pewter-msg - 2/8/08
Use of pewter in period. Referances. Pewter sources.
NOTE: See also the files: casting-msg, metals-msg, soapstone-msg, spoons-msg, p-tableware-msg, utensils-msg, pottery-msg, metal-sources-msg.
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NOTICE -
This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
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Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: drusilus <76065.727 at CompuServe.COM>
To: markh at risc.sps.mot.com
Organization: CompuServe, Inc. (1-800-689-0736)
Date: Fri, 31 May 1996 19:39:54 -0400
Subject: Casting with soapstone molds
Dear Stefan,
Try Rio Grande Jewelry supply. They are in NM I Believe and the
last price I saw for lead free casting pewter was around $5.50/lb.
Drusilus
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: milieux at digital.net (Lauren Podolak)
To: Mark S. Harris
Date: Fri, 31 May 1996 21:17:36 -0500
Subject: Re: Casting with soapstone molds
markh at risc.sps.mot.com (Mark S. Harris) wrote:
> Does anyone have a good mail-order or other source for lead-free
> casting material? I've been using lead-free solder normally used
> on water pipes. But the best price I found in town was $8.90 for
> a 1 pound spool and that store is going out of business. The
> sources I'm finding now want $11 - $14 for a one pound spool. I'm
> willing to buy it in larger amounts or in a different form.
>
> Stefan li Rous
Try: Castings, Orcas Island, P.O.Box 298, Eastsound, WA 98245-0298
(360)376-3266
They have Pewter casting metal (91% tin, 8% antimony, 0.25%copper) 24 Pigs
(10oz) for $6.25 each.
But heck, if you can find more of that solder, you can't beat the price
for a pound.
From: Dennis Loyer <dloyer at earthlink.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Casting with soapstone molds
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 23:10:39 -0700
Organization: Earthlink Network, Inc.
> Does anyone have a good mail-order or other source for lead-free
> casting material? I've been using lead-free solder normally used
> on water pipes. But the best price I found in town was $8.90 for
> a 1 pound spool and that store is going out of business. The
> sources I'm finding now want $11 - $14 for a one pound spool. I'm
> willing to buy it in larger amounts or in a different form.
Try requesting a catalog from TSI (800) 426-9984, They carry lead-free
pewter in wire, sheet, and nuggets (for casting). They also carry just
about every jewlery and casting tool, book, or supplies you may ever
need. They also carry gold, silver, and copper in the same forms as their
pewter, as well as precious stones and beads. Need a centrigigal casting
machine for lost wax casting? They got it, and their prices are fairly
reasonable. When ever I need something, they're the first place I call.
Dennis Loyer
<dloyer at earthlink.net>
Denis d'Loyer
West, Mists, Esfen
From: saxon34 at aol.com (Saxon34)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Casting with soapstone molds
Date: 21 Jun 1996 20:03:52 -0400
I will look up and try to post our source for metals. As the
Inter-Kingdom Moneyers Guild Rep.I should have the source much closer at
hand,sorry. For years we have been making coins from leadfree
solder(95/5). Yet over the past few years we have gone to buying and mixing
our own.We often buy large ingots of Tin and mix in the percentage of
Antimony as needed. A ready source of Antimony is tire weights. People often
think of these as made from lead, this is not the case/at least according
to our sources! Either way we also have a guild secret that allows us to
harden our leadfree(pewter) coins. This would not be possible if the tire
weights were made from lead. Send me your email address for a clear line of
communication as that I am still a babe in the woods as far as this
computer stuff is concerned. Good Luck, and talk to you soon.
Master Emmerich of Vakkerfjell, OL
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 17:52:58 -0500
From: Helen <him at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - pewter question
>From the oneida site
http://www.oneida.com/h_table.htm
Pewter
While pewter occupies a special association with early
American history, it is interesting to note that this soft, gray metal
was used by the Chinese for more than 2000 years ago. It was made into
coins and seals of office by the ancient Romans and was widely used by
the European middle classes as a substitute for sterling silver.
