Tin/Pewter

[Chris C]

Thanks, imashooter2. This is all new to me. Oh, by the way, the seller got back with me and apologized and said they'd give me credit on any of the pieces that proved not to be pewter. So I need to find a way to verify that. Should I put pieces in my pot at 400 degrees and see what melts and what doesn't? Or is there a better way to test it?

[PBaholic]

Well, I screwed myself.

If a seller doesn't show the hallmark on the items, I'm not buying online again.

There is a lot of stuff on eBay called "Pewter" that is not made of tin. Most of these people couldn't tell the difference between iron and plastic, let alone complex metals. I even get fooled sometimes. I pick up a piece, and it looks and feels right, only to find out it doesn't melt. I have found Pewter that is not hallmarked, and I have found one piece with a Pewter sticker that was not Pewter.

Live an learn, it goes with the territory.

[PBaholic]

So I need to find a way to verify that. Should I put pieces in my pot at 400 degrees and see what melts and what doesn't? Or is there a better way to test it?

I have an old aluminum pot from the stove that I place my pieces in, and hit them with a normal propane torch. If they melt quickly, they are pewter.

Those figurines might be old enough, that they contain lead. Pewter for food hasn't contained lead for 100 years, but figurines *might* be different.

[Chris C]

I hit the edges of the pieces with a torch last night and one of the smaller pieces withstood a lot of heat before it started melting. Others fairly quick. Wish I had access to one of those XRF meters. I believe this is the one I've seen here on the forum: https://www.thermofisher.com/order/c...oduct/NITON300 I imagine they are quite expensive or else members of the forum would have one.

[Chris C]

Okay, let me ask this question, then. If I set my PID to 450 degrees and put in the items clearly marked as "pewter"............. and when they melt, put an edge of the suspect material in the pot and they don't melt, should I then consider them rejects? I've got one or two pieces that feel like lead to me. I know lead won't melt at 450........so would that be a good litmus test?

[PBaholic]

I hit the edges of the pieces with a torch last night and one of the smaller pieces withstood a lot of heat before it started melting. Others fairly quick.

You are over thinking this. The ones that melted easily are pewter. Lead takes a little more to melt, but not much more than the pewter.

If you have to hold the torch on it for a while to melt, especially if it's small like those figurines, beware. Zinc melts at propane torch temps, and will sour your lead alloy into a slurry mess.

These are boolits. You don't really care that much of their exact content. You want their hardness to be somewhat correct, but don't overthink that either. People have been casting boolits out of wheel weights for years......

[PBaholic]

Okay, let me ask this question, then. If I set my PID to 450 degrees and put in the items clearly marked as "pewter"............. and when they melt, put an edge of the suspect material in the pot and they don't melt, should I then consider them rejects? I've got one or two pieces that feel like lead to me. I know lead won't melt at 450........so would that be a good litmus test?

I use a hardness test to tell what the metal is. I melt all like metals into ingots. I bought the aluminum plates off a waffle iron, and use the back side of it to make chicklet size ingots. Then I test their hardness at 1 hour and 24 hours like this:

[Chris C]

Not really over thinking it, I don't believe. What I'm trying to ascertain is do I have any lead figures instead of pewter..........or might there be a couple of them that are zinc? Don't want to mess up my tin ingots when I pour them.

[imashooter2]

I check unknown articles by bringing known good pewter to liquidus and seeing if the unknown items will melt into it. Certainly not exact, but close enough. Melting temperatures for zinc are way too high to be concerned with mistaking it as pewter. Same with plated pot metal items. A little lead in your alloy... well, you are going to be adding it to a lot of lead anyway.

Frankly, with what you are going to get back from the guy on this deal, I wouldn't be spending a lot of effort.

[Chris C]

Turns out there were a total of 4 pcs not Pewter. They are a non-profit, so I'm not pushing the refund offer. But I suggested since they aren't knowledgeable about metal contents to only offer items as Pewter if they are so marked on the bottom.

I melted all the real Pewter down into thin ingots and I'll have it tested to see what I have.

I sure know I've learned a lesson, and, luckily, it wasn't an expensive one. On to better things now.

[Chris C]

Just won another "evil bay auction". Will see if I got screwed this time.

[PBaholic]

Just won another "evil bay auction". Will see if I got screwed this time.

These things take time to understand. Just don't assume that it's Pewter, even if it has some sort of a hallmark. So far, every item stamped Pewter has been pewter for me. If it says RWR, Wilton or Pewterlite it's NOT Pewter

[Chris C]

If it says RWR, Wilton or Pewterlite it's NOT Pewter

I know. I even took the time to send a courteous message to a lady selling Wilton as Pewter. She argued with me and told me to mind my own business as "I have (she has) been selling Pewter the majority of my adult life and don't need you to suggest I'm doing something improper!" Needless to say, I dropped it and haven't mentioned it to anyone else on Evil Bay. No sense beating my head against the wall.

[imashooter2]

LOL! Early on in my career I tried that once or twice. Same results.

[PBaholic]

I know. I even took the time to send a courteous message to a lady selling Wilton as Pewter. She argued with me and told me to mind my own business as "I have (she has) been selling Pewter the majority of my adult life and don't need you to suggest I'm doing something improper!" Needless to say, I dropped it and haven't mentioned it to anyone else on Evil Bay. No sense beating my head against the wall.

LOL!

Other people's definition of Pewter is obviously different than yours! Maybe she means it Pewter colored.....

[JSnover]

Stop driving yourself nuts with unknown metals and dishonest/ignorant eBay hucksters.
Scroll to the top of this page, where the banners are.
Click on RotoMetals.
Search for "pewter" or "tin" or whatever it is you really want. This way you'll know exactly what's in it. Buy a small quantity (a little goes a long way).
By the time you run out you will have been able to learn more about where and how to scrounge up some tin, how much to add, how many different types of pewter there are, all that good stuff.
Bottom line is if you want good stuff right now, there are far better/easier ways to get it than gambling on mystery metal from mystery sellers.

[Chris C]

I live about 10 miles from the guy who makes Walter's Wads. He also sells pure tin bars, pure lead and COWW lead. He sells the pure Tin bars for $15.........so don't think I'll be buying from RotoMetals.

[JSnover]

I live about 10 miles from the guy who makes Walter's Wads. He also sells pure tin bars, pure lead and COWW lead. He sells the pure Tin bars for $15.........so don't think I'll be buying from RotoMetals.

That's good news. Always better to get hooked up with a good source and in the long run you'll save time, money, aggravation.
Pewter is not necessarily the Magic Metal that some people make it out to be unless you know which type it is. Do a web search on it when you have a few minutes to kill, there are some pewters that you really do not want in your casting alloy.

[redriverhunter]

I have been finding solder at estate sale for about a buck a roll. I may have not got what I wanted but I found this duck at an estate sale for 6.00 said pewter and hong kong on the bottom. http://www.ebay.com/itm/TRINKET-BOX-...UAAOSwZVhWT3wL
there is a lot of fun about
rrh

[Chris C]

With pure tin bars available at $15 a pound, I'm not sure what that hollow duck is going to weigh and how that's going to work out. For $23.55, that duck better weigh 1.57 pounds or you're screwed. That's the bad part about bidding on Evil-bay........ya gotto figure in the shipping and even at that, like JSnover mentioned..........there are some pewters you just don't want in your bullet lead mix. I've got two more Evil-bay buys I'm workin' on and then I'll stick to what I can touch and feel in my hands.