Monday, Apr 09, 2012 at 22:25
Ah! Rough-a
I use to this as a kid in the goldfields of West Aust.
(1) take cell tops/caps/etc off and drain. We just used the empty paddock next door.
(2) Using a sledge hammer, carefully 'tap' around the bottom on the outer edge until it starts to split off.
(3) Once you have the outside case off, break up the lead plates the best way you can and discard the separators etc. and other non lead material.
(4) Now this will be the tricky bit for you - melting the battery leadthat you have just recovered.. We had a hand operated/blown Forge that was used to sharpen and temper mining picks, make ladder hooks and heaps of other mining stuff.
I had a small crucible with a long handle on it and just put it in the forge, packed it with coke around the outside and got on the blower winder handle which was my job when the adults were doing the aforementioned pick sharpening etc) until the crucible was glowing red and then started feeding the lead in.
Did I/we use protective gloves - Nup! not available. Did we think of or worry about fumes etc - Nup! Never heard of such stuff. Anyway the wind used to carry all that stuff away to share with the neighbours and fauna.
(5) The lead used to melt very quickly and all the dross/crap floated to the top and was scooped off prior to pouring.
(6) Left over battery cases were tossed on the rubbish heap in the paddock along side the house which was fired up approx once a month.
I used to get the best of the best of fires going that some times lasted all day, especially if I could round up some tyres to chuck on and then tip all the old sump oil from the machinery oil changes over the top of it all.
The good old days.
These days dude, just take your battery down to the local disposal site (my council runs one) pay your disposal fee and go off to K-mart or wherever and buy what you want, as the time, effort and money that you will waste complying with current Oooo! Oooo! brigade regulations recycling you own batteries into whatever, will demoralise, bankrupt and destroy whatever faith you have left in humanity.
Regards
DD
PS
I do miss those fires, especially on washing day.
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