Pewter and Fluxing

[Big Dipper]

I am soon to melt my Pewter stash. I have forty to fifty pounds. Do I need to flux the same as range scrap or WW?

[imashooter2]

I do. I use fine sawdust. I also bring my melt temperature higher than most... I find that the sawdust is more effective at 500-550 degrees.

[Old Ranger]

I smelted part of my pewter stash about a year ago. Got the melt hotter than required. Ingots had a golden colour and course crystal structure. I sold some to fellow casters- a couple questioned what they were getting. If I had discovered a way to transform pewter into gold I would not be sharing it!! Got another 50 lbs or so to do before winter.

[bangerjim]

I have done only about 12# or so and I kept the melt temp low and only used beeswax to REDUCE the Sn back in. My pewter stuff was shiny and clean and had no oxides or darkening at all and needed no high temps or fluxes as all.

Do what you have to.

[RogerDat]

It might sort of depend on what you have to melt. If you have peeled weighted candle sticks or taken apart glass bottom mugs then there is more likely to be "crud" in the pot that a little fluxing will help clean up. Tarnish is oxidation and that you want to either flux (sawdust) or reduce (wax) back into the melt. Some premium pewter will need nothing but a touch of wax, some less pristine may gain from the sawdust.

Problem is sawdust does not want to burn at low melt point of pewter. I find one of those long propane lighters for BBQ grill work to ignite the sawdust once it gets warmed up nice and hot even if the pot is not hot enough on its own to burn the sawdust to ash well.

My pewter bars always have a gold cast but I think that is partly the mold, it is a coarse grained texture, and partly melt temp.

PS those weighted candle sticks you want none of the hard glue stuff inside them in your melt, stuff won't come out for diddly. Makes a mess. Easier to keep out than to get out.

[scottfire1957]

Nope. I scrape the crud off the melt.

It will get fluxed when further alloyed with WW.

[Nose Dive]

I agree with RogerDat... If you have candle holders, flower vases...stuff that is 'bottom' heavy...crack, cut them open and remove the 'goo' they use to make the bottom heavy and stable. Do it know and remove it or you will be fluxing this time next week.

I always smelt my pewter items as i DO NOT KNOW what is in the alloy. Some reputable companies tell you and test and monitor their foundry for quality. Others don't. So, I smelt ALL OF IT, flux with sawdust and sulfur....sometimes add some borax and make ingots. And, usually, i have two or three manufacturers of the items and I know 'all is not the same' until smelted.

Pewter is my 'go to alloy' to save a pot of lead. But, it has been smelted, fluxed and tested.

Nose Dive.

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.