Pewter pictures and hallmarks...

[wiliamr]

Mexican pewter is aluminum.

I picked up a ornimental tray at a thrift store, with stickers on it " lead free Mundo de Pewter sin plombo" and a " made in mexico".

It was thick enough that it wouldn't bend easily by hand, but would flatten with a hammer.

I cut a chunk from it and dropped it in my (empty) lee pot,and turned it on 4, just as I had with prior hallmarked pewter.

And I waited........and waited........and waited.........it wasn't melting.

I threw in a sizable chunk of wax, which ignited. OK, now I have fire inside the pot, and electric heat outside the pot

and I waited, ..........and waited........and it's still not melting, just blackened by soot from the wax.

I don't have a casting thermometer to check what the temp must have been, but it was WAY higher that the other pewter i've melted.

I think "Mundo de Pewter" has a different idea than us of what "pewter" should be.

A google search shows Mundo de pewter as a tourist shop in Puerto Vallarta, mexico.

[scottfire1957]

All the Mexican "pewter" I have seen is an Aluminum alloy. It's waay too light for it's size and thickness.

[rockrat]

Remind me to never invite you guys over to my house. Mom collected antiques and I liked pewter, so have a few pieces. Maybe I liked pewter when I was a kid, because fate was telling me what one of my hobbies would be later in life!!!
That "Revere Pewter" plate on page one looks just like some of the plates I have, that Mom bought back in the late 50's, up in New England.

[imashooter2]

It's been a while, but here's an new variation on a Hanle hallmark... 5 inch covered dish, 12.7 ounces.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

A hallmark is a mark applied by an independent assay office, to prove that it is... not pewter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallmark

[SlippShodd]

Dangit! Okay, you win. I tried to refute that, but...

"Definition of TOUCHMARK. : an identifying maker's mark impressed on pewter."

To be fair, my opinion is that the strictest definitions of "hallmark," "a. A mark used in Great Britain to stamp gold, silver, and platinum articles that meet established standards of purity," are reserved for their use in Great Britain (and having some experience, I know better than to argue with a Scot). As usual, our U.S. Americanized, bastardized version of the English language has taken some liberties, and further down the lists of definitions we find more generous usages: "2. a mark or sign of authenticity or excellence; 3. an outstanding or distinguishing feature; vb 4.(tr) to stamp with or as if with a hallmark." etcetera, ectcetera, ad nauseum.
It's not an unusual occurrence on this, and other forums, to break from language convention for our own convenience, i.e., we "smelt" wheel weights and range scrap, even though we know deep down that that just isn't quite so. Some of us aren't convinced that we actually "lube" our boolits. In deference to my OCD ways, I'll try to refer to these as "touchmarks" or "touch marks" hereafter, but I can't guarantee total compliance. Nor will I expect the others involved to change their ways.
Old dogs, new parlance. Probably not gonna happen.

mike
----> yes, I was bored this morning...

[imashooter2]

A hallmark is a mark applied by an independent assay office, to prove that it is... not pewter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallmark

Gosh, now I feel such the fool...

But wait, what about Miriam Webster?

"b : a mark or device placed or stamped on an article of trade to indicate origin, purity, or genuineness"

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hallmark

[jsizemore]

I don't know why the fella is getting so uppity. I hung out with some folks from England and their definition of "Roger" ain't in the dictionary or the one we use "over here" but is widely accepted "over there".

[R8ed]

I'm not far from Columbia Pa. I find church commemerative plates, lords prayer plates and bicentennial plates that are hall....., I mean touch marked from a company in Columbia. (Sorry no pictures at this time.)
Does anyone know the tin content in these plates?

Thanks,
R8ed

[R8ed]

http://www.ebay.com/gds/ARMETALE-WIL...4785877/g.html

OH NO. Ithink the above ebay article answered my question.
I thought I had a good thing going.
R8ed

[imashooter2]

http://www.ebay.com/gds/ARMETALE-WIL...4785877/g.html

OH NO. Ithink the above ebay article answered my question.
I thought I had a good thing going.
R8ed

The very first post in this thread states the Wilton and Pewtarex aren't actually pewter.
Lots of folks have been fooled though.

[RogerDat]

If you want to be secure in the knowledge it is pewter which is like 90% tin it needs to be an identifiable company mark for pewter products (hallmark, touchmark, that little design kind of hard to read without reading glasses) or be stamped "Pewter" or Zinn or Tinnen which are English, German or Dutch spellings. E'tain would be the French version. Zinn or Tinnen may have a percentage with them as in 94% Zinn. EPBM is also a stamp I have seen stands for Electro Plated Britannia Metal and it is almost pure tin with silver plating applied.

The vast majority of what I find says pewter someplace on it, every so often there will be something with an emblem and/or company without the word pewter or some variation of the word for tin. That is where this thread is invaluable. The uploaded pictures. Sometimes but not often I will find something that I'm sure is pewter without a logo or word to confirm it. I pays my money and I takes my chances. Generally I'm buying a small item for just a couple of bucks. A metal picture frame or some ornamental item that I think is pewter but won't know until I melt it and/or have it gunned. I can score a scratched line in pewter with my thumbnail. The aluminum type products such as Wilton and Pewtarex are much too hard for that.

I have seen at an antique barn a pewtarex tray with 4 pewter items on it labeled as 5 pieces of pewter for one price.

[R8ed]

The very first post in this thread states the Wilton and Pewtarex aren't actually pewter.
Lots of folks have been fooled though.

There are so many pages on this thread that it has taken me weeks to read it all. My 50+ year old hard drive remembered the Pewtarex, but not the Wilton is not pewter.
Oh well, I guess I won't be cast into fire and brimstone for melting the Lord's prayer plate like my wife was sure would happen.
R8ed

[DonMerlin]

I found a bowl yesterday at goodwill that I thought looked like pewter. When I looked on the bottom I saw the hand engraved name of the person that made the bowl and the hand engraved word "Pewter". This has to be my coolest find so far. Yes it is in the bin for melting.

[RogerDat]

Anyone ever seen pewter so old that it is black? I will have to have this find gunned to confirm the tin content but I picked up two small plates about 5 inch. across, no mark but they are either lead or pewter. I did not melt them down because it crossed my mind that they might be pretty old. No makers mark that I can see so going to be tough to figure out when they were made. Anyone have any ideas?

Melted most of my collection, 20 pounds of small ingots. Figure this can provide tin for around 800 - 900 lbs. of WW's. Don't need any more but...... Then I saw this big heavy pitcher at thrift store for $3 weighed 1.6 lbs. You know I could not walk away from it, you understand right? Will try to get a picture of the mark on the pitcher to post.

[DonMerlin]

Nice piece of Holland 94% I found today. 461 grams. $3.50

[RogerDat]

Nice piece of Holland 94% I found today. 461 grams. $3.50

You have to love that stuff that is so shiny that at first glance you think "probably stainless" and then it turns out to be a pound of lovely pewter.

[brassrat]

I have a growing ingot and pewter collection and some shiny, tumbled (tumbler sized) cups.

[Twmaster]

I've stopped actively looking for pewter for now as I have a nice stack of ingots. Of course if I'm in a thrift or yard sale and see pewter I'll be all over it.

[DonMerlin]

I've stopped actively looking for pewter for now as I have a nice stack of ingots. Of course if I'm in a thrift or yard sale and see pewter I'll be all over it.

It's the thrill of the hunt!