Do yard sales for pewter

[arkypete]

Bride person found 20 some odd pounds of pewter, not the aluminum stuff at a yard sale. Cost 10 bucks.

Jim

[clodhopper]

Nice!
My bride is always checking to see what kind of pewter I bring home, She has an elaborate ingot shaped like a duck in the bathroom.
And a heart shaped jewel box type ingot.

[Doby45]

What is the rough melting temp of pewter? Can that be used as a good identifier to tell if something you purchase is actual pewter or some other junk like zinc.

[a.squibload]

Nice!
My bride is always checking to see what kind of pewter I bring home, She has an elaborate ingot shaped like a duck in the bathroom.
And a heart shaped jewel box type ingot.

Is that a 2-piece duck, you pull the top off and store junk in it? Mine had one too, I found the same thing only 2x bigger at the thrift store, about $3, scored some points. Hers got knocked off the shelf (dang cat), I tapped and adjusted it back in shape so it closes. Should have told her it was not repairable, or is it only mechanics that say that?

[arkypete]

What is the rough melting temp of pewter? Can that be used as a good identifier to tell if something you purchase is actual pewter or some other junk like zinc.

The stuff my wife found was made in India, has 'Pewter' stamped into it. There's a bunch of alloys for pewter. I treat the pewter like it was straight tin and use it with wheel weights.
Tin has a lower melting point then lead. I'm not real scientific about my alloys. I'll drop a one pound chunk of linotype into nineteen pounds of wheel weights for pistols bullets, or 36 inches of 50/50 soldier for the same bullets. For rifle bullets I'll use wheel weights with a two pound chunk of babbit metal.

Jim

[clodhopper]

Is that a 2-piece duck, you pull the top off and store junk in it? Mine had one too, I found the same thing only 2x bigger at the thrift store, about $3, scored some points. Hers got knocked off the shelf (dang cat), I tapped and adjusted it back in shape so it closes. Should have told her it was not repairable, or is it only mechanics that say that?

It's more of a candle holder than a container, when she get's tired of it it will dissapear in a silver puddle.

[harrya]

How can you tell the tin content of yard sale pewter? If it's a duck or a dish, how do you know what it is?
harry

[clodhopper]

How can you tell the tin content of yard sale pewter? If it's a duck or a dish, how do you know what it is?
harry

Having bought some things that arn't pewter, I suggest,
Test with a magnet. Magnets are attracted to iron.
Feel the heft. should be heavy.
If it was turned on a lathe be suspicous, very suspicious.
See if you can bend it, pewter is soft. ( be prepared to pay for it!)
If the item is some castings soldered together, good chance it is pewter.
Knock on it with a knuckle, if it rings it's not pewter.

As to the acutal alloy content of the pewter, I think the very light colored mugs, goblets and such are near pure tin.
and suspect the darker items of being 40% or more lead.

After being cast as an ingot pure tin looks silver with a surface sheen of gold.

[kawalekm]

Having bought some things that arn't pewter, I suggest,
Test with a magnet. Magnets are attracted to iron.
Feel the heft. should be heavy.
If it was turned on a lathe be suspicous, very suspicious.
See if you can bend it, pewter is soft. ( be prepared to pay for it!)
If the item is some castings soldered together, good chance it is pewter.
Knock on it with a knuckle, if it rings it's not pewter.

As to the acutal alloy content of the pewter, I think the very light colored mugs, goblets and such are near pure tin.
and suspect the darker items of being 40% or more lead.

After being cast as an ingot pure tin looks silver with a surface sheen of gold.

Ok, a few comments. First, what's with the magnet? Most kitchenware or nicknacks you buy are either aluminum or zinc. A magnet will tell you nothing.

Second, there is a LOT of lathe-turned pewter. I visited the Selangor pewter foundry in Malaysia and saw first hand them turning pewter. While at the foundry I explained how I needed tin for casting and they sold me 20 lbs of their pewter turnings. Looked like a gigantic brillo pad. (Yes, I got it on the plane). I melted it down into 1lb ingots once I got it home.

To legally be called pewter the tin content must be at least 82%. The alloy at Selangor is 97% tin, 3% antimony (lead-free). If the name "pewter" is stamped on the bottom, be assured that it's at least 82% tin.

