where do you get your lead?

[gregc]

^^^

i am talking about not using lead recycled from batteries not ww lead... what were you referring to???


there is a great deal of info on the various casting forums that speaks of the dangers of using battery lead for casting, which you can research.... start with castboolits.com

there was a bit of a summary that i had posted early which speaks to that. however, like with all things, it is your choice with what you want to do with that info/


regards

 

[SandRoad]

if he is buying lead from battery recyclers then all the toxic stuff (discounting that lead is toxic) has been removed by them, so there are no issues.....

Battery recyclers are actual smelters, and there isn't much in the way of toxins left, and anything left is well bound into the remaining lead. The lead fumes are still dangerous because lead will build up in the body.

One clarification, what you guys are doing is not smelting, only melting. Smelting is what the battery refiners do to change the lead oxide back into lead. A used car battery is 90% lead oxide (a porus material), and lead sulfide, which are useless for casting. Lead is to lead oxide the same relationship as iron is to iron oxide (rust). ,

They add a carbon source (often coke, as in coking coal), along with other reducing agents, and limestone as a flux to mix with contaminants, in a smelter (an actual blast furnace) to get rid of the oxides. The carbon plus the oxygen (oxygen is from the oxide in the lead oxide), combine to form CO2 which goes out the exhaust, leaving the lead behind. Most contaminants are removed by this step. So what comes out is 96+% lead with the remainder being primarily antimony and tin.

Smelting lead requires temperatures of up to 1260 degrees Celsius (2300 F), just a little warmer than your typical melting pot.

Smelting isn't described very well on castboolits.




Oh, and you might want to avoid telling any environmental or bylaws officer you are "smelting". Because smelting lead requires permits and inspections coming out your @ss, exhaust air scrubbers, etc.

However melting and casting lead is entirely different.

 

[gregc]

Battery recyclers are actual smelters, and there isn't much in the way of toxins left, and anything left is well bound into the remaining lead. The lead fumes are still dangerous because lead will build up in the body.

One clarification, what you guys are doing is not smelting, only melting. Smelting is what the battery refiners do to change the lead oxide back into lead. A used car battery is 90% lead oxide, which is useless for casting. They add a carbon source in a smelter (blast furnace) to get rid of the oxide. Most contaminants are removed by this step. So what comes out is 96+% lead with the remainder being primarily antimony and tin.

most but not all!! so, why take a chance with your health to save a few bucks

 

[Spawn-Inc]

^^^

i am talking about not using lead recycled from batteries not ww lead... what were you referring to???


there is a great deal of info on the various casting forums that speaks of the dangers of using battery lead for casting, which you can research.... start with castboolits.com

there was a bit of a summary that i had posted early which speaks to that. however, like with all things, it is your choice with what you want to do with that info/


regards

i wouldn't melt down batteries for lead, BUT i would buy lead from PROFESSIONAL/business that melt down lead batteries. i'm not advocating anyone to melt down batteries themselves are they are generally not equipped to deal with all the crap from it, but businesses that do it are.

and the dangers they speak of from melting batteries are from doing it yourself, not using properly reclaimed lead from batteries.

most but not all!! so, why take a chance with your health to save a few bucks

stop fooling yourself, casting is "dangerous" regardless of your lead source/purity

 

[trevj]

stop fooling yourself, casting is "dangerous" regardless of your lead source/purity

Of course it is. So is cooking. Deep frying esp. Like at McDonalds. Where people send their kids to work for minimum wage.

Cheers
Trev

 

[SandRoad]

most but not all!! so, why take a chance with your health to save a few bucks

When the lead batteries are SMELTED in a blast furnace, there are no "contaminants" left except metals.

Please describe what contaminants are left after being smelted at 2300 degrees F.? We're not talking melting at 700 F in a pot over a propane stove here, but smelting with coking coal, molten limestone (sometimes iron is added to the furnace in some processes) and oxygen (or air) injection, which is a wee bit different.

Note that oxygen or air injection is used to raise the temperature, but reduction (removal) of the oxides requires a low oxygen environment. So oxygen use is cyclical. There are many designs for lead blast furnaces, some are batch others continuous production so techniques vary widely.

 

[SandRoad]

i wouldn't melt down batteries for lead, BUT i would buy lead from PROFESSIONAL/business that melt down lead batteries. i'm not advocating anyone to melt down batteries themselves are they are generally not equipped to deal with all the crap from it, but businesses that do it are.

and the dangers they speak of from melting batteries are from doing it yourself, not using properly reclaimed lead from batteries.



stop fooling yourself, casting is "dangerous" regardless of your lead source/purity

You are unable to melt down batteries for lead. Melting down an 80 pound battery will get you a pound or two of lead, mainly from the posts and bus bars. The rest being lead oxide and lead sulphate which needs MUCH higher temperatures, and carbon sources, in a low oxygen environment to get molten lead. This is called smelting not melting. (simplified explanation, there's much more to it)