Pewter Super Score? Please say yes!!

[Hotrod99]

Got my first pewter score yesterday... about 1lb. Today I stopped by a local consignment shop and look what I found... 41 piece set!!! Please tell me it all real... 45.6lbs total.... $100 bucks.
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[RogerDat]

I'm really doubtful. The course grain and textured surface is not typical of pewter. Can you scratch the bottom of a piece with a thumbnail? Pewter is soft enough that a stiff thumbnail can put a deep scratch in it.

Does it say pewter on any of the pieces?

Wilton I think is probably Armetale.
International Silver is noted for silver plating according to our friend Google http://www.silvercollection.it/internationalsilverco.html Pewter like tin alloy does get silver plated, can be found marked EPBM or EBM for Electro Plated Britannia Metal but since a pewter/Britannia metal core was a higher priced item then cheaper nickel or copper core silver plate you would expect to find that high end "core" metal specifically mentioned.

[Grmps]

None of the stamps say pewter.:( is it malleable can you squish the top of the cups and bend the plates?

Wilton RWP might be "Armatale, a pewter knock-off"

The final proof is if it melts; Pewter has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C (338–446 °F), depending on the exact mixture of metals.

[Hotrod99]

well... lesson learned the hard way.

[RogerDat]

One other thing. Pewter handles will not be riveted on, they are soldered on. Cheap pewter looking beer mugs is where you see that difference. Or pitchers and such. I'm trying to recall if I have seen handles cast into pewter sugar or gravy dishes. Not common if I have. Maybe the small delicate and intricate designs? I think I have found larger pewter items such as water pitchers with the handle cast as one piece with the pitcher.

[RogerDat]

Could be worse you could have had a batch of pewter and dropped in a piece with zinc alloy handles.... no I don't want to discuss it. Big purchase it should say pewter on the pieces. One can take a gamble with a single candle stick or small dish for a couple of bucks but big collection can be an expensive mistake

[Hotrod99]

Could be worse you could have had a batch of pewter and dropped in a piece with zinc alloy handles.... no I don't want to discuss it. Big purchase it should say pewter on the pieces. One can take a gamble with a single candle stick or small dish for a couple of bucks but big collection can be an expensive mistake

Well... wont happen again. thank for all the great information. I'll know better next time

[MaryB]

Good news is you MIGHT have 45.6 pounds of sterling silver! I would research those pieces in depth! http://www.silvercollection.it/INTERNATIONALSILVERCO.html

[Hossfly]

Now I don’t feel so bad, I thought rWp meant peweter bought all they had 3 pieces $7.00 found out aluminum won’t bend wont melt with torch. Lucky i guess, now looking for real pewter.

[ThomR]

From what I found online by googling International Silver Co it appears that they are silver plated. The link I saw said that if it was solid silver it would have said International Sterling. The good part is that you should be able to get your money back.

[jsizemore]

There is an International PEWTER company. It's got an eagle in the middle of the logo. RWP is Real Wilton Pewter which really isn't pewter. Good Luck with your future hunts.

[Tripplebeards]

RWP stands for not real pewter. It's a combo of 10 different alloys. All the stamps you have listed are not pewter. It looks like some of your cups and plates might be...it it says "pewter" stamped on the bottom.

[Nomad666]

so just out of curiosity can you cast pewter boolits instead of lead and will they then be lead free ammo?
if not what is the problem with using pewter for boolits?

[ThomR]

so just out of curiosity can you cast pewter boolits instead of lead and will they then be lead free ammo?
if not what is the problem with using pewter for boolits?

Pewter contains lead, and has a much lower melting point that lead itself. Pewter boolits would be a waste of good alloying materials.

[Beagle333]

so just out of curiosity can you cast pewter boolits instead of lead and will they then be lead free ammo?
if not what is the problem with using pewter for boolits?

For one, it's going to be expensive. If you had a buttload of pewter, you could sell it and buy all the bullets you would need and have gun money left, or just buy a LOT more lead or just cast your own boolits from certified alloy if you wanted.

It makes a much lighter boolit. It won't impact with nearly the same energy, and it's harder and won't expand, and also it won't fly the same, due to a different BC.

And then it also won't be "lead free", as pewter is usually 85-95% tin, with some antimony, copper, bismuth, silver and lead for the other ±15%. Some of the food grade pewter might have the silver and no lead, but I'm not sure how you would know it was 100% lead free and not just "low lead". :wink:

[jsizemore]

so just out of curiosity can you cast pewter boolits instead of lead and will they then be lead free ammo?
if not what is the problem with using pewter for boolits?

Take a piece of copper Chore Boy and rub a piece of lead. See how quickly it comes off. Now try that with a piece of pewter. Imagine a barrel coated with that. @#$% and &*^! Best reason I can think of not to use it.

[Tripplebeards]

The ignots are bad enough sticking in my molds. I switched to silicone candy molds.

[Hotrod99]

Wow... glad I found this place/forum! so much great info... I'll do a pit more research and try to at least get my money back. Because of all the great replaies and information here... I wont be fooled again.

Thanks everyone!!

p.s. anyone want a real nice pewter color 41 piece table setting? :roll:

[RogerDat]

Pewter is desired to add to lead for the tin. Typical would be adding enough pewter to yield between 1% and 2% Sn (tin) in the mix. It makes the lead alloy flow better and fill out the nooks and crannies of the mold sharply. The other main alloy is Sb (antimony) which makes lead a harder alloy, and will also bond with the Sn to be stronger than either one on it's own. Tin and lead binary alloys are soft so good expansion however not hard enough for high velocity rounds. Used for big slow bullets that make really large holes.

https://www.rotometals.com/bullet-casting-alloys/
Look over this page of bullet casting alloys figure scrap pewter items yield the Sn (tin) portion of the alloy

You can see mixing in your expensive tin above what is needed makes you casting material more expensive. Compare the price difference between low tin and high tin alloys, and notice they stay under 6% tin even for the premium alloys.

[Tripplebeards]

Check out the pewter hallmark sticky here. It helped me in my purchasing journey. I won't buy pewter any more unless it's stamped "pewter". I made a lot of buying boo boos myself. Live and learn.

[Mr_Sheesh]

An XRF device would tell you what's in a thrift store find; Those run many many $$$ (5-10k or something?) One gent on here has one and will, for a pound of soft lead, IIRC, give you a reading on a bit of your unknown alloy - So that is a possibility. Don't recall his name but it's findable :)

[MaryB]

User name is BNE I think...

[Mr_Sheesh]

Yes that's it :)

[Traffer]

I bought a few pieces of scrap pewter. I put a butane lighter on them right there in the store. They started melting...then I knew.

[RogerDat]

I bought a few pieces of scrap pewter. I put a butane lighter on them right there in the store. They started melting...then I knew. I have found that in some cases it is better to not let the seller know that the "pretty" pewter I just bought is destined to become a puddle on it's way to being a bullet. Smashing it flat by stomping on it so it takes up less room in the box you have in the trunk can cause some nice little old ladies to look at you like you just stomped baby ducks.

[Traffer]

I have found that in some cases it is better to not let the seller know that the "pretty" pewter I just bought is destined to become a puddle on it's way to being a bullet. Smashing it flat by stomping on it so it takes up less room in the box you have in the trunk can cause some nice little old ladies to look at you like you just stomped baby ducks.

Hey the last piece I bought was so nice, it now sits on my desk as a catch all. Can't bring myself to melt it.