Battery connectors
- Thread starter Pete3
- Start date
JonB
Halcyon member
Nope.
It's a scrap mix of a random kind.
Once time, I got three 5 gal buckets of them from a auto recycler. The end resulting alloy I had a hardness of 15Bhn ...and it didn't get there right away. There was likely some other elements in there. I'd measure them right after casting, they'd be 11. A couple weeks later they'd be 12 or 13. then a couple months later they'd reach 15 to 16. Someone here suggested that my alloy could have had some calcium in it. It was also alluded to, that if it was calcium, it was likely a "false" hardness, IIRC?
It's a scrap mix of a random kind.
Once time, I got three 5 gal buckets of them from a auto recycler. The end resulting alloy I had a hardness of 15Bhn ...and it didn't get there right away. There was likely some other elements in there. I'd measure them right after casting, they'd be 11. A couple weeks later they'd be 12 or 13. then a couple months later they'd reach 15 to 16. Someone here suggested that my alloy could have had some calcium in it. It was also alluded to, that if it was calcium, it was likely a "false" hardness, IIRC?
CWLONGSHOT
Well-Known Member
Some are even ZINK!
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Most of the alloys we use commonly will rise in Bhn over a couple to a few months. If you let them sit for a couple years they start to drop a bit. Funny to think of a metal changing over time, but then, I understand concrete can take years to fully harden, so it sort of makes sense.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I used to have access to a LOT of used battery terminals. Buckets and drums of them. Back in the good old days, they were a nice, soft quality lead. It seemed quite a bit softer than the WW of the day. I'm sure they had some tin in them as they cast nicely. That was pre-Cabine Tree tester, so I don't know how soft. I'd guess in the range of the factory swaged WC's of that era. They would bend and distort, but they wouldn't crack. Fast forward to today and they crack all the time. I've cracked them opening them up with a pliers tools designed for spreading them. I think CW is on course with his zinc comment.
Ian
Notorious member
I use battery cable ends about like wheelweights but caution that they likely have some Ca in them as JonB mentioned, and lots of other trace junk. At least one batch of scrap I melted along with a can of terminals had a tendency to expand as well as harden over several months, even after casting and sizing bullets with it.
fiver
Well-Known Member
i got a bunch of old lead cable ends out back and they got a bunch of junk in them.
i imagine that 'corrosion' gets in the alloy some too.
i also have about 200 brand new solder in type cable ends from the 90's out in the shed, i'm positive they are all zinc.
i had so many of those damn things i tossed out at least 3-400 of them, and gave my mechanic buddy 4-5 boxes of them just to get rid of them.
i imagine that 'corrosion' gets in the alloy some too.
i also have about 200 brand new solder in type cable ends from the 90's out in the shed, i'm positive they are all zinc.
i had so many of those damn things i tossed out at least 3-400 of them, and gave my mechanic buddy 4-5 boxes of them just to get rid of them.
I worked with forklifts for almost 40 years. Have had literally 2 tons of the industrial intercell connectors over the years. they are like wheel weights, maybe a little softer. These are never immersed in acid or mixed with cadmium, etc. Have cast into everything imaginable and they shot well.
Don
Don
CWLONGSHOT
Well-Known Member
As I mentioned some are not lead at all. They are ZINK.
CWLONGSHOT
Well-Known Member
I know of a dozen zink casters that could take you to task with that comment Ian. 
I have some of there bullets on my bench. My knee says NO STAIRS or Id have had pics to show.
There zink looks as good as any lino bullet I have seen. VERY CLEAN AND SHARP casts.
CW
I have some of there bullets on my bench. My knee says NO STAIRS or Id have had pics to show.
There zink looks as good as any lino bullet I have seen. VERY CLEAN AND SHARP casts.
CW
Ian
Notorious member
The ones on top are lead-ish, the "zinc" refers to the plating on the stud. The others are probably Zamak #3 casting alloy or similar, pure zink casts like sheite even with pressure-injection moulding equipment.