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 20:38:19 -0500
From: rmhowe <magnusm at ncsu.edu>
To: Kyneburh at ties.org, sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Pewter source
Micromark sells rtv rubbers and an assortment of casting alloys with
both low melting and high melting temperatures.
www.micromark.com/
http://www.micromark.com/casting.html
Magnus
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 13:30:29 -0400
From: rmhowe <magnusm at ncsu.edu>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Pewter Casting Alloy and Sheet Source - other metals too.
Happened on this today.
Magnus
Subject: Re: Pewter casting supplies
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 20:24:38 PDT
From: "David Ritterskamp" <jonnyb70 at hotmail.com>
To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org
>Does anyone have an idea of where I might find pewter suitable for casting.
>We only need a small amount, but we need it relatively quickly!
>
>Brigh Aine ni Eireannach
Yes.
http://www.hallmarkmetalscorp.com
Pewter is $3.50/lb and they mail it cheap and quick via 2-3 day priority US
Mail if you ask nicely. Tell them you heard it from me. They sell it in
7-lb chunks but they'll sell you smaller if you ask nicely.
Jonathan Blackbow
Subject: Cheap Pewter / Instructional pages / Casting Pages / Examples
Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 08:54:47 MST
From: rmhowe <magnusm at ncsu.edu>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
After Jonathan Blackbow (of Atlantia) suggested getting Pewter from
the Hallmark Metal Co (hallmark.metal at juno.com) 1-888-467-8000
last week I emailed them from their webpage.
http://www.hallmarkmetalscorp.com/
This morning I got an email suggesting I call them.
They don't have a catalog, books on casting, or rtv rubbers that I
had asked about. However they do have the lowest prices on Pewter
I've yet run across. (Being a commodity the metal prices are
subject to change however.)
I spoke with Stephan M. Kaplan and he told me they have two lead
free pewters particularly suitable for our purposes with the first
designed specifically for children at the request of Crayola.
The initials are named for his child.
MPK is a Tin/Copper/Bismuth/Silver alloy melts 5-600 degrees f $4.25 lb.
928 is a Tin/Antimony/Copper alloy / melts 550-650 degrees f $3.75 lb.
The bars are available in 7 lbs, and are notched for three pieces
or can be cut at the factory.
When I asked about R.T.V. Rubbers he referred me to the
Frank Pertot Co. in NYC. 1-800-627-5369.
Check out:
http://www.mindspring.com/~kymber/
There are notes and instructions on casting there as well as other
suppliers, and references.
http://home.olemiss.edu/~sputnik/stdunstans/STDhome.html
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/rialto/idxcrafts.html
http://pip1.pipcom.com/wareham_forge/casting.html
http://www.loganact.com/mwn/mwj.html
http://www.regia.org/bodgbend.htm
http://www.regia.org/ has some pages on metalwork as well.
http://user.tninet.se/~mfx106d/index.htm
http://renstore.com/articles/Belling_Barony.shtml
http://www.angelfire.com/me/ik/Gal.html
http://www.mtsu.edu/~kgregg/dmir/new/sandcast.html
I hope this is of use to some of you casters or would be casters
out there.
Magnus Malleus, OL, Windmasters' Hill, Atlantia, Great Dark Horde.
From: noramunro at aol.comclutter (Alianora Munro)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pewter damage
Date: 18 Sep 1999 14:22:29 GMT
Lord Zierd wrote:
>My pewter tankard has developed a dent in the base, meaning it won't sit flat.
>
>Not earth shattering, but kind of annoying.
>My query is how to remove this and get the tankard to sit flat again.
Not a metalworker (and don't play one on TV or elsewhere) but I am a bit fond
of pewter, and learned the following from an American antiques dealer who
specialises in the stuff and has dealt with a few dents.
Pewter is, as you noticed, soft. It thus is very prone to denting, but it's
also quite easy to bend dents back into shape. Fill your basin (or anything
else large enough to contain the tankard) with hot water, and place the tankard
therein. Let it soak a bit so the metal warms up, then *gently* ease the dent
back into shape. With old pewter (the kind still with lead in the alloy) you
can even sometimes do this with your fingers, although with the modern stuff
the judicious use of a hammer might be called for. Pounding 4 kinds of h*ll
out of it is not recommended. ;-)
Alianora Munro
Having had sufficient experience with princes, now seeking a frog
http://hometown.aol.com/noramunro/Chateau/index.htm
clear up the clutter to reply
From: David M. Razler <david.razler at worldnet.att.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pewter damage
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 10:49:48 -0400
noramunro at aol.comclutter (Alianora Munro) wrote:
| Lord Zierd wrote:
| >My pewter tankard has developed a dent in the base, meaning it wont sit flat.
