if its not pewter its????

[troy_mclure]

i bought this 3lb "pewter" plate for $4 today. the stamp mark was worn away. the guy said it was pewter.

however, i was able to break it apart with a hammer, and i couldnt melt it with my propane torch.

is this that evil zink?

[jsizemore]

If it's pewter you can beat it into a ball with a hammer and it won't break. Pewter is elastic which is why you add it to your alloy.

Zinc is rigid like cast iron. I've never beat it with a hammer but I imagine it would break into pieces like cast iron.

Did the plate have Wilton or Pewterx written on the back? Those are both zinc alloys.

If you go to buy something that doesn't have pewter written on it and you can't bend with your hands, put it back and move on.

I would suggest that when you get started searching for pewter to stick to items that have pewter written on them and learn how it looks and feels to manipulate. Old pewter sometimes had a little lead in it so it has a dull gray appearance. Newer pewter is shiny because it has a higher tin content.

Good luck.

[Fugowii]

i bought this 3lb "pewter" plate for $4 today. the stamp mark was worn away. the guy said it was pewter.

however, i was able to break it apart with a hammer, and i couldnt melt it with my propane torch.

is this that evil zink?

If you can't bend it with your hands it isn't pewter. A pewter plate is pretty
malleable and soft.

Here is a primer on pewter collecting from another poster. Sorry that I didn't
record his name to give him the proper attribution.

Pewter Characteristics

Tin melts at 449.47 deg. F.

When you get started look for items that have PEWTER written on the bottom.

I pour mine in mini-muffin ingots that weigh 2-4 ozs each, about .25-.5" thick. I
weigh each ingot on a postal shipping scale and write the weight on it with a
permanent marker.

You'll see stuff that says WILTON or ARMETALE or PEWTEREX on the bottom, or
RWP on it. This is NOT pewter. It's got zinc in it and when you try to bend it, it will
hardly budge.

If it is tack welded or screwed together, it isn’t pewter.

If it has a rivet, it's not pewter.

Pewter is not magnetic.

When you bend pewter, it will not try to return to its former shape.

Most pewter I find has a smooth non-porous surface, but is not shiny.

Hope this helps. Good hunting.

[Shiloh]

If it is brittle, as you described, it could be Britannia metal, a pewter look alike but harder. Little if any tin in it. It is a zinc alloy IIRC.

SHiloh

[troy_mclure]

there was a mark on it, but it was rubbed off. i figured ut tacke the chance, $4 for around 3lbs.

i guess i struck out! lol

[Charlie Sometimes]

Save it, melt it with a oxy/acetylene torch next year when wheel weights go lead-free.

It's half the weight of lead alloys.

Might be aluminum.

[jsizemore]

Troy, just be patient and it'll come to ya. I put away 22 smelted lbs from the last 2 months of scrounging. Some days I got nothing and others I got 8 lbs.

[mold maker]

I know it's been discussed here before, but I can't find it.(CRS) What acid do you use to ID zinc, and Is there one that reacts only with tin????
I've found lots of unmarked pieces, and only one that said pewter. Is any of the unmarked stuff pewter?? Most have a felt covering the bottom, so no markings show.

[HORNET]

Muriatic acid for zinc identification. BTW, there are a couple of members that use zinc. The Double-D uses it for his mortar. There's also a fairly good price for it at the scrap yard.

[Fugowii]

I took a picture of my latest 'stash' of pewter. This group I have been assembling
since the beginning of October so it represents around two months of checking out
the local haunts. I've got $25 invested in what I would guess is around 12 pounds
of finished pewter melt.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i227/BP_2006/11_25_2009007a.jpg