Heater cores and radiators?

[stealthshooter]

Is the solder used to hold these together useful? I have an old heater core I'm going to scrap and was wondering if the solder can be used? I know it's not much but there is some.

[eldoradolee]

Its a very good source of tin/lead.Most radiators are 64/36 (TIN/LEAD)

[stealthshooter]

Thanks much!! I'm actually quite surprised as to how much I was able to reclaim from that little heater core!!

[jonas302]

How did you go about it I have a few of those

[stealthshooter]

How did you go about it I have a few of those

I put it in my smelting pot and got it nice and hot and would tap the core against the pot to knock the molten lead out of the fins. The core then pretty well fell apart and I was able to use my propane torch to help get the rest of it from between the fins. Next time I'll make sure and wash the core with a garden hose and let it dry prior to smelting. This one was from a hunting truck and quite a bit of dust and dirt was in the fins.

[bumpo628]

How much were you able to get out of there?

[stealthshooter]

I got about 3.5OZ out of it with minimal effort. You can sure tell it has a lot of tin in it. It tinks pretty good when you tap it on something.