to metal.

Having done this, I would wholehartedly pass up a full pallet of batteries. It's a very messy process. Having seen it done commercially on the TV show "How it's Made" it is one thing that I'd definitly leave to the professionals.