obtaining lead

[willy01]

lately I have been having a hard time getting lead I have always heard you cannot use lead in batterys other then the acid problem why not my local dealer says it is pure lead. does any body know.

 

[R.M.]

There was a time when battery lead might have been usable, but modern battery lead contains other ingredients like cadmium among others that is from what I understand to be very nasty stuff. I'd recommend not trying to recover it.

 

[necchi]

Welcome to the forum, good question.
This is from the Cast Boolits forum about lead and alloys.

Salvaged battery lead should be avoided at all costs. Since the advent of the maintenance free battery the lead content has been reduced and elements such as strontium, calcium and others have been added. Most of these elements cast very poorly, ruin a pot of good alloy they are blended with and are extremely toxic. The quantity and quality of lead from batteries is not worth the risk or the effort.

Because the eletrical prosess is the acid actually eating away at the lead, the stuff left in the lead, even after being washed several times, is really toxic when it's melted.
Nasty stuff, as in "hurt ya" kinda nasty stuff.

Companys that buy battery lead have large expensive machines to seperate and recover the lead from the other stuff and re-process it,,
Electric,Chemical,Centrifuge, Ventelation rooms,,,BIG$$ Machines

 

[willy01]

thanks, I guess I will keep looking for usable lead it getting too expensive to buy
croppieman

 

[Stumpkiller]

The terminals from batteries are great for casting. The grids, the part immersed in acids, are not.

 

[David W.]

thanks, I guess I will keep looking for usable lead it getting too expensive to buy
croppieman

Try the local salvage yard. Some of them have roofing lead and other such soft lead. Wheel weights are too hard to use for PRB's in my opinion, but others seem to like it.

 

[dckcrk]

Or your local truckstop that has tire service. 18 wheelers use tape on weights for tire balancing that are either pure lead or some other material entirely. The lead is soft and flexible so it's easy to seperate. I bought my last supply at $5.00 per 5 gallon bucket full. Bring your pet gorilla to lift it in to the trunk.

 

[Idaho Ron]

The last 5 gal bucket I got was mostly zinc and steel. I was very disappointed in what I got and it was free. Ron

 

[ohio ramrod]

As the others have stated stay away from battery lead. Lead pipe and roof sheeting, are common sources. Lead sheets used in shielding x ray rooms is often pure lead (but not always )lead shielding off of underground wireing is also a good source.

 

[2172]

My dentist saves me all of the little lead plates he has patients hold in teir mouth to backstop x-rays..he doesn't have to pay a haz mat guy to remove them and about a month's worth gives me enough balls for a month or so..Hank