How can you use pewter when it contains copper? Doesn't copper have a much higher melting point? If you can use it, where do you get it from?
Explain in detail.
ACC
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How can you use pewter when it contains copper? Doesn't copper have a much higher melting point? If you can use it, where do you get it from?
Explain in detail.
ACC
Copper in solution with tin will melt right along with the tin and lead. Copper also serves to make your bullets "tougher".
Most, if not all lead free solder contains about 3% copper if my memory serves me correctly. Just add it to your mix as needed and cast away.
Good Luck,
Rick
IIRC, pure metals, on going from molten to solid, will adopt a homogeneous structure that is usually crystalline. It takes a lot of heat energy to get the atoms out of that state and moving enough to become liquid again.
An alloy of two or more elements with atoms of different sizes doesn’t settle into such a structure, and so takes much less heat energy to melt.
Copper, I understand, toughens boolit alloys. But with pewter, we’re talking about a small percentage in an alloy added to lead in a small percentage, so I don’t know that the final copper concentration makes a big difference.
Pewter you can occasionally buy in the S&S forum, or you can scrounge your own for less at thrift shops and estate sales.
All you need is about .12% copper to make a difference. Around .25% range is a sweet spot.
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"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
~Theodore Roosevelt~
This is “The” pewter sticky. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks
When you have read all 77 pages you will have developed a keen eye for spotting pewter in its natural habitat.
You to can become a pewter hunter. All it takes is five bucks and trip to the thrift store with your wife. If you’re smart about it you can convince her that you want to spend time with her, and you thought it would be fun.
JM
How can I tell something is pewter and whats not?
I have 5 thrift stores in a 1 mile area around my home.
ACC
Pewter items such as candle sticks, mugs, creamer pots, picture frames, ect usually have a makers mark. Sometimes will say pewter stamped on the bottom next o the makers mark, in my experience. Items with no markings, but thin you can bend them they will "squeek", or "scream" slightly if you hold them to your ear. I would look for the pewter marking until you know the difference between pewter and the other junk. I have a hard time finding more than 4 pieces at a time yeilding maybe 2 pounds.
I melt it in a large ladle with a propane torch, and pour into the grooves on the bottom of a scrap piece of hardwood flooring to make sticks instead of block ingots. Ill break off and weigh chunks as I need them.
You have to realize most of this stuff was made back in the 60`s-70`s and before. People have this stuff for the collector value. You won`t ever see much at a Thrift store unless it gets scratched or tore up to where it is useless to them. I don`t buy anything unless it`s stamped "Pewter" on the bottom. There is some stuff out there that is soft just like pewter and bends just like it but is not. I got fooled last week on one piece. Check in some small town Antique Shops, I find damaged pieces that way. Also find you a small magnifying glass to carry along. these marker marks are small.
Seriously, read the sticky. It is full of pictures. You will understand what to look for after the first five or ten pages.Originally Posted by ACC
JM
Don't get discouraged if you don't find any at first. Some areas (ie, New England) have more than others. Once you get an eye for it it'll jump out at you. Don't buy anything not marked to begin with.
Last October my wife and I made a thrift store/ antique store sweep consisting of about 10 stops. I bought about 7 lbs of pewter for just over $20. I could have bought 100 pounds if I wanted to pay the "Antique" prices at some shops. Mugs, picture frames, dishes, creamers, etc. When you get to looking at some for a bit you can spot it across a room.
I put mine up a little differently than most. When I melt it I pour it into one of my big molds, 45-70 or something. Then I have Pewter in 300 to 400 grain doses to add to my mix. Another idea is to pour it into ingot molds but only a thin layer, makes it easier to work with. You'll probably only need small doses at a time unless you're making a pretty large lot of alloy.
Part of the fun is the "hunt".
Good luck,
Rick
About 2 weeks ago I found 38lbs of pewter plates and server stuff. This was at a estate sale. Got it all for 40 bucks. It was a good deal
Pewter time is now and the next couple of months. People are cleaning up after the holidays and trying to max out donations to charities.
It's available other times of the year, but in my experience you'll find more than usual, in the next couple of months.
As others have mentioned, once you learn what it looks like, you'll see it faster and from further away. Still, only purchase hallmarked metal. There is a lot of garbage colored to look like pewter.
Pewter marked: Mexican,RWP,Pewterex,and Wilson is not Pewter.
Last edited by rcslotcar; 12-28-2019 at 01:01 PM.
The sticky is very good for learning the typically encountered forms of pewter. It also has descriptions of pewter characteristics scattered through the 70+ pages. I've gathered a few here:
Pewter very often will bend to hand pressure, and when it does there is no spring back,
Pewter scratches easily: even the rounded part of a brass or aluminum key will mark it, and the tip and teeth will gouge it.
Pewter is fairly thin. It warms quickly in the hand compared to other metals, and, when tapped, usually gives a dull sound rather than ringing.
Construction of a complex piece is usually of parts soldered together, without screws or rivets. There are usually no visible seams between parts (unibody construction).
Cast pieces can have fine detail, usually on a small scale or on decorative work, since the soft alloy damages easily. Cast pewter usually does not have sand casting defects, visible seams or mold marks
The finish on pewter is usually matte or satin rather than mirror like, and a gray, slightly dull color is much more common than a bright silver. Pewter does not tarnish like silver, and will not have green verdigris like worn plated copper or brass.
In my experience, if it is made in India or China, it's not pewter. The Chinese stuff can look and feel very much like it, but is never marked as pewter, is very heavy for the size of the item compared to the real thing, and, on analysis, is mostly lead with only single digit percentages of tin.
Happy hunting!
Last edited by kevin c; 12-28-2019 at 03:39 AM.
Wikipedia says pewter contains up to 2% copper. Used to improve mold fill out at up to 2%, means a final Cu concentration of 0.04%, or if you're making Lyman #2 with 5% Sn, 0.1% Cu. Maybe not enough to make a difference?
Major score, there, Went2kck, both on the amount and price!
A small % of Copper won't be a problem to melt if its already part of an alloy. It also won't hurt anything and will actually help. Most lead free solder has some Copper in it and I have seen Copper listed in type metal before.
I also suggest reading the sticky on pewter and hallmarks. You don't have to read through the whole thing to learn a lot about pewter. Maybe the first and last 5 pages or something like that. Doing so may save you from getting fooled and spending money on things that are not Pewter.
Geographically, Pewter is a lot like wheel weights. Some areas are rich in it and in some others its scarce.
Problem is thrift store around here are asking too much for it. Be careful with the candle holder stamped weighted pewter they are filled with wax and only have little pewter.
In my experience, individual candle sticks or candle holders yield three or four ounces of pewter and a big plastic mass to fill out the base and keep the shape.
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