lead

**DemonWolfe** · Jan 29, 2011, 07:31 PM

I have a bunch of car batteries that i need to do something with, now what i need to kn ow would it be better to take them in as they are, or would it be better to tear them apart and strip the lead out and melt it down into bars, I have a small smelter so the fumes are not a problem and the batteries are already weather worn and the plastic is falling apart on them anyway, so no hopes of taking them in "wet" as I have read some people do. Has anyone had problem with the scarp yards taking lead bars. thanks for any help with this.

**aa battery** · Jan 29, 2011, 07:41 PM

uuummm just take them in no hassel

**beep-beep** · Jan 29, 2011, 08:57 PM

You should get more $$ as they are, around here you get $10 each for them as they are.

**hypoman** · Jan 31, 2011, 01:48 AM

Plus the acid in most batteries is lead based. The refineries want that stuff also. You would be way better off (and more profitable) if you take them in as is.

**DemonWolfe** · Feb 01, 2011, 01:26 PM

Thanks for all the replies, I think it will be better to just haul them in as is, no sense in wasting the time to tear them down, as for the acid, they are empty, most of them I pulled from junk piles and have long since rotted and leaked it all out.

**DemonWolfe** · Feb 05, 2011, 10:05 PM

umm.. yeah so I took my scarp to the yard today, and I didn't see a price for lead but its got to be worth more than the $1 a battery that they were going to give me, didn't matter on the size. I asked the guy how much they were paying for batteries and he said a dollar, I said what is that for a AA battery, he laughed, I didn't. needless to say I still have them in my truck, I don't know where you guys are getting 10 to 12 dollars a peice for them, but the scrap yard in Great Bend Ks. isn't giving anything worth your time to go there, steel price is still only 6 cents a pound for prepared.

**wayne1956** · Feb 07, 2011, 07:22 AM

If there are other yards around call to see what they pay. Dollar a battery is very low. Here in the DFW area we generally get about 7 dollars or so per battery. Steel is 240 a ton, which is double what you are getting. If there are other yards around it might pay to drive a little further.

**hyderconsulting** · Feb 15, 2011, 10:10 PM

A couple of things about melting down lead from car batteries. The first thing is that it isn't pure lead. Battery lead contains some Antimony. I think the amount is 6%. The other thing is that since it was in acid it can't be reused in anything like cartridge shells since it would corrode the metal casings. I have known a few people who would melt scrap batteries down for use as cheap counterweights needed in some application. I know of one person who used battery lead in a home made pile driver. Now when you have busted battery casings it can be problem with some scrapyards taking them. Some don't mind, some do. You just have to try them and see what you get. Regards, Chris Hyder.