Recycle valve stems?

[trooperdan]

I seem to get darned near half and half volumn wise, wheel weights and valve stems! I have near a five gallon bucket just of the stems, seems like I was told they are all brass inside all that rubber. And that is my question, has anyone figured out an easy way to seperate the brass from the rubber?

My first thought was to rig a wire mesh basket and burn the rubber off but I recall that rubber never seems to burn completely and leave a lot of charred mess. Then I wonldered if soaking in gasoline or diesel would swell the rubber enought to seperate the stems.. would make it burn better any way!

Any experience out there?

[billyb]

They are brass inside. I left the ones iI find in the smelt pot and let the rubber char. It flakes of pretty easy after they are charred.Sold them and bought lead. I am a died in the wool scrounger. Bill

[stubshaft]

The rubber used in valve stems is solvent proof. Just throw it into the melt and let it burn out.

[Bret4207]

You guys must live a different life than I do. Every bucket I get I look for all the good stems and valve cores. I save 'em and still never seem to have enough to replace the ones that go bad on my various equipment. Of course my neighbor knows I have a bunch and makes use them too.

Seems every bucket I get a free socket or screwdriver and a few nuts and bolts too.

Some places cut the valve stems off! Neanderthals.....

[billyb]

Never saw a good one in the ww buckets. In this part of the country they cut the old stem off. Bill

[captaint]

Cool. Now we're fluxing with burned rubber. Besides water, is there anything we can't flux with? I even bought some of Pat Marlins flux and I can't wait to smell it. Supposed to be delightful!!!!!

[sheepdog]

I throw them in my shooting box (full of rubber mulch). It catches all my boolits and factory bullets for recasting with the rest of the range scrap. 100% boolit recycling FTW

[mtgrs737]

I save the truck valve stems as they are all brass with a rubber washer that is easy to remove, the car type are paving my driveway! I have tried to burn it off but I can't stand that much stink.