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Thread: How to sort Pewter

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold
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    How to sort Pewter

    I have 150-300+ of pewter i have purchase at thrift shops and garage sales over the years.
    mostly mugs and plates and vases.

    Is there different alloys of pewter?

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master

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    If you have any Asian pewter it is generally higher tin than most US and European makers. When I was selling, I segregated out a lot of 97% Selangor for my personal stash.

    That said, at the concentrations we normally use pewter, the difference between 92% and 97% alloy is negligible. As long as it is modern hollowware, it will be lead free.
    ”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

    My Straight Shooters thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-shooter

    The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    its been a while since ive been able to melt any pewter ive found, girlfriend usually gets her way and keeps most everything that isn't bent and crumbled or just plain ugly. her word is usually final on this. got to keep a happy home

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by farmbif View Post
    its been a while since ive been able to melt any pewter ive found, girlfriend usually gets her way and keeps most everything that isn't bent and crumbled or just plain ugly. her word is usually final on this. got to keep a happy home
    The secret to keeping your pewter for flight. After purchase, apply use of hammer or appropriate device to the pewter piece liberally (the only time you should be liberal besides the use of hot sauce). When curb appeal is zero it's time to head home to your loved ones.

  5. #5
    Boolit Mold
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    Thank you for your info will take some time to sort. A little concerened about items that are not stamped pewter.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by jsizemore View Post
    The secret to keeping your pewter for flight. After purchase, apply use of hammer or appropriate device to the pewter piece liberally (the only time you should be liberal besides the use of hot sauce). When curb appeal is zero it's time to head home to your loved ones.
    I've "accidentally" dropped a piece in the parking lot and clumsy me stepped on it.

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by cdelaney View Post
    Thank you for your info will take some time to sort. A little concerened about items that are not stamped pewter.
    Items not clearly marked would go into a separate batch for me. When selling, I bought a lot of pieces not marked for my own use. But only marked modern hollowware went into the pot for resale.
    ”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

    My Straight Shooters thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-shooter

    The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks

  8. #8
    Boolit Mold
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    Quote Originally Posted by imashooter2 View Post
    Items not clearly marked would go into a separate batch for me. When selling, I bought a lot of pieces not marked for my own use. But only marked modern hollowware went into the pot for resale.
    thanks very helpful info

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Old pewter occasionally has collector value above the value of its tin content; if it looks old and collectible, I don’t buy it.

    Old pewter may also contain lead, though that is not an issue for our use. But if you want to know, inexpensive qualitative lead tests can be bought on line.

    Malaysian pewter (Selangor, for example) may be, but is not always, above the European standard of 92% tin for food service pewter, but items from China or Hong Kong in my experience are mostly lead. Modern non food service pewter (jewelry, figurines and the like) can also contain some lead, and may have lower tin content than food service pewter.

    With all that and more in mind, I sorted my pewter finds into one batch of modern food service and other items clearly marked as pewter or with pewter manufacturers’ touchmarks, another of non food service marked items, and a last of unmarked and suspect items I bought as hunches. I got the melted together batches tested, and found the highest tin content in the food service items and the lowest in the unmarked and suspect items, with the Hong Kong and made in China pieces the very lowest.

    Some folks qualitatively add tin to a pot of alloy, being satisfied with good casting qualities for the current potful. Others want a specific and reproducible alloy with exact proportions of different metals. For the first, melting all your finds together to cast small ingots or nuggets (some use a bullet mold) is enough. For the second, segregating and analyzing each batch of tin based additive, whether pewter, solder, Babbit or a mix, should be analyzed.

  10. #10
    Boolit Mold
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    how much does it cost to have it analyzed?
    Would an XRF give you an accurate #?

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master

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    What Kevin says is true, I’ll just point out that 8% of 2% is 0.16% of the whole. I call pewter tin in any calculations I do and move on.
    ”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

    My Straight Shooters thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-shooter

    The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks

  12. #12
    Boolit Mold
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    Never did the calculation. That puts it in perspective. 0.16% is not worth the worry.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    True that. I just might be scratching my OC itch, here.

    But, if you are like me and want to be exact, you can send a pea sized specimen of each batch plus a pound of clean lead alloy of any type per specimen to member BNE, who will prep and XRF the samples and pm you the result(s). PM him first for his exact instructions.

  14. #14
    Boolit Mold
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    thanks will put that on my list.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master


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    There are different alloys of pewter, nearly all of which will be 95% + or - 1 or 2% tin. Adding this alloy to lead to make an alloy with less than 5% tin, the difference is negligible.
    Micah 6:8
    He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

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  16. #16
    Boolit Mold
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    When you are melting pewter what are you using as flux if any?

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Dry pine sawdust or pet bedding. Just a healthy pinch on a 10 pound melt. There is rarely more than a teaspoon or so of fine powder skim after fluxing.
    Last edited by imashooter2; 11-08-2022 at 01:56 AM.
    ”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

    My Straight Shooters thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-shooter

    The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Clean as a whistle.

    ”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

    My Straight Shooters thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-shooter

    The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    Mine don't look that shiny after a couple years.

    I do like imashooter2. The unmarked stuff I use for myself. After awhile you handle enough it's easy to tell what is and isn't worthwhile.
    Last edited by jsizemore; 11-08-2022 at 03:31 AM.

  20. #20
    Boolit Mold
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    Thanks for the info. I need to melt down a bunch to save space. I think melting in my 12 inch dutch oven. I have a couple of hundred pounds. Should it be shiny like lead when At temp?

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