Real pewder vs fake

[Shooter6br]

How can you tell real pewder from fake? (plates mugs etc). Do you go by well known brand names or something else/ Someday i may find a "pewder" article at a flea market and would like to know. Thanks Rick[smilie=w:

[littlejack]

After one starts the looking closly at buying pewter and eyeballing whats out there, it is not that hard to get the "Right Stuff". The pewter that I get usually always has the manufaturers stamp, a % stamp or says pewter. The % stamps that I have seen are 93%, 95%, and 97% respctively. Pewter bends like lead and will not spring back. Watch out for cast aluminum items. There is a lot of that out there that will fool you.
I have only been skunked one time, and it was by a silver plated item. I got um on the run now though.
Jack

[Cap'n Morgan]

How can you tell real pewder from fake? (plates mugs etc). Do you go by well known brand names or something else/ Someday i may find a "pewder" article at a flea market and would like to know. Thanks Rick[smilie=w:

Try breaking it in half! If it makes a crackling sound it's English pewter with a high tin content ;)

...or you could just give it a flick with a finger nail. If it gives out a ringing sound it's the real stuff. If the sound is a dull "leaden" sound it's probably lead-based pewter (but that doesn't mean it's a "fake")

[jsizemore]

If your just gettin started looking for pewter only buy stuff that says pewter on it till you get used to the way it looks and feels. Since your going to melt it anyway, mangle it with your bare hands so you know what to look for when you find stuff that's not marked.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

True words spoken there! I have tried twice to get pewter at different flea markets and each time the person will tell me it is pewter and when I get it home, it won't melt at 700 deg. Bummer.

[jsizemore]

True words spoken there! I have tried twice to get pewter at different flea markets and each time the person will tell me it is pewter and when I get it home, it won't melt at 700 deg. Bummer.

When you see stuff that has Wilton or Pewterex written on the bottom, put it down and walk away even if the seller swears that it's real pewter. That's a zinc alloy and you'll not forget what it looks and feels like next time. Don't buy a beer stein/mug that has a rivet holding the handle on unless you actually want to drink beer from it.