Battery plates

Share and discuss your vintage wind generator related projects.
Mike Hage
Posts: 285
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2020 12:37 pm
Location: Gibbs

Re: Battery plates

Post by Mike Hage »

I've got to find that old man again it would be even neat to have the whole row of batteries there even empty just for display. There is a whole generation now including myself that has never lived without power. It wasnt until the mid 50s out here in rural Saskatchewan
Wayne
Posts: 2115
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2018 10:03 am
Location: Corsicana Tx.

Re: Battery plates

Post by Wayne »

At the show in Portland In. There is a man who has a set up with a Delco light plant. He has several things running on electricity. An old woman churning butter, an old man he calls woody sawing wood, He gives you a piece with the name Woody and the year. I have one from 2012,2016 and 2019. Didn't go last year hope to this year. In 2019 there was a trailer dedicated to batteries and light plants. Might get info from them if you could make the show.
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windybob
Posts: 3503
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:59 pm
Location: Ames Oklahoma

Re: Battery plates

Post by windybob »

Years ago, I had a friend that wanted me to come over, and check out something in his basement. When I did, he had a bank of maybe 10 or 12 batteries, all the bussbars, and a generator there. They were clear batteries not the green colored ones. I knew they were very cool, and asked him what he was going to do with them. They are all in poor shape. He said I could have them all, but not the gen. Well, life got in the way, and by the time I got around to going after them all, he changed his mind. I lost rack of him, and to this day, I will assume the old house he lived in is either bulldozed down, in a hole covered up, or still sitting there. That's when I learned the hard way that when someone says you can have it, you better get it while the getting's good. I had a plan to gut them, etch my logo on them, and sell them as cookie jars.
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
Gregg
Posts: 257
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2018 9:14 am
Location: Stratford, Iowa

Re: Battery plates

Post by Gregg »

Sounds like you need to make a mold and pour them to the size you need. I would guess that's how the originals were made?
Gregg
Wayne
Posts: 2115
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2018 10:03 am
Location: Corsicana Tx.

Re: Battery plates

Post by Wayne »

Windy that's probably not the only story you have like that. Been there and done that.
WisJim
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2019 8:01 am
Location: western Wisconsin

Re: Battery plates

Post by WisJim »

We lived off grid with a 32 volt battery system back in the 1970s-80s. I used telephone company batteries, 1680 and 840 amp hour strings plus some smaller sets. We had vacuum cleaner, waffle iron, toaster, drills, lots of motors 1/6 to 1/2 hp, radio, iron, fans, mixer, hand grinder and probably other stuff I don't recall. Also a small 100 watt motor generator style inverter. I still have some light bulbs, an iron and a rough toaster. I've sold most everything else over the years. Still have a couple of the wind generators and a Delco light plant that I consider selling.
Ron Stauffer
Posts: 431
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:25 am
Location: Uncompahgre Plateau Montrose CO
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Re: Battery plates

Post by Ron Stauffer »

Thought others might like to see how lead acid batteries are now built. We have been using industrial batteries for over 10 years in off grid solar applications. BBI is just outside of Chicago so is American built and they do it well. They build to order and ship common size industrial batteries in 5 days. I got to tour the plant in 2019 and was impressed. The battery build video is on their home page. Here is a link:
https://www.bbibattery.com/

Anybody that wants battery cores for show and tell, let me know before lead prices recover. Current market is .30/lb but was .35. A nickel a pound means a lot on 85K in battery cores.

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO
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