Found pewter at the Goodwill.

[letsmeltlead2693]

I found/brought some pewter today at the goodwill. I paid 1.50 for a known pewter pic frame, 0.99 for another pewter pic frame, another pic frame that is soft, heavy, and bendable for 3.00, a suspect pewter cup or mug that has a clear bottom for 2.00, and 0.99 for another pic frame that is bendable and is a silvery gray color. Probably and hopefully at least 2 lbs of good pewter. I will show you a pic as soon as I take a pic, which will be by tomorrow night. What do you think?

[WHITETAIL]

Good find!:castmine:

[imashooter2]

I think that at this stage of your scrounging career, if it isn't hallmarked pewter, you probably shouldn't buy it.

Hopefully you got lucky with the purchases. Melt the known stuff separately from the unknown.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

I found a bit at the thrift store yesterday, but, they wanted 12 bucks for a small plate and cup.
It's still there

[10 ga]

If it's soft enough to easily bend by hand it is NOT zinc or aluminum. Probably some type of pewter. That is how I test those picture frames, cups, knik nacks, etc... if easily bendable by hand then no zinc or al. Haven't been wrong yet. 10 ga

[letsmeltlead2693]

Here is a pic of the pewter. It is soft where I can bend it with my hand and it is heavy. The pewter cup has a clear bottom, but it is soft and is easily dented with pliers and I can bend the top part. Two of the picture frames say pewter so I know they are pewter. I think all of the pieces shown in the are pewter. I paid around 7 dollars for 3.8 pounds of this pewter. All of the pic frames are soft enough where I can bend them with my hand.


http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_223664f4ad21199124.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=4143)

[imashooter2]

The mug looks like pewter from here. Most modern pewter items are lead free, but food items are for sure. Good scrounging.

I'd still melt the unmarked stuff separately, but I'm a belt and suspenders kind of guy...

[LUCKYDAWG13]

what do you mix the pewter with and why

[imashooter2]

Modern pewter has many alloys, but all of them are 85% or better tin. I use it same as tin and for the same reasons.

[letsmeltlead2693]

I think they are all pewter 'cuz they are dented or scratched easily with pliers. They are heavy and soft. I just melt my pewter I get for fun.

[letsmeltlead2693]

I forgot to mention, these are from 4 DIFFERENT Goodwills.

[William Yanda]

Nice finds. I could drive to 4 different Salvation Army stores-but 3 are 20-25 mi. away, the other is 13, all in different directions. I haven't found any pewter picture frames yet, only cups. I use melting point as a confirmation of pewter too, since I picked up a cheap barbecue thermometer.

[Hal A Looyah]

I've found two picture frames that I have been to chicken to try. They are weighty and have the tin crackle. Are there any other alloys with "tin cry" characteristics?

[letsmeltlead2693]

I melted them today. The pewter pic frames made yellowish color ingot. The big 1.5 pound frame made an ingot that looked like babbit not yellow at all but gray. The small frame with stars on it made a paperweight/coin shaped ingot from an ally can. When I hit the clear part on the bottom of the cup with a sledge hammer, it was glass because first it cracked, then shattered. I also smashed the cup with the sledgehammer and it bent easily. Since the cup made yellow ingots like the pewter frames, I melted them together and even melted my pewter ingots I had in with the cup, and pewter frame ingots. I now have 2 pewter muffin ingots, a babbit ingot and coin shaped ingot that also looks like babbit. I have some other coin ingots that I did not melt because they are 97% tin. I will post a pic when I take a pic of them.

[letsmeltlead2693]

Here are the ingots I made today plus the 97% tin disc shaped ingots I have also. I made the 3 muffins and the 1 gray disc today. The gray ones are from some of the pic frames and could they be babbit as they are heavy and melt easy?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_223664f4c2a4e99ca1.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=4155)

[evan price]

More gold toned = more tin. Tin oxidizes quickly and makes that straw/gold color.

[bumpo628]

The gray ingots are probably closer to pure lead, not babbit.

[nanuk]

I bought a small ewer/vase thing. did some research and it is supposed to be good pewter.

I can easily bend the lip by hand.

I'll use it as tin.

[letsmeltlead2693]

It is not pure as pure lead is a bluish color. Could it just have a high lead content to make the gray, grainy texture like babbit or lead, tin, and zinc alloy such as high grade potmetal? I think the gray muffin ingot is babbit as I stamped BAB1 for babbit. It is easily scratched but grainy and lighter than lead but heavier than tin or pewter.

[imashooter2]

The unmarked picture frames could have been anything. Melt it with a little lead and if it doesn't screw it up, throw the result into your next big melt. If it has a high tin content, it could help and since it didn't destroy the small lead addition, it shouldn't hurt.

[Ole]

If you had a bullet mold that threw a bullet of known weight, cast a bullet with your pewter and compare the weghts.

My 265 Ranch dog 44 mold throws a 270 grain bullet with WW's but the 63% SN ingots I made a couple weeks ago only weigh 200 grains.

[RG_86]

I am sorry but I dont understand. Would adding the pewter be the same as the tin that I add to my WW lead? Is it just going to make it harder? Thanks -Bob

[ilcop22]

I scrounge for pewter at my local Goodwill, too. I've come across unmarked "pewter" before; turned out to be a proprietary mix of other nonferrous alloys. I'd be careful to mix the unmarked stuff with known pewter. If it looks like pewter, smells like pewter, and bends like pewter - It's not always pewter. Stamp or don't buy - My new motto!

[imashooter2]

I am sorry but I dont understand. Would adding the pewter be the same as the tin that I add to my WW lead? Is it just going to make it harder? Thanks -Bob

That depends... did you get your tin for less than $4 a pound?

[letsmeltlead2693]

Heck, I got all of the pewter I showed in the pic for about 7 dollars or less than 2 dollars per lb.

[RG_86]

WOW that is cheap. The last time I ordered Tin I think it was like $16 or $17 a pound. Guess I am gonna have to take a trip to goodwill soon....

[mold maker]

I have quite a few pieces that were unmarked. They turned out to be anything but pewter. From now on if it isn't marked "PEWTER", it stays on the shelf. I'd rather miss a bargain than mess up good lead.:(

[letsmeltlead2693]

I melt my pewter separate and don't mix it with anything. I like pewter to melt just for fun, not to harden lead, as I make sinkers not boolits and sinkers need to be as heavy as possible and tin will lower the density of lead.

[Jaybird62]

I'll be happy to trade you pure Pb for your pewter, since you're making fishing sinkers.

[sledgehammer001]

I ran across some high quality pewter by accident. RP games like Dungeons and Dragons frequently use high grade pewter for figurines. I was doing some remodeling for a friend in one of his rentals and found 10lbs of broken and damaged figures in a box in the closet. Cost: FREE! Stamped on the bases, 100% pure pewter. just an idea to ya'll, keep your eyes open..... never know when you'll find some.