Lead weights

[keithski122]

Could do with some small weights for work and I've got a couple of old car batteries kicking about in the garage anyone know roughly what size the plates inside would be and if I could melt them down, mix and make weights from them.

 

[gordon stephenson]

I think these days the lead in car type batteries is in the form of a paste, Probably not safe to try to recover, Try a local roofing firm they may have some lead flashing off-cuts.

 

[awemawson]

Usually the plates are cast as a grid of lead / antimony alloy, and the paste of lead compounds is pressed into the pockets in the grid. The end of life of car batteries is most often when the paste starts to fall out, and at the bottom of the cell it short circuits between adjacent plates.

 

[Kent]

Sash weights are the best source if you ever find a gatherer. Other than that as suggested roofers or plumbers if there are still older homes about your area. Broke a battery in the kitchen of our first house once over - never doing that again.

 

[rtbcomp]

I've melted a couple of car batteries down and the amount of clean lead from the plates is minimal. You may get some from the posts and straps between the cells, but it's a grotty job and dangerous fumes are produced.

 

[rtbcomp]

Sash weights are the best source if you ever find a gatherer. Other than that as suggested roofers or plumbers if there are still older homes about your area. Broke a battery in the kitchen of our first house once over - never doing that again.

The cast iron ones aren't that great for this application.

 

[Country Joe]

I've only ever seen cast iron ones.
CJ

 

[Gareth J]

Worth a phone call to a local scrappy? Ask what price they buy it for first!

 

[awemawson]

Some Georgian ones were lead (and rectangular) but the vast majority of Victorian and Edwardian ones were cast iron, and poor quality iron at that

 

[Pete.]

I had a few ton of lead sash weights a couple of years ago. One of the members here took a load for casting bullets, I don't think his car has recovered yet

 

[Kent]

The cast iron ones aren't that great for this application.

True but obvious. Of course a lot have gone now but it's a big chunk of lead in one hit. Big three section stone bay windows were the good source obviously locality matters, no good if you live in skelmersdale or Milton Keynes etc.

 

[voipio]

Diving weights off the Bay of Es? How heavy do these need to be?

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Worth a phone call to a local scrappy? Ask what price they buy it for first!

Or a local double glazing firm?

 

[keithski122]

I've actually got weights to use,just have a couple of batteries to get rid of so it seemed an ideal use for them.Looks like I'll drop them off at the tip, for the price I'll get for them at the scrappy its not worth the time and hassle to get them there.

 

[armalites]

Surely if you are dropping them at the tip then dropping them at the scrappy is no different even if you get £1.50? Make sure you top them up before you take them though

 

[keithski122]

Tip is 5 mins away, scrappy is about 40mins through traffic only to get £3.

 

[brightspark]

I've actually got weights to use,just have a couple of batteries to get rid of so it seemed an ideal use for them.Looks like I'll drop them off at the tip, for the price I'll get for them at the scrappy its not worth the time and hassle to get them there.

shot em in the wheelybin

 

[julianf]

Geographically, where abots are you, and how much lead do you need?

I have a small number of cup-cake ingots that I made from some ancient lead pipework here.

But, for obvious reasons, sending lead through the post isn't really viable.


Another source that may do you are tyre fitters. I know they're no good for reloaders, but for weight, I'd imagine them to be ideal.

 

[garethp]

the batteries are not worth melting down for whats in them, i do a lot of lead melting and its easier and quicker to just buy it from the scrap yards, last load o brought in feb was £2.50 per kilo for clean roofers off cuts, note never ever buy lead thats painted and never ever buy lead pipe.

as for sash weights, i have not seen one of those in a scrap yard in 20 years, in fact i would never have suggested it as a source of lead its so far removed from being common or avalible

I understand not melting painted lead but whats wrong with pipe? Just curious as I've melted down the odd piece in the past.

 

[MCKDAVID]

didn't have any problem with the lead pipe I melted down years ago to make diving weights, in fact it was the easiest, nice and clean. The nightmare was the old footrope leads from trawl gear fishing nets, they virtually exploded when I added them to the pot.... still got the scars to prove it.. think it was the salt or some other contaminant..

reference the wheel balancing weights, that would be a good source, a lot of them are zinc alloy now though..