Pewter pictures and hallmarks...

[PBaholic]

Colonial Pewter and CAWA Tin

[imashooter2]

Those are new to me. Thanks for the Additions!

[NikA]

Found an ashtray at the thrift store today, hallmark reads "MADE IN SWITZERLAND FOR BLACK STARR AND GORHAM". About 4 inches in diameter, weighed in at 10.98 oz. Fairly sure it's at least a tin-base alloy, a light hammer blow deformed it pretty well and it exhibits "tin creak" when I attempt to bend it. Can anybody confirm? Pic of the mark above as well as the hammer dent. If there's doubt maybe I'll throw a propane torch on part of it to see how quickly it melts.

[jsizemore]

Usually Swiss pewter will be marked etain or zinn along with an angel holding balance type scales. Could be ????? If it's pewter the melt temp will be just above 450degF. Propane torch burns about 4 times that.

[500MAG]

I pick up a lot of pewter at thrift stores, in fact, picked up 2 pieces this weekend. I normally use the bend test when I can't see the marking and have been pretty successful with that.

[NikA]

Checked the piece with a cheap electronics soldering iron and was able to melt the edge a bit, so I'd say it's almost certainly pewter of some type. Bend test wasn't really practical on this: it's about 3/16" thick at the edge, so me "trying" to bend it deformed it a small amount but required enough force that I wouldn't have called it "easy".

[imashooter2]

The thick edge isn't typical pewter form, but if it melts with one of those cheap soldering irons, you should be good to go.

[PBaholic]

More Hallmarks

[imashooter2]

I see a couple new ones in there... Thanks PBaholic!

[Chris C]

Okay, I've spent the last three days reading this thread and trying to learn about pewter. I've also been going to thrift shops trying to find the stuff.................only there's none to be found. I'll keep trying because I'm not too keen on having to pay $15/20 per pound for the pure bars. Frustrating to drive for two or three hours and find nothing though.

[imashooter2]

The results of scrounging cannot be predicted. While I was building the majority of this thread I was very actively searching. I still went through long dry spells where I would find nothing at all and even more where I only found a small piece or two over a few weeks. Don't lose hope and good luck!

[WRideout]

I have recently accumulated about five pounds of thrift store pewter. A couple of things I have noticed; in my home town, there is scarcely any pewter in the stores. This probably has to do with the lower economic index of my home town. Nobody has a mother that leaves them pewter anything. Around the better (read high rent) neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, I am finding most of the pewter that I acquire. The stores that have a tag sale, half off for blue this week, are the best. When I buy I try to get every discount I can. Yes I do get the senior citizen discount. I do have a price point, though. If the price is too high, I wait until the week it is discounted, or just pass. It is more efficient if I follow a route on the way home from work that takes me by a store or two. That way I only have to spend a few minutes browsing if they don't have anything.

Don't give up on the thrift stores yet, Chris, but do broaden your search and look for the stores in higher income areas.

Wayne

[Chris C]

I know, I know..................but it's discouraging. Been scrounging lead for the past couple of months and it's like trying to catch fish in a wash bucket.....where there are none! I'll keep trying because I've much more time than money.

[mold maker]

Much of the thrift store wares here are the tailings from more affluent areas stores.
Mostly broken or desperation goods. Any new or of value stuff donated here gets sent on the return truck. If they had pewter it would be priced like gold, and shunned by the local clientele.

[Chris C]

I've got a list of six Goodwill locations in a nearby city. I'll see what I can find tomorrow. I'm keying in on more affluent areas.

[Drm50]

I had a nice post, went to get a cup of coffee and it "left" Anyway I read the entire post, I wish
I lived close enough to some of you, I would trade you pure tin by weight for some of those items. And I'm no collector. I buy pewter to, but not for bullets, I pour nose caps on Muzzel loaders with it. Bought 5 little mugs this AM at flea market, for $1, wife just finished cleaning
one in picture. I guess they won't go in pot until she tires of them. I lived near tin plate mill and
guys brought me tin all the time, when it closed a couple years ago I managed to get several
hundred pounds. So I'm not to the point of using pewter as bullet alloy. I have been pouring
20:1 for most of my pistol bullets. Lead is very easy to come by also.

[Chris C]

Not fair!

[Sekatoa]

Latest haul from the father in law. The funky broken up candle holder did turn out to pewter, though they I had my doubts at first, making it about 7 lb total. They were unmarked. The wire part wasn't. I don't know what he paid, but usually it's from a rummage sale were you fill a shopping bag of whatever for about $5 or $10. He would'nt pay more for anything. Not sure if I posted his previous haul.





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jsizemore]

Most of the Selangor I find runs 97% tin or better. I got one piece that was 99.2% Sn, .3% Cu and the rest ?%. The Preisner candlesticks usually have a maple turning or plaster turning/casting in the spindle to maintain that round shape. That ornate candlestick set at the end is a little suspicious. Looks to be plated but I haven't had my hands on it or seen the touchmark. Better then 3lbs is a great score. Good find all.

[Sekatoa]

Good to know about the Selangor. The only thing I've melted down yet was the suspicious candlestick, because, well, it was suspicious and I wanted to check the melting temp...it was right there in the pewter range. The bent up wire holder was something else, it would not melt even with a small touch. The candle stick had a very small amount of small copper and brass hardware bits, not much at all weight wise.

I'll check the other sticks for wood or plaster , but they seem hollow and do dent up in the middle as they were dropped a few times and man handled after the photo. I was happy to see no stinky clay filler in the bottom.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk