Doing the Forbidden for Informations' Sake,

[6bg6ga]

I will go on record as one that does not agree with either this thread or the reported results on this experiment. To be blunt it gives the wrong ideas. One should simply take their spent battery in and get the $12 core charge and apply this to purchasing clean good lead.

The whole idea that one can or even should try to melt down batteries is bad to the bone. Leave them to hell alone. You will understand this when you observe what can happen when trying to melt down batteries. I've seen explosions and the shrapnel a battery can throw should in itself be enough for those with a mental capacity over that of a stream rock.

Just leave then to hell alone.

[WJP]

George Burns lived to be 100 smoking all the time most of his life. God will take you when he wants to. I understand worrying about people doing this the wrong way but it's not your life on the line. No one will ever learn unless people experiment. At least it's not a nuke.

[6bg6ga]

And if it were a nuke there would be people saying go ahead and play with it nothing will happen.......boom!

[BNE]

> I am disappointed in all the people who jumped on him for doing something they would not do.
> I just get annoyed at people who snipe at someone for doing something they are not willing to do themselves.


Wow. Just Wow. Many people are not willing to play Russian Roulette either.


I am disappointed and annoyed by all the people:


1. who say the manufacturer is lying about what they put in their product.
why on earth would the manufacturer do that?


2. are in denial when people with knowledge and experience point out
well documented serious chemical dangers, and say these people don't
know what they are talking about. In reality these people are trying
to keep someone from getting sick or killed and they are being told they
are talking nonsense.


3. say "see, I proved every one wrong! RESULTS ARE IN!" based on a
flawed backyard stunt (0.0% impurities? really? not likely) and then
other people read that "it's SAFE!", and based on one likely flawed
data point, proceed to put themselves and innocent people around them
in danger because one person claims to be a know it all.


Remember, dross from the smelt later exposed to water can produce poison gas
days after you smelted.


> Calibration: Yes, by the manufacturer.


What counts is now, not before it left the factory.


> Verified by one of our customers whose parts are used in mission critical military equipment.


You know as well as I that being a manufacturer of "mission critical
military equipment" is no golden guarantee that everything they do,
make or test is accurate. Their equipment can go out of cal just like
everyone else's, or be used incorrectly.


They put their pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.


Trotting out the "military" buzzword is just a version of "Argument
from authority".

Nobody said it was safe or recommended it be done. Quite the opposite. I don't recommend it be done either. Comparisons to Russian roulette are specious.

As for the testing results, you are trying to pick an argument where one does not exist. The manufacturer comes to our facility and calibrates every 6 months. If I was not clear, I apologize.

[RedRiver]

Guys, lead...sulfuric acid...water. PERIOD!

There is no conspiracy to prove you were wrong. Lead. Sulfuric acid. Water.

[RedRiver]

This was a Wal-Mart battery bought in 2012.

[Smk SHoe]

From what I can understand from this thread. He was not trying to find out how much lead he could get out of the battery, he was trying to find out what was IN the lead. I agree that it is not safe, but he did acknowledge that in the beginning and attempted to mitigate any danger that he could foresee. I don't think RedRiver plans on melting down more batteries and I thank him for doing the experiment so I can understand better.

[deadeye ruck]

Interesting! Back in the early 90's we had the opportunity to purchase in bulk 75lb pigs of lead from reclaimed batteries from the exide corporation. It came with an analysis and was as close to pure as you could get. I sure wouldn't want to be the one "reclaiming" it but it sure benefited us.

[johnho]

I see nothing wrong with what RedRiver did. He knew the dangers and had a plan for them to make this safe. Some of the analogies are comical if they weren't ridiculous, except the land mine one, that was good. You guys do know lead is hazardous right? yet you know the hazards and know how to reduce, not eliminate, the risks. and it's ok for some guy, like me, to load up a case with 47 grains of IMr 4895 and stick a bullet in it and shoot it from my 65 YO garand or almost 100 YO 1903 while I stick my face about 8 inches from it when it goes off? It's all about measured risk and what each of accepts as the risk we want to take in everything we do. I thought it was interesting. Now I have no idea why one would want to do that but who am I to criticize? you guys ever drive on the highways in Florida? Now that's a real risk. :takinWiz:

[rbuck351]

I have never melted a battery and have no intention of doing so but I do value the findings. The part about it being to expensive and time consuming to make it worth while is worth knowing for those that don't believe the dangers involved. Thanks Red River for taking the time and effort and for posting results.

[flint45]

Back in the 70's I smelted a few batteries got some lead but not enough to make it worth tried it some years latter but just got a big mess and no real lead gave up on that idea. But I would like to see their experiment.