Posted on 12/01/2013 9:49:24 PM PST by servo1969
the loner/mountain cabin manifesto crowd may not care but this has to be a readily available product. The overseers have no fear of a kook in a cabin.
If it is so common, so universal as to be uncontrolable, then the slavers are in fear.
Just what I've heard.
I can see the steam part... If the battery can be charged, you should probably charge it first before you pour off the h2so4. This converts most of the lead sulfide in the plate to acid leaving less in the plates. then heat the plates up at low heat to dry them out good.
What I’ve heard is add the plates, THEN turn on the heat. Dropping the plates into already hot lead causes the dangerous condition I described. So I’ve heard - again, no experience.
On a standard car battery at the time of manufacture the negative plates are filled with lead oxide which is known as “red lead” and the negative plates are filled with lead dioxide also known as “spongy” lead. Basically the active materials absorbs sulfate from the acid during discharge and give up the sulfate while the battery is being recharged.
Although the lead can be recovered from car batteries... it is a more complicated process than simply taking them apart and melting them down. This is too bad because I have dozens of old car batteries and I cast my own bullets. So don't think that I haven't thought of it. If you know of plans for a simple way to recover the lead I would love to give it a try. ; )
Me also.
No shortage of lead in the world...mostly as a by-product of silver-zinc mining. They mine scads of it in South America, especially Peru and in northern Idaho in the Silver Valley.
Not quite. The positive side is lead dioxide a/k/a "red lead". The negative side is "spongy lead," which is just finely divided lead metal. Discharge converts lead dioxide to lead(II) ions, acid to water, and lead metal to lead(II) ions. The lead(II) precipitates out as lead sulfate.
Charging does the reverse.
I've read that it's near impossible to make bullets from battery lead, because the acid is impossible to remove completely. The only thing battery lead is good for is to make new batteries.
I'd think lead being molten white-hot would cover it.
By the way, I really like your car. What is it?
I suppose the reason such easily verified information is being disputed here is because the discussion has been simplified somewhat for brevity. But when the battery is components are being manufactured the positive plates are filled with a paste made mostly of “red lead” which is lead oxide. The negative plates are filled with a paste made mostly of “spongy lead” which is another name for lead oxide. It is not “finely divided lead metal” Their are of course other additives mixed in to the pastes to help increase the life of the battery. If you don’t believe me I suggest you look it up.
It is nearly impossible to make bullets from “battery lead” because much of the battery is not made of lead. Lead is an element in the periodic table. It can be mixed with other metals to make alloys. Alloys are not formed by combining metals with acids. There is no metal alloy known as “battery lead” that I have ever heard of.
The real problem with trying to extract the lead from batteries full of oxides and sulfates is that they are far more toxic than lead itself. Lead poisoning is generally the result of contact with lead oxides.
Sorry you are right about the “spongy lead”. My last post has so many typos that I am confusing myself.
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