Possible Pewter

[Doby45]

I collected 4 drink coasters today that appear to be some form of pewter. I will be trying to melt them down this weekend. They do have a slight ring to them if you flick em with your finger, but I can easily shave a corner of it with a razor blade. Lemme see if I can post a pic.. There are no markings that I can find and they are pretty darn heavy.

http://i42.tinypic.com/a307lf.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/345euk7.jpg

[jsizemore]

Doby, Prop one edge on a wrench or plier or socket or something steel and smack it "smartly" with a hammer. If it don't bend "easily" then it ain't pewter. From where I sit it looks like zinc. When you try to melt it this weekend, put a clip-on wheelweight beside it in the pot. If the coaster melts before the WW, you could have pewter. If the WW melts first, then you got your lesson. If you look at the inside, you'll see some small circular castings. I've never seen that on pewter, but have on zinc. But, I've been wrong before.

[tall grass]

If you have access to some muratic acid put a drop on it and if it reacts (sizzles) it is zink.

Jim

[Doby45]

I just took an old hatchet I have and hit the disc, a WW and a know zinc WW. The hatchet reacted more the same when I hit the disc as it did when I hit the WW. The zinc WW did not so much as show a scratch. I will be melting them down in just a bit on my grill's side burner. Going to the Goodwill to get me a small pot for small melts..

[Doby45]

Welp it melted at 500 so I think I am pretty safe and think it is pewter/tin. I could not get my little side burner to go much over 500 so it would melt and solidify, melt, solidify. I will melt it all down this weekend and make lil muffins out of it

[jsizemore]

looks like you got the good stuff. congratulations