I just have to ask the question. I know that wheel weights are the popular source for melting lead for bullets, but I was wondering if anyone has messed around with car batteries for bullet lead? We all know about the potential hazards involed, but has anyone out there tried it?
car battery for lead?
- Thread starter zthou
- Start date
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
much mess, avoid if poss. Linotype , check for it at yards, and mix with roofing, and add some tin from plumber solder , or bar, or babbot etc to make a mix of BHN 12 or so for HG, and 16 for hunting rifle
I never use it. I may be out to lunch but I'm concerned about the sulphates on the plates. I guess if a person is diligent enough about fluxing you may get clean lead at the end of the process but I'm also concerned about the possible toxicity of the fumes. for me, it just doesn't seem to be a very good idea, I can get lots of better lead other ways.
blacksmithden
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
A fellow posted on a similar thread a year or two ago. He had tried it. There are 2 problems. First, the wonderful fumes that are given off are toxic and one of the chemicals causes cancer. The other problem was that by the time you get rid of the case, acid, separator plates, ect, you don't actually get that much lead out of a standard car battery.
Linotype is pretty much a thing of the past. Modern printing presses don't use it, and what was out there has pretty much been scrounged years ago. You'll still come across a guy once in a while that has some stashed in his garage, but he usually isn't willing to part with it. If he is willing to part with it, he usually want's more for it than if you went out and bought commercially made bullets. The same holds true for tin. I've been told by "older" guys to go to scrap yards and ask for "block tin" among other things. This was used in refridgeration coils at one time, but was pretty much replaced by cheaper aluminum 3 or 4 decades ago.
Your main source for lead these days my friend is used wheel weights.
If anyone has any suggestions besides that, I'd like to hear them. I don't want to hear about linotype, or block tin. I've explored the availability of both, and the answer is, they're not. Scrap dealers do still get lead roof sheeting in every once in a while, but it's not hard enough on it's own......great for the black powder guys of course.
Linotype is pretty much a thing of the past. Modern printing presses don't use it, and what was out there has pretty much been scrounged years ago. You'll still come across a guy once in a while that has some stashed in his garage, but he usually isn't willing to part with it. If he is willing to part with it, he usually want's more for it than if you went out and bought commercially made bullets. The same holds true for tin. I've been told by "older" guys to go to scrap yards and ask for "block tin" among other things. This was used in refridgeration coils at one time, but was pretty much replaced by cheaper aluminum 3 or 4 decades ago.
Your main source for lead these days my friend is used wheel weights.
If anyone has any suggestions besides that, I'd like to hear them. I don't want to hear about linotype, or block tin. I've explored the availability of both, and the answer is, they're not. Scrap dealers do still get lead roof sheeting in every once in a while, but it's not hard enough on it's own......great for the black powder guys of course.
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blaser.306
CGN Regular
- Location
- Saskatoon , Sask
Battery lead ###
Pick up a copy of the Lyman cast bullet handbook and there is a section in it that is very !!! insistant about not !!! using battery lead due to the possible presence of chemicals sutch as strontium and calcium whitch when combined with a lead melt containing arsenic ( to aid hardening ) can produce some very toxic gasses , so it would pay to avoid this form of salvage lead and try to find linotyoe or scrap wheel weights and save the grief for another day !
Pick up a copy of the Lyman cast bullet handbook and there is a section in it that is very !!! insistant about not !!! using battery lead due to the possible presence of chemicals sutch as strontium and calcium whitch when combined with a lead melt containing arsenic ( to aid hardening ) can produce some very toxic gasses , so it would pay to avoid this form of salvage lead and try to find linotyoe or scrap wheel weights and save the grief for another day !
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
Don't give up on Lino, I know where there is or was 250/300 lbs of it in print format(NS), ie looked like hickory sticks, excellent for melting. i picked up 250 or so lbs, and there was a half a 45 gal drum left.,
also picked up Babbot 87% tin I think it was, and other clean lead, the sweet part it was $30 lb for the lino, now it like 80 cents..
Reason for the added tin , the antimony (spelling) is kind of gritty, you want the tin to make it smooth sailing
also picked up Babbot 87% tin I think it was, and other clean lead, the sweet part it was $30 lb for the lino, now it like 80 cents..Reason for the added tin , the antimony (spelling) is kind of gritty, you want the tin to make it smooth sailing
Though it is not the cheap way of doing it but you can get any lead alloy you want from a foundry.
http://www.alchemycastings.com/lead-products/bullet.htm
http://www.alchemycastings.com/lead-products/bullet.htm
blacksmithden
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I've looked at their site before. They're pretty damned pricy alright. I guess if 100 percent of the bullet supply from the US was cut off, I might consider it, but these fellows......as nice as I'm sure they are.....would be a very last resort.
Properly extracted, the lead from a battery is no different than any other lead for your gun. However, it is a low yield deal for a lot of effort. Additionally, a lot of today's batteries are anything but pure lead, with Calcium, nickle, copper, cadmium, antimony and other metals being in the mix. Better not to expose yourself to all that toxic garbage. Regards, Eagleye.
I guess I'm officially one of the old guys with a bunch of linotype stashed in my garage. When a local print shop got rid of their linotype press a few years ago I bought about 6 bars from them and still have a few. I only blend the linotype about 1 part to 4 parts wheel weights and that works pretty well. The bad part of this story is that most of the linotype lead got bought by a guy building a sailboat, he just melted it and poured it into the keel, any old junk would have done for that!
I also found a bunch of pure extruded lead at a salvage business. It had been used as counterweights for those blackboards in old schools that pushed up to reveal another board behind.
I also salvaged a bunch of lead covered wire that was used to heat the eaves of a shingle roof to keep an ice dam from building up. I just put it in a big crucible and melted the lead off of the copper wire.
Lead is around, you just have to keep your eyes open.
I also found a bunch of pure extruded lead at a salvage business. It had been used as counterweights for those blackboards in old schools that pushed up to reveal another board behind.
I also salvaged a bunch of lead covered wire that was used to heat the eaves of a shingle roof to keep an ice dam from building up. I just put it in a big crucible and melted the lead off of the copper wire.
Lead is around, you just have to keep your eyes open.
blacksmithden
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Since auto shops are pretty slow right now, it might be a good time to go by some of the independant places and offer cash on the barrel head - no tax to the owner.
Has anybody gone by a recycler/scrap yard and bought wheel weights from them ???
Has anybody gone by a recycler/scrap yard and bought wheel weights from them ???
