Newbie, should I try to smelt these?

[taylorce1]

http://www.myhostedpics.com/images/taylorce1/image0001.jpg

I work at a vehicle/heavy equipment maintance facility and we have a few of these damaged and cracked terminal ends in a bucket probably 30 +/- lbs. All that I can find out on these ends are that they are a lead alloy. Anyone smelt anything similar? We have just been throwing them out in our regular scrap metal bin but if I can use them in my new hobby I'd like to start melting them down got the "ok" from the boss already to use them if I can.

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Yes, They're fine.

Sam :D

[RobS]

You bet they are boolits just look at em..........look at em man, that one on the bottom looks just like a Keith SWC to me, actually probably two of them. :razz:

[lwknight]

Just do not put them in melted lead.
The corrosion that you don't even see will hold moisture.

[Bill*]

I'd crawl into that bin to get 30#s of those. Nice Catch!!!

[jr81452]

Just do not put them in melted lead.
The corrosion that you don't even see will hold moisture.

+1 on this. Also remove the bolts if you can. Yours look chrome, but I've seen ones that are galvanized. That small amount of zinc isn't likely to hurt anything, but getting it in the mix will make the alloy that much harder to keep consistent batch to batch.

[taylorce1]

Thanks for the warning about the water in the corrosion! I've never even smelted any metals yet still waiting on my pot to come in. Just looking around the shop where I work to see if there was anything I could salvage for my casting endevaor. I was actually looking for some scrap 1/4" plate to use on my camp stove to pre-heat the moulds.

[Nose Dive]

Pull the bolts and nuts... put in cold in cold pot full of saw dust..heat up slowly...mix a bit every once in a while..slowly...long handle stir paddle...with safety glasses, shield and long leather sleeves and apron...DO NOT ADD COLD PARTS TO HOT POT...you could be adding water to the molten lead and ..KAAABLLOOOWWWEEE....your wearing your smelt pot... Just fill the pot per above and let her go slowly and you'll be fine. Pour or dip it out to ingots and boy, you dun good!

[swamp]

taylorce1,

If you get to Denver sometime I would be happy to get with you on a smelting session or a casting session with you.

swamp

[taylorce1]

put in cold in cold pot full of saw dust

Can you explain the purpose of the saw dust? I know you can flux with it but I thought you would add it to the melt after it was already liquid. Thanks, I do appreciate all the safety hints everone is giving.


taylorce1,

If you get to Denver sometime I would be happy to get with you on a smelting session or a casting session with you.

swamp

Swamp,

I would enjoy that very much and may take you up on it after September. Right now I'm doing my annual training with the Army Reserves, and then I'm getting married in September so I'm busier than a Kitty Cat in a litter box right now. I always like to hang out and meet new people, learn new things, and check out setups.

I've casted some bullets already with a friend here in Colorado Springs. Didn't work very well thought that day just cold and windy and we couldn't get the mould to heat up. We were casting 220 grain RNGC bullets, and they all came out wrinkled. I've got the general idea down how to cast, the whole mixing of alloys and some of the finer points are the harder concepts for me to grasp but I love to learn.

D Crockett just shipped me some wax for fluxing, bullet lube, ingot moulds, and a casting pot, and then the friend I mentioned is giving me his Lee 10# BP pot when I get back from AT. I picked up the Lyman reloading manual but I'm waiting for the 4th edition Cast Bullet Handbook to come out right now as I've been told that it will be much updated from the 3rd edition. I've picked up some Lee 2 cavity moulds at Midway on clearance in .309 and .358 to try and I went with the Lee sizers for now. Just really need to pick up a couple of ladles and a hot plate, might pick up a propane burner as well that way I don't have to set up my coleman stove all the time.

[RobS]

Well you are on your way to becoming part of the gang here. When you have time, drop us a line once in a while to let us know how your casting and shooting is going. Congrats on your your future wedding!!!

[DukeInFlorida]

No, I don't want battery acid residue getting into MY barrel.

I would trade them out at the scrap metal place for wheel weights, and be happy with the deal, whatever the deal is)

[taylorce1]

No, I don't want battery acid residue getting into MY barrel.

I would trade them out at the scrap metal place for wheel weights, and be happy with the deal, whatever the deal is)

I wouldn't think there would be much acid residue on these? I realize there could possibly be a little acid residue, because of the battery venting. Wouldn't that little bit burn off in the melt anyway? Sure wouldn't want to make sure I was upwind of the smoke though.

