Hong Kong Pewter?

[cabezaverde]

I saw a small beer mug yesterday at the thrift store. It looked like pewter, bent like pewter, and the handle was riveted.

It was only marked Hong Kong on the bottom. Anybody have any experience with this?

[imashooter2]

A riveted handle means pass to me. Pewter handles should be soldered on.

[arjacobson]

a riveted handle means pass to me. Pewter handles should be soldered on.

yep!!

[waksupi]

Well, it's in a thrift store, so it is cheap, and you already went and done bent it. So buy it and try it!

[*Paladin*]

I got some Japanese pewter one time at a thrift store. It was good stuff. Melted down into ingots, you wouldn't know it from German or English pewter...

[man.electric]

A riveted handle means pass to me. Pewter handles should be soldered on.

I would tend to agree. Nice observation!

[jsizemore]

Correct. The pewter handle IS the solder.

[onondaga]

rivets generally mean aluminum that looks like pewter.

Gary

[arjacobson]

you have to to watch out for those"give us these days our daily bread pans" they are always cast aluminum.

[imashooter2]

I just picked up a wall hanger plate, creamer and sugar bowl tonight at the local Goodwill store. 2 pounds 1 ounce for a fiver. I know some folks would offer less, but I never try to bargain at the Goodwill store. I can use all the karma I can get. :)

[badbob454]

I just picked up a wall hanger plate, creamer and sugar bowl tonight at the local Goodwill store. 2 pounds 1 ounce for a fiver. I know some folks would offer less, but I never try to bargain at the Goodwill store. I can use all the karma I can get. :)

sorry i try to talk them down ,im poor , and they got it free .. this way they are helping me out ..:bigsmyl2:

[imashooter2]

sorry i try to talk them down ,im poor , and they got it free .. this way they are helping me out ..:bigsmyl2:

I've got no problem with that, just don't do it myself. Life's been pretty good to me and five bucks for thirty dollars worth of tin suits me just fine. :smile:

[kyswede]

I picked up 2 items at the local Goodwill yesterday for $1.80 each. 8" plate with engravings for baby's date of birth, weight, length,etc. marked "SELANDIA NORWAY PEWTER", weighs 5 ounces. Candle holder marked "WEIGHTED GENUINE PEWTER MADE IN BOLIVIA" and "Leonard" in script, weighs 11 ounces.
kyswede

[jsizemore]

Cut the bottom off the weighted candle holder and split the base so you can get the weighting material out before you put it in your smelting pot. It's llama droppings or something like that.

[kyswede]

I figured it was full of something I would not want to get in my melt. Thanks.
kyswede

[imashooter2]

You have to be careful not to overpay for candlesticks. They're a very thin shell of pewter over a base full of plaster. You probably won't get more than 4 ounces from your 11 ounce candlestick. But at $1.80, that would still be 50% of the cost of tin.

[kyswede]

I went back today and got a piece marked "Woodbury Pewterers", about 4 1/2" dia. and 7" tall. It has an eagle engraved on the bottom, a ring on each side attached to a soldered-on lion's head. It weighs over 1#, got it for under $4.
kyswede

[a.squibload]

I got an old style candle holder, like a pan with a ring for a handle, and a
candlestick in the middle.
Doesn't matter how heavy it is as it now sits on her desk with a candle in it.
Never know, the lights might go out.

[armexman]

I too, found some Pewter from bolivia; does anybody really know what the stuff to weigh them down is really made of? Has anyone done a BHN test on their pewter? I checked my boli pew and it came out at 18BHN. Has this been the case for some folks here? I will be using this tin enricher for rifle boolits only.
Thanks

[white eagle]

would pewter have been used in
making utensils that either carry or serve food
like say coffee sugar holders ?

[odinohi]

would pewter have been used in
making utensils that either carry or serve food
like say coffee sugar holders ?

All of the above. Even saw pewter forks and spoons.

[white eagle]

does pewter always have a mark saying it is pewter and if not how to tell with some certainty that it is indeed pewter ???

[mold maker]

I haven't found any pewter that wasn't marked. Even some trade name pewter has zinc in it. As stated above if it has screws or rivets leave it be. If marked with other than just "PEWTER", I'm very suspicious.
It's simple to test. I use an insulin syringe with a very fine needle. Use it to apply a small bead of muriatic acid to an clean spot in an obscure location, and watch carefully for it to fizz. If it does fizz add Backing Soda to stop the reaction and no harm done to the ZINC item other than a darkened spot.
Pewter will only be cleaned by the acid.
Of course use all proper precautions when handling acid or surfaces that have it on them.

