For what its worth, I just saw a science show on commercial recycling of car batteries. After crushing the batteries to separate the plastic and acid from the plates, they did several chemical processing steps to get a lead paste that they scraped off big filters before smelting. All in all, it was way beyond even the most ambitious backyard smelter here. End result was pallets of maybe 50 lb ingots, a couple of dozen ingots per pallet. I think the pallets then went directly to the battery manufacturer that owned the plant. Darn!
Trade those batteries. Granted it sounds like a lot of fun to perform the experiment, but I'd be surprised if you'd get that much lead for your trouble.
IF I WERE DOING THIS, I would probably put on a face shield, smack the batteries open with an axe, dump the acid on the ground, and pour in lye (caustic soda, used to burn boils off of livestock... clear drains... make illegal drugs) which is extremely basic (opposite of acidic, you know...like alkaline) to neutralize whatever's left. You can make your own lye water from wood ashe, it's the old school way of making soap...and not too bad of an idea if you've got a lot of time on your hands or are a germaphobe. Just remember your rules about acid/water from high school chemistry and you should be fine...this stuff ain't any tougher than the hydrocloric that we played with.
Is you want it done fast, I'd call Chuck Norris. One swift roundhouse kick will seperate the lead from the battery in ingot form.
The Lyman book says not to use automotive type batteries for a source of lead?
Hi
In modern car batteries there is very little pure lead left in them when they wear out. Pretty much all of what was once there is lead combined with one or another chemical. Unless you have an industrial level smelting setup, getting the lead back to pure form is not at all easy.
If you just toss a chunk of battery into your normal melt, the result is a real mess. Thus Lyman's warning.
Bob
Autozone takes old batteries in at no charge. FWIW....Buck
NRA LIFER .. "THE CAST BULLET HANDLOADER IS THE ONLY ONE THAT REALLY MAKES ANY OF HIS AMMUNITION. OTHERS MEARLY ASSEMBLE IT". -E.H. HARRISON
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"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not."
Thomas Jefferson
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"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem."
-- Ronald Reagan
And the salvage yard PAYS about $2 a piece for them!
I would make the guys that installed the new batteries take them. or usually you can take them to autozone for free. exide will buy them from them and recycle them. At least thats how its done here in MS.
It's not hard to crack open those battery cases. They break open easy if you run over them w/ a bulldozer Don't ask how I know
Ya, Medic44,, where is the mold yu have been promising for 6 months + now?
Boolits= as God laid it into the soil,,grand old Galena,the Silver Stream graciously hand poured into molds for our consumption.
Bullets= Machine made utilizing Full Length Gas Checks as to provide projectiles for the masses.
http://www.cafepress.com/castboolits
castboolits@gmail.com
Inquiring minds would like to know when you will forward the mould to the next person on the list.
Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it.
“A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity”. Sigmund
Freud
I work in an industry that use a lot of deep cycle batteries.
As such I get the whole "spiel" every year about disposal from our two source's, trojan and GNB battery.
A couple guys working for GNB cast! They say battery lead "Isn't" and hasn't been for 30 years! It has way to much other metal types included in the alloy, to help live longer and hold more juice, to be any good to a caster of bullets!
I won't even discuss the other hazards involved, I'm sure we're all smart enough to know what causes cancer!
my suggestions? 1 get out the business to business yellow pages and start looking for scrap yards. I don't care where you live if theres people there's scrap!
2 if you fail to contact or they are just to far away to be economically feasible contact your current battery supplier. A lot of people don't know it but he has to take them if you ask him to, particularly if he installed them for you.
Now I'm gonna suggest you go with number one because you might get a trade going for something you can use. However this is your problem and you'll need to resolve it to your satisfaction.
or just have one big doorstop clint
Hi
Find a boat buoy that needs an anchor .....
Bob
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |