For the Pewter experts, is this Pewter?

[Down South]

I've been picking up bits and pieces of pewter at resale shops and actually have collected several pounds of what I know to be real pewter at great prices.
I picked up a mug yesterday for $2 but I'm not sure it is pewter. I figured two bucks was worth a chance since this thing weighed over a pound.
The brand was Dura-Cast. From my research most Dura-Cast mugs were pewter.
There is no pewter stamp on this thing unlike all other pewter items that I have bought. It is a thick mug so it does not bend easily.

What say the experts?

[deltaenterprizes]

Nope, look at the sanding marks on the rim just below the raised seal, looks like cast aluminum.

[adrians]

:evil: fer $2 i would be happy just to have the mug ,,,,might not be pewter but it's a cool vessel :twisted:

[caseyboy]

Doesn't look like it to me. It will make a great pen holder!

[fryboy]

if cast like that and tin/pewter should weigh in excess of 5+ pounds , weight is also a giveaway at least on thick things , the fine spun pewter such as in most pewter ware is lite but when cast it's got weight , i saw a cast aluminum pitcher last week , the thing must of weighed close to 4#'s , and cost barely what i mite of gotten for scrap for it , try the acid test or see if you can bend the rim , tin like lead is softer than aluminum or zinc , and i'm not sure if this is the same company or not but i found it with google

http://www.dura-cast.com/

[onondaga]

Cut a sliver off with a knife. Test the sliver with a regular soldering iron. Pewter should melt just fine, Aluminum won't.

Gary

[milprileb]

Well the experts have spoken but its darn hard sometimes to follow
instructions since most shops won't let you acid test a piece to determine
if its pewter.

I see a lot of possible pewter at flea mkt and other thrift stores and the stuff
is not labeled Pewter on the bottom. A lot made in India seems to float in large
numbers here.

It looks like the real stuff but I am still not buying anything not marked Pewter as I don't
want to melt some zinc or other metal and foul up my bullets and bore of weapons. I guess its just better to be safe than sorry in the search for Pewter.

[Down South]

Thanks for the replies guys. I will do the solder iron test but it appears that I have a new pen holder for my desk.

[1Shirt]

If it isn't made in England, and marked pewter, I won't buy it in a thrift or goodwill shop.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[fryboy]

i rarely buy beer steins because it's hard to tell and not all state pewter , i did google for it and found many that state pewter but often ( and sadly ) some state that because of the color , i think the wilton pieces are a good example of this , many are listed as pewter when in fact it isnt so ( here's a good link about those btw http://reviews.ebay.com/RWP-Wilton-ARMETALE-is-not-Pewter_W0QQugidZ10000000004569616 ) the pitcher i referred to in my earlier post was labeled as pewter when it in fact was aluminum , my thought is if i like the piece and have the cash to spare and it's questionable i'll buy it , if i think i wont have a use for it in case it's not pewter i wont ( as noted before i strongly considered the scrap value of the pitcher before turning it down ) as for smelting and messing up an alloy ... there's no need , i smelt each piece by it's self and if it checks out and only then do i make larger ingots or blend it with other that also passed the test , sadly sometimes the only way to learn is the hard way but that lesson is retained well and last much much longer , so please let us know how it passes the test