Giant, Hard Battery Connector

[justindad]

I’m about to fall into about 50lb of battery connectors from fork trucks. This chunk is a sample - it feels hard and does not dent with my finger nail. Has anybody casted with these before? Are these known to be some sort of alloy that is bad for boolits?

307175

[Winger Ed.]

I can't imagine they wouldn't work just fine unless it's Zinc.

As attentive to detail as you are, you might want to get one of those Lee hardness testers for occasions like this.
I've never used one, but I hear they're pretty good.

All my cast is for slow handguns or rifles at or below 2,000 fps.
For me, any soft-ish junk mix works for the .45ACP or .38Spec. handguns.
For gas checked .30 cal. rifles, if it's hard enough to have a ring to it when dropped- I call it good.

[Froogal]

I have several battery cable ends. The part that clamps onto the battery post. When tossed in the pot with a pile of range scrap, those cable ends never melt down.

[Rickf1985]

Unless they were the thin copper ends they were probably just covered with oxides which prevented heat from getting into the lead. In my last melt I had about 75 lb.s of junk lead and there was one complete battery clamp that did not melt. It was floating around below the surface as I was stirring the pot so out it came. I never let the melt get above 700 so I don't know if it was zinc or just a dirty clamp. I had more than enough lead at that point and I didn't feel like going through the dross bucket to see what it was. I will dredge it out sooner or later and check it out just out of curiosity.

[justindad]

I took a few .38 cal boolits with flat bases - one was 96-2-2, one was 94-4-2, and the last was 92-6-2 (all air cooled). The hardball boolit dented the corner of this clamp, and the softer two boolits became dented themselves without marking the clamp. I’ll measure the melting temperature in a few days, but I’m guess this is 95%Pb and 5%Sb.

[georgerkahn]

I’m about to fall into about 50lb of battery connectors from fork trucks. This chunk is a sample - it feels hard and does not dent with my finger nail. Has anybody casted with these before? Are these known to be some sort of alloy that is bad for boolits?

307175

True or "urban legend" -- I do NOT know! From one of the major mills about 30 miles distance a bunch of these pull-motor battery connectors were made available (along with tons of other then surplus plant-closing goodies) but we were strongly advised against purchase due to quite a toxic/deadly when heated ingredient in their alloy: I believe it was/is cadmium?
Anyhoo -- again, I hope I'm not adding to a tale -- but -- if it were me I'd do some research first; and then, too, do my first melt upwind on a breezy day outdoors!
[Happy Thanksgiving, too!]
geo

[Fitz]

I have used them without a problem my LBT hardness tester said around 22 brn.

[Nazgul]

Those are from forklift batteries. I repaired forklifts for 40+ years. I have and have fired 2000 or more pounds of these . They are about like wheel weights and have no zinc in them. I add a little tin for rifle. You have a real score, they work well. They are fine for low speed pistol as they are.

Enjoy, Don

[bruce381]

yeah forklift battery connectors they are GOLD use as is has some antimony and tin work rear well used over 200lbs were great.

[farmbif]

those look to be perfectly good. that one looks like it was never soaking in acid. its battery lead thats been soaking in acid that needs to be avoided at all cost. regardless if I were melting them down, just like George I would be absolutely sure I was upwind of the pot on a breezy day. but I'm always upwind when melting pots of lead. but maybe thats just me being overcautious .
to be sure of contents get one tested with an XRF. most scrap yards have them these days

[justindad]

Would rinsing these off with baking soda and water take care of any battery acid?

[Nazgul]

Plain water works if you so desire. Baking soda or dish soup does as well.

Don

[4719dave]

Nice score

[georgerkahn]

Plain water works if you so desire. Baking soda or dish soup does as well.

Don

As you no doubt know, even a wee drop of water is a huge invitation of the Tinsel Fairy to make a visit. I always make it a practice to put my COLD (room temperature) alloy in my recycled Freon pot BEFORE igniting the Propane heater beneath it!
BEST!
geo