I doubt they're using pure zink. Fill out isn't the problem, zink "cores" like mad and tends to hourglass as it cools. Zamak is only a few percent of other things (aluminum and 2-3 other trace additives IIRC) and casts far better from a gravity setup. Still, to get the best bullets with most solid centers, even Zamak benefits greatly from a mould rest which vibrates at low amplitude/high frequency. My experience, anyway.
I know of a dozen zink casters that could take you to task with that comment Ian.
I have some of there bullets on my bench. My knee says NO STAIRS or Id have had pics to show.
There zink looks as good as any lino bullet I have seen. VERY CLEAN AND SHARP casts.
CW
I doubt they're using pure zink. Fill out isn't the problem, zink "cores" like mad and tends to hourglass as it cools. Zamak is only a few percent of other things (aluminum and 2-3 other trace additives IIRC) and casts far better from a gravity setup. Still, to get the best bullets with most solid centers, even Zamak benefits greatly from a mould rest which vibrates at low amplitude/high frequency. My experience, anyway.
Last edited:
CWLONGSHOT
Well-Known Member
AS Pure as whats in ZINK WHEEL WEIGHTS.
Dont make me hurt my knee..
Cw
Dont make me hurt my knee..
Cw
RBHarter
West Central AR
Boy howdy ! If I didn't know better I'd think we had some cabin fever setting in .....
Next thing ya know it's going to be on over whether or not a 454424 or 430421 is a SWC or a LWN .........
Y'all need some Midal , yur' acting like teen sisters . "She's touching my pixels " , she's putting them in odd even in ASKII and skipping primes" ........
Eat a Snickers bar already y'all ain't right when you're hangry .
Next thing ya know it's going to be on over whether or not a 454424 or 430421 is a SWC or a LWN .........
Y'all need some Midal , yur' acting like teen sisters . "She's touching my pixels " , she's putting them in odd even in ASKII and skipping primes" ........
Eat a Snickers bar already y'all ain't right when you're hangry .
Cadillac Jeff
Well-Known Member
Cadillac Jeff
Well-Known Member
& winter just got started !!
Ian
Notorious member
AS Pure as whats in ZINK WHEEL WEIGHTS.
Dont make me hurt my knee..
Cw
Hey, no need to hurt yer knee! I ain't bein' ornery, sorry if I came off that way. I spell it "zink" too, probably isn't correct but that's how my college freshman general inorganic chemistry professor spelled it, and he literally co-wrote the textbook, I'm surprised no one has come along to take CW and me to task on that one.....
OK, Zink wheelweights are made out of an alloy which is optimized for wetness (to stick to the steel clips and fill the mould) and to cool at a rate which resists coring in two-part moulds so it yields accurate weight by volume. Basically Zamak #3 alloy. Not pure by any means, probably not more than 93% zink.
I have used pure zink ingots to try and make bullets and it's a.....no go.
fiver
Well-Known Member
pure zinc usually comes in square blocks for a reason... LOL
Zinc WW's will cast bullets that come out nice and filled out and shiny, not grey galvanized like a zinc block does.
i got some ww zinc corn cobs bagged up for adding to lead alloys when i need the stuff and it's all filled in and pretty.
if i had to work with straight zinc the only way i'd even want to try it is by injection with exit vents.
i have a high suspicion there is some tin in the mix, it and zinc are bestes buddies, probably the best bond for any two alloys there is out there.
Zinc WW's will cast bullets that come out nice and filled out and shiny, not grey galvanized like a zinc block does.
i got some ww zinc corn cobs bagged up for adding to lead alloys when i need the stuff and it's all filled in and pretty.
if i had to work with straight zinc the only way i'd even want to try it is by injection with exit vents.
i have a high suspicion there is some tin in the mix, it and zinc are bestes buddies, probably the best bond for any two alloys there is out there.