Source for lead

[3jimbo3]

I know this has been asked before but I can't find the thread. I know it's dangerous to smelt lead from batteries but after it's smelted and fluxed clean does it still give off the acidic fumes when you cast with it. I smelt outside and have a scba to use while doing this and I have an unlimited supply of car batteries.

[JSnover]

After you've cleaned it and poured it into ingots it might be safe. Or it might eat up your pot, I wouldn't risk it.
You might want to make sure you aren't breaking any laws and that your equipment really will keep you safe.
You will be disappointed by the amount of lead you end up with after skimming off the dross (which might be considered a HazMat. Just a thought…).

[bangerjim]

A quick and simple typing "smelting car batteries" in that little white box in the upper right corner of the page yields all kinds of no-no's!

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?138362-Why-Car-Batteries-Are-Dangerous

Try the search engines.

And the correct terminology is re-melting, as you are only melting lead that has already been smelted by from the lead ore at the smelter.

Sell your unlimited car batteries to a scrap yard for cast and buy some lead from S&S on this forum.

[Beagle333]

There are lots of bad things in batteries that are bad in very small amounts. I'd go with the advice of sell em and buy lead somewhere else. My .02 :popcorn:

[Vinne]

+1...take it from someone that has tried it. A LOT of hard and dirty work for VERY LITTLE take. Step 1- saw open the case, very hard. Step 2- remove plates and wash well. Step 3- separate coating from plates. Step 4- see what's left after 2 hours of work = 10 cents of lead an hour. Step 5- toss it all in the trash and learn a lesson not to try that again!!

Now you want to see result? Much less work mining bullets from backstop!! That, my friend will get you some cheap lead.

[iraiam]

Take their advice, modern lead acid batteries contain much less lead than they used to and more of other metals that can be detrimental to making good boolits, not to mention the health issues. For example I had a 6 year old vehicle battery fail, It was a NAPA auto top grade battery. Replaced with the same brand and grade battery, the new battery weighed several pounds less than the old one, I'll bet money the alloy even in the old battery would not be worth the trouble, the new one even more so.

[mac1911]

+1...take it from someone that has tried it. A LOT of hard and dirty work for VERY LITTLE take. Step 1- saw open the case, very hard. Step 2- remove plates and wash well. Step 3- separate coating from plates. Step 4- see what's left after 2 hours of work = 10 cents of lead an hour. Step 5- toss it all in the trash and learn a lesson not to try that again!!

Now you want to see result? Much less work mining bullets from backstop!! That, my friend will get you some cheap lead.


If your range frowns on "mining " the back stops , this is what I do.
I clean the back stop of trash with a rake. First I run a normal rake and actually clean up the heavy trash and junk. Then I have a modified rake. Sorry no digital camera. It's basically a deep rake or Clam rake. I lined with 3/8" screen. It will pick up most larger bullets.

[LAGS]

Back in the day, a Lead Acid battery , really did contain a fair amount of lead.
It was still dangerous to recover it.
But todays batteries, you will get more lead off the Battery Cable Ends then you do off the battery.
Din't even mess with trying to get Lead out of the actual battery.

[Budzilla 19]

Good God, man, sell the batteries to a recycling center and buy lead from the s&s section! I'll tell ya how strongly I feel about you doing this! You Figure out how much lead you actually will recover and I'll send it to you! Free of charge! It's just not worth the risk. At all.

[Nose Dive]

3jimbo3: No. Stay away from car batteries.... You are asking for trouble on alot of fields... EPA for one, your eyesight for another.

here is the link on this sight. Please read the whole thing and never crack a case on a battery and never put any of that gooy mess in your smelt pot.

"It ain't fun if your hurtin".

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?138362-Why-Car-Batteries-Are-Dangerous

Nose Dive.

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

[bangerjim]

Good God, man, sell the batteries to a recycling center and buy lead from the s&s section! I'll tell ya how strongly I feel about you doing this! You Figure out how much lead you actually will recover and I'll send it to you! Free of charge! It's just not worth the risk. At all.


I cannot express it any clearer than that!!!!!!!!!!!

Very dangerous.....not worth your life and body parts. Just forget it.

[bangerjim]

3jimbo3: No. Stay away from car batteries.... You are asking for trouble on alot of fields... EPA for one, your eyesight for another.

here is the link on this sight. Please read the whole thing and never crack a case on a battery and never put any of that gooy mess in your smelt pot.

"It ain't fun if your hurtin".

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?138362-Why-Car-Batteries-Are-Dangerous

Nose Dive.

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

Same link I posted earlier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nose Dive]

I have scored at salvage yards. One guy told me to fill my bucket and he'd talk about price once my bucket was full. Not too bad, and did get the bucket for $20 bucks.

I have two or three 'home boy' tire shops here in South Texas. When my daughter lived down here, I carried her with me, (She speaks Spanish), and I always did very well. I did however always take some:

1. Beer
2. home made deer sausage
3. breakfast tacos, or sausage biscuits..

A few years back, she moved away...but,,,the fellas now know me, and we do business with smiles, hand shakes, and one of the three above items.

I was at a SAM's in Indiana once....getting tires....asked the quy if he had any.... I left with three buckets full!!... He did get a case of beer however.

So... be nice...ask.... try several places... Tire Shops have been the best for me for WW's.

Nose Dive

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kinldy pick two.

[websterz]

Hey Nose Dive, do you know you spelled "kindly" wrong in your tag line?

[Toymaker]

The Sierra Bullet Company isn't located near one of the largest battery recycling centers in the country for no reason.

[scottfire1957]

The Sierra Bullet Company isn't located near one of the largest battery recycling centers in the country for no reason.

As a source of refined lead, that's fine. I DOUBT Sierra is doing the refining.

[Pee Wee]

We have a great range owner, he lets us mine the lead from the berms. We mined 4000 lbs last year. That was three of us we got that in a 16 hour period. Ended up with 3000 lbs smelted.

[bigjake]

You mentioned that you have an unlimited supply of batteries. Just snip the posts off and be done. you will have a good amount if you have 50-100 batteries.