[odinohi]

I have been gathering pewter for the last two years. I get most of it at garage sales, some of in online as long as my cost per pound stayed below 5.00. I thought that all I bought was marked pewter, but I think some old pewter that was unmarked snuck in. I melted it in several different batches. I took an ingot to the scrapyard today and had the shoot it. Here is the reading:
72.54Sn
17.73Pb
8.79Sb
.94Cu
The 17.73% lead is what suprised me. I have about 28lbs of this. I'm gonna melt it all together then go get another reading.

[jsizemore]

About a third of the pewter I've found has not had a mark indicating it's pewter. Either the word pewter or a cartouche indicating it's pewter. You handle enough of it and you can recognize it on a table 30 feet away.
Before the standardization of modern pewter there was lead used in the process. When I find those pieces I set them aside and search for their historical value. I have a Civil War cup that was made of leaded pewter. It holds my bullets from a blocade runner that was salvaged from the NC coast. When I no longer care to hold them in my hands I'll donate them to the state historical museum so others can at least look at them.

[daviddoo]

What does the cartouche look like?

[bumpo628]

Can anyone post pictures of their pewter finds? I'm having a hell of a time finding anything at my local stores. Either it's not there or I can't tell what it looks like.

[jsizemore]

What does the cartouche look like?

It will have either a square or coat of arms shield shape for a border and inside will be a set of balance scales and/or an angel blowing a trumpet. On american stuff you'll see a circle or oval with a cross inside with lettering arrayed around the cross such as cw for colonial williamsburg.

[littlejack]

Most of what I find, has 92%, or 97% stamped on them along with the shield and or angel and "etain" stamped in it.
I am fairly sure that the % marks is the amount of tin in the alloy.
Jack

[imashooter2]

Can anyone post pictures of their pewter finds? I'm having a hell of a time finding anything at my local stores. Either it's not there or I can't tell what it looks like.

Some of the recent take.

http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/pewter600.jpg

The plate:
http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/hall1.jpg

The creamer / sugar:
http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/hall3.jpg

The bowl:
http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/hall2.jpg

[captaint]

I've bought more than a few pieces that were marked "Henry Ford Museum" and Pewter. Mike

[bumpo628]

Some of the recent take.

Nice! Thanks for the pics, that helps a lot.

[a.squibload]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_69sguoFlVzY/TNEDE3a_lTI/AAAAAAAAADg/YNlSzNwZ6mo/pewtercupseal.JPG

This cup had machined grooves near the top.

I found a small pewter picture frame with no marks.

[imashooter2]

Another creamer and sugar found today:

http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/pewtera600.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/hall4.jpg

[daviddoo]

It will have either a square or coat of arms shield shape for a border and inside will be a set of balance scales and/or an angel blowing a trumpet. On american stuff you'll see a circle or oval with a cross inside with lettering arrayed around the cross such as cw for colonial williamsburg.

Thanks for the info. I saw some this weekend. I'll head back to that junk shop.

[imashooter2]

Here's why you have to be careful when you buy candlesticks:

http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/CSmark.jpg

1 pound 6 ounces before...
http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/CSbefore600.jpg

9.8 ounces after. The shell on the base is only .020 inch thick.
http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/CSafter600.jpg

[imashooter2]

Another hallmark for the collection:

http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/hall5.jpg

[Longwood]

Tell the women at the stores you want it for makeing jewelry. That gets them all lathered up and they will watch for it and save it for you.
Keep a lookout for some pieces of jewelry that you can show them when they ask to see some of what you make. You can always smelt it when times get tough.

[evan price]

I tell them I make miniature soldiers. They love that too. I used to make them when I was a kid, we had army battles.

Nearly anything that is pewter will be soldered. If it isn't it is probably not pewter. There's lots of tinned steel and brass and aluminum that might fool you.

[onesonek]

Most of what I find, has 92%, or 97% stamped on them along with the shield and or angel and "etain" stamped in it.
I am fairly sure that the % marks is the amount of tin in the alloy.
Jack

As I understand it,,,"etain" is French for tin. Zinn is German.