Wm a Rogers pewter?

[Tripplebeards]

I rolled the dice today and picked up a single candlestick today. I know, I know...don't buy anything that doesn't say pewter. All it had stamped on it was WM A roger on the bottom. I bought it and took my propaign torch to it. Within about four seconds it crinkled the silver plating on the outside and then melted a hole through it. In about about another four second the whole thing was melted. It had a silver coating that I skimmed off. The candlestick was heavy as lead which flagged me to think it was pewter when I picked it up. I tried to research it on the net but couldn't find what it was made from. I ended up getting 13oz out of it. I didn't take photo of the stick since I was in a hurry to see if I wasted my $ but found a pic off the net to post. I did find some old shot glasses marked $2ea that wouldn't have amounted to a 3rd of a lb so I passed on them. The candlestick was $3.50...not bad for almost a pound after smelting down.

Has anyone come across these before and melted them?

Attachment 200091Attachment 200092

[Markopolo]

I haven't sir, but there used to be a thread around here with about a billion different watermarks... prolly in the archives somewhere... http://castboolits.gunloads.com/arch.../t-127929.html

Take a look through these for future reference... I used to buy tons of stuff thinking it was pewter, but sadly, I learned many lessons...lol... I don't buy unless I know...lol. No more maybe's for me..

[Tripplebeards]

I just tested it with my Lee tester. My eyes are having a hard time seeing through it. It looked like .50 which is telling me it has a BH of 20.9

What is the range of BH for pewter?

[dondiego]

I haven't sir, but there used to be a thread around here with about a billion different watermarks... prolly in the archives somewhere... http://castboolits.gunloads.com/arch.../t-127929.html



Take a look through these for future reference... I used to buy tons of stuff thinking it was pewter, but sadly, I learned many lessons...lol... I don't buy unless I know...lol. No more maybe's for
me..

Look at the second "Sticky" at the top of this page.

[RogerDat]

Pewter has a bunch of different mixes, so I'm guessing the range of BHN is pretty wide. I too picked up a small platter for $1.50 no pewter hallmark I could find but soft enough I could nick with thumbnail, soldered on handles, and with a very similar platter that was hallmarked pewter. If it torches like pewter I'll throw it in with my scrap solder from garage sales, beef that up a bit next time a have enough to melt into a batch for testing.

[Tripplebeards]

Look at the second "Sticky" at the top of this page.

I have ...there was no hallmark or anything that said pewter on the candlestick.

I was hoping someone has come across this brand before and new if it was pewter. I've pretty much made my mind up that it is. It melts at an extremely low temp and an extremely high BH.

[jsizemore]

Most folks on this site will recommend that you stick with the "touchmark" ("hallmark" refers to silver, not pewter) that says "pewter" because you end up in a mess like this:

http://silverandsilverplate.blogspot...marks-and.html

Nobody can see what's in your hands. Many of the silverplate companies used a cheaper way to produce items that at their base was a tin alloy with a "nickel" primer and then silverplate on top of that. They also plated steel and brass. Unless you have those in your hands, there's no way to tell which you have even with a hallmark/touchmark.

A propane torch burns in the vicinity of 1800degF. If the piece is very thin it will melt quickly even with zinc or other unwanteds in the mix.

[popper]

The mark Wm. A. Rogers was used as early as 1897. It became part of Oneida silver around 1929, and Oneida employed the Wm. A. Rogers mark as late as 1978.

More of a design mark than a hallmark. Could be anything as far a metal content.

[Tripplebeards]

I remelted on the stove with the burner at less of a temp it takes me to melt lead. What other alloy melts at a low temp with a AC BH around 20.9?