Recycling batteries for the lead

[Col. Batguano]

Has anyone tried to do this with their old worn out car batteries? I know you can't just sawzall them open, and throw the lead in a pot. Lots of steps to be done before the lead is safe to handle.

 

[TFoley]

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

tac

 

[tom deinek]

-1

Indeed, do think about it.

Big-time foolhardy.

BTW, that plate material has not been pure lead since about 1943.

 

[Drago]

I just try the recycling places, found plumbers lead for 65 to 75 cents a pound.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Car and truck batteries are lead/acid. The acid makes for low temperature vaporization among other problems. Leave them for the recycling pro's. :hmm: :hmm:

 

[bpd303]

Yep...
I tried that about ten years ago.
After draining the acid and neutralizing it while wearing all the protective gear I could find IE: respirator, goggles, gloves, leather apron etc. I had to bust up the case and believe me they are tough. Then I tried to melt the lead down and found out that it was not pure lead and totally unusable for casting.

Lesson learned, but I did get to buy a new blacksmith apron and a pair of jeans. Haven't tried it since.

 

[mooman76]

I tried it also years ago before I knew better. There is surprisingly little inside the battery and it is mostly unuseable like others have said. The battery posts are about all that is useable.

 

[Stumpkiller]

The terminals/posts - yes. The plates - no.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Yeah I was gonna say, if it has extended top mount terminals..., harvest those.

LD

 

[Adui]

I did one years ago, (stupid kid I was back then. Dumb old man I am now I suppose, but not so dumb)

I cant remember if I even used what little lead I got from it. What I do remember is that after all the work I had to go through to get into the case without getting acid burns (washing it out isn't enough in my book, I've seen what sulfuric acid can do) the plates ended up being a grid like mesh with powder in them. The powder was useless, and the grids from all the cells probably didn't amass more than a pound or two of usable lead. (Might have been more like I said it was years ago)

I can say even this many years later, I still wouldn't go through that again for the meager pickings I got unless it was literally the last source for usable shot I had (note I said shot, not lead.. I will shoot balls of other materials before I go through that again!)

 

[Zonie]

If the acid isn't enough to cause folks to reconsider trying to get lead out of an old battery maybe the knowledge that the lead plates is not pure lead but an alloy might make them change their mind.

The alloy often contains calcium along with other metals and much of the lead will have been converted to lead sulphate.

Like the others said, it's dangerous, time consuming and yields very little that is usable.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Turn in the old battery core for a discount, then buy a new battery, and use the saved money to buy proper lead. No?

:wink:

LD

 

[mooman76]

Tearing apart a battery a long time ago is where I learned about water and melted lead do not mix. I cleaned the lead good with water and figured when I put it in the pot they would finish drying. Boy was I right. It dried on the ceiling, the walls and all over. A year latter I was still finding lead in places from the explosion. It's a miracle I wasn't burned badly.

 

[Many Klatch]

Even if you can melt the lead it has some nasty additives like arsenic and other "ics" that can make you really sick. Stick with lead salvaged from hospitals, plumbing or roofs.

Many Klatch

 

[Joel/Calgary]

I've seen another reason to NOT try recovering the lead from batteries raised on various forums by folks who work in the industry. The calcium that is nowadays in the alloying of the plates can react with another of the alloying metals (antimony? arsenic?) when melted in the wrong environment and produce an EXTREMELY nasty gas.

Just say no! (except for the terminals)

Regards,
Joel

 

[TFoley]

-1

So please tell me how I'm wrong? :idunno:

tac

 

[MSW]

no, tac, you're not wrong ... I like loyalistDave's idea...