Pewter is mallable enough to bend in your hands. Zinc is not. Tapping pewter will give you a dull thud. Zinc will have a metalic ring. Since zinc has a melting point twice as high as tin, simply set your temperature right at the melting point of lead. If your metal immediately melts it's tin/pewter. If it just floats were on top of the molten lead it's zinc and can be easily fished out.

Here's one more easy test for pewter. Try scratching it with a regular #2 pencil. The pencil lead is hard enough to scratch lead or pewter but not hard enough to scratch zinc or aluminum.

[clodhopper]

In my eagernes I have bought stuff a magnet sticks to thinking it was pewter.
I have not seen any lathe turned pewter yet.
Very little pewter is stamped.
I do not know when a legal definition of pewter came into being, but some of the pewter found at garage sales could easly outdate those standards.

[Curlymaple42]

OK, got my wife working on the pewter yard sale angle. Damn I am learning a ton tonight!!

[Doby45]

I thought I found me a sweet chunk of pewter at the thrift store yesterday but upon further inspection it was a piece of brass, covered to look like pewter. I almost wasted a $1.48..

[a.squibload]

Look quick, they might not be around for long!

[Forester]

Look quick, they might not be around for long!

The ducks, the cat, or all of the above?

[a.squibload]

I thought I had smelled some bad stuff but that cat STINKS! I can barely get near the catbox to apply the flamethrower. She might be gone before the ducks.

PS did I tell you about pellet stove pellets? 40 lb bag of kitty litter for $5 last year's price. And I'm gonna start usin' it for fluxing.

[Moonie]

Might be a good idea to make sure you use the CLEAN rather than after the cat has used it...

[Fugowii]

I do not know when a legal definition of pewter came into being, but some of the pewter found at garage sales could easly outdate those standards.

Fine pewter is made of Antimony, Tin & Copper (no lead)
The 1958 standard was 92% Tin, 5% Antimony and 3%Copper
This standard would change in a few years to 92% Tin, 6% Antimony and 2% Copper.

[fryboy]

oddly enough ... the fine new england pewter melted into ingot dinged harder with the lee tester than did the ummm fine english pewter ingot lolz ( .044 vs .058 ) tested the same day i smelted both of them ...that sorta made me scratch my head ....lolz

[squirrellnuttz]

I picked up a couple of thrift store items that i suspect are pewter. I got one of those beer steins with the see through bottom, I know it's pewter, english pewter according to the stamp.

It's the other two things I got that I wonder about. I got a heavy ornamental plate "Heritage Inn on the front- marked "RWP" and " Wilton- Columbia,PA,USA on the back. (in an oval)

The cup I got is heavy, also marked RWP USA (in an oval)

Anybody seen stuff marked like that before? It looks like pewter.....But does not scratch with a pencil. Any other tests I can perform? I'm gonna google the markings, see what comes up.

[squirrellnuttz]

Google came up wit the info that this is "armetale" an alluminum alloy made by Wilton. Watch out for anything pewter like that has RWP in an oval on it. It is fake pewteresque ****. Oh well. if only all lessons could be had as cheap as this one..........

[Fugowii]

I picked up a couple of thrift store items that i suspect are pewter. I got one of those beer steins with the see through bottom, I know it's pewter, english pewter according to the stamp.

It's the other two things I got that I wonder about. I got a heavy ornamental plate "Heritage Inn on the front- marked "RWP" and " Wilton- Columbia,PA,USA on the back. (in an oval)

The cup I got is heavy, also marked RWP USA (in an oval)

Anybody seen stuff marked like that before? It looks like pewter.....But does not scratch with a pencil. Any other tests I can perform? I'm gonna google the markings, see what comes up.

It's not pewter.

You'll see stuff that says WILTON or ARMETALE or PEWTEREX or RWP on it. This is NOT pewter. When you try to bend it, it will hardly budge.

If it is tack welded or screwed together, it isn’t pewter.

If it has a rivet, it's not pewter.

Pewter is not magnetic.

When you bend pewter, and pewter is easily bent, it will not try to return to its former shape.

I picked up almost three pounds of pewter at a yard sale today for $3. :mrgreen:

[squirrellnuttz]

Yard sale season is here again! If it would only stop raining and snowing. Was going to go this weekend, but something about 3 inches of wet snow makes people postpone the garbage sales round these parts.

Now i have more and better info, I'm on the lookout for pewter, lead and other assorteds. Thanks for the info guys.