I've got plenty of commercial products at work that can neutralize battery acid as well as good "ol" baking soda and water. Plus I have a very large hot water parts washer (stood up a big cam 400 block in it) I can throw them in as well. I was planning on using it to clean my WW's and then spreading them out to air dry before smelting.

[lwknight]

There will not be any battery acid residue after smelting.
Rarely does acid actually get onto the terminals. Its corrosion that usually has high copper content.
most fluxs are slightly acidic and it does not mix into the clean lead.

[jr81452]

No, I don't want battery acid residue getting into MY barrel.

I would trade them out at the scrap metal place for wheel weights, and be happy with the deal, whatever the deal is)


Why would you even say that? Do you have anything to back up your comments?

Battery acid residue in your barrel, now I've heard everything. :-?

[Dframe]

Pull the bolts and nuts... put in cold in cold pot full of saw dust..heat up slowly...mix a bit every once in a while..slowly...long handle stir paddle...with safety glasses, shield and long leather sleeves and apron...DO NOT ADD COLD PARTS TO HOT POT...you could be adding water to the molten lead and ..KAAABLLOOOWWWEEE....your wearing your smelt pot... Just fill the pot per above and let her go slowly and you'll be fine. Pour or dip it out to ingots and boy, you dun good!
What nosedive said. Heat it slowly to allow any moisture to evaporate and take sensible precautions. (Leather gloves face protection etc). Great source of alloy

[DukeInFlorida]

The battery clamps I have seen on old cars are all fuzzy with green battery acid oxidation.

For the sake of exchanging that contamination for wheel weights, I don't want to take any chances.

You guys can throw the green fuzzies down your barrels if you want to.

No thanks.

[Doby45]

If I could get a billion pounds of em I would make a billion pounds of boolits.

[lwknight]

The green fuzzies skim off wit the rest of the dross.
Some people are scared of spiders too.

[Nose Dive]

gather'em up, clean'em up, melt'em up, pour'em up, load'em up, shoot'em up...
'

[fredj338]

The battery clamps I have seen on old cars are all fuzzy with green battery acid oxidation.

For the sake of exchanging that contamination for wheel weights, I don't want to take any chances.

You guys can throw the green fuzzies down your barrels if you want to.

No thanks.
If really concerened about that, throw them in some water & baking soad, let dry, smelt as you would anything else. It's the battery internals that are a no go.

[imashooter2]

The battery clamps I have seen on old cars are all fuzzy with green battery acid oxidation.

For the sake of exchanging that contamination for wheel weights, I don't want to take any chances.

You guys can throw the green fuzzies down your barrels if you want to.

No thanks.

I've heard the same thing said about dirty old wheel weights many times. Why would you throw that trash down your barrel?

The answer, of course, is because it isn't dirty old trash by the time we shoot it.

You're a big boy and can do whatever you want, but don't expect opinion stated as fact to go unchallenged around here.:)

[Nose Dive]

I used some pretty nasty looking stuff in my smelt pot. Lead from sewer lines bell and spigot joints...ladden with poop of a million years. Melted old battery terminals..often,,then again...then again. They are fine. Put'em in my pot green, yellow, greasy and nasty... Used a good bit of saw dust and grease to get it all clean...all of it...came our clean as a whistle... If the green sacres you...take them to the car wash, put on WASH cycle and get after it. Now that the are clean, they are also WET. So, take em home and lay the out in the sun for a few days to help dry the off a bit. Be sure you put then in your COLD POT and let them come to temperture slowly,,,to slowly cook of the moisture..and NEVER add cold terminals to a hot pot full of hot molten lead. So I guess if you really want to think that using a good bit of flux and skimming the dross out doesn't clean up your batch of lead, which I ascribe to, then, really, i have put turds and toilet paper, and Battery ACID and Corrision, down my barrels. LOL... I have also used ISOTOPE lead so, I guess my barrels are in effect, corroded, radio active sewer pipes!! Ha Ha Ha!!

If you flux well, stay patient..stir and flux and skim dross...you come away with clean, wholesome lead...ready to form and pass straight down your barrel.

Nose Dive

[a.squibload]

Never melted clamps before, thanks for the info.
I was gonna let the bolts float to the top, didn't even think about zinc plating!
Got a bucket almost full of 'em, will pull bolts first.
Not sure I like the ones that are cast onto the cable, will cut close to the clamp and let the copper float with the dirt.

[daschnoz]

Not to hijack the thread... I have a couple of battery terminals as well. Are they generally pure lead, or alloy? I try to save pure lead for the 50 cal rock lock.