| >
| >Not earth shattering, but king of annoying.
| >My query is how to remove this and get the tankard to sit flat again.
|
| Not a metalworker (and don't play one on TV or elsewhere) but I am a bit fond
| of pewter, and learned the following from an American antiques dealer who
| specialises in the stuff and has dealt with a few dents.
|
| Pewter is, as you noticed, soft. It thus is very prone to denting, but it's
| also quite easy to bend dents back into shape. Fill your basin (or anything
| else large enough to contain the tankard) with hot water, and place the tankard
| therein. Let it soak a bit so the metal warms up, then *gently* ease the dent
| back into shape. With old pewter (the kind still with lead in the alloy) you
| can even sometimes do this with your fingers, although with the modern stuff
| the judicious use of a hammer might be called for. Pounding 4 kinds of h*ll
| out of it is not recommended. ;-)
I wouldn't even bother heating - and recommend a rawhide or rubber mallet.
Britannia metal (no-lead pewter) is soft enough to move and has a metling
point low enough to melt it on a kitchen electric range top. Real pewter
shouldn't be used for drinking anyway.
david - who restored the roundness of both pewter tankards and the bases
of a couple of century-old silver cups with his BARE HANDS (oooh....) and is a
man of little strength.
David M. Razler
david.razler at worldnet.att.net
From: Alasdayr Kilgour <alasdayr at peak.org>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pewter damage
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 09:50:48 -0700
Organization: Multi-Media Artisans
Bredin Zierd wrote:
> A Query to all those metalworkers out there...
>
> My pewter tankard has developed a dent in the base, meaning it wont sit flat.
> Not earth shattering, but king of annoying.
> My query is how to remove this and get the tankard to sit flat again.
> I have a fair range of tools, but dont usually have to deal with a soft alloy
> like this, and was wondering if there was any special care I should take before
> getting out my hammer and beating 4 kinds of hell out of it for daring to become
> deformed in my presence...
> --
> Nunc lusum imus novum ludum
> Lord Zierd, Cynic of the Inner Circle
If the dent is more of a bulge than a sharp crease your problems should
be minimal . Since pewter is so soft, I would recommend a very light
hammer. You do not want to really "drive" it as the pewter will spread,
possibly becoming more of a problem than originally.
Back the dent (like using a bodywork dolly) with a bit of flat wood
covered with leather or felt. A small wooden mallet, again faced with
leather or felt, should enable you to remove the offending ding with but
a few blows.
--
Rick Schmidt
Oak and Iron Forge
aka
Duncan Alexander Malcolm MacDuibh {MacDobhran} Kilgour
Blacksmith
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 11:28:42 MST
From: rmhowe <magnusm at ncsu.edu>
Subject: Medieval Spoon Book with Mold from Coventry
To: StellarArts at Onelist.com
You might be interested in this. It has a partial stone spoon mold
in it. I bought one a while back.:
Muldoon S. & R. Brownsword: PEWTER SPOONS AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL
OF THE 14TH-17TH CENTURIES; in the collection of the Herbert Art
Gallery, Coventry nd c 1985 28pp 12x8ins pb.
Magnus
Subject: [Metalcasting] Sources for casting supplies.
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 18:14:41 -0500
From: "Jim Revells" <sudnserv5 at netway.com>
To: <Metalcasting at onelist.com>
Here are some sources for casting supplies:
DRS, (800) 223-8960 NY, NY: silver & gold Casting Grain, pg3, Cuttle Bone
pg 297, Crucible/Melting Dish pg 296, Heat protective gloves pg 294,
Carving Wax pg 278.
Cas-KerCo, (800) 487-0408 Cincinnati, OH on the web at casker at casker.com:
non-precious Casting Metals pg 146, Carving Wax pg 162, Small Sand Casting
Set.
Other companies that I don't have the current catalogs for but sell Casting
supplies (they all have 800 #'s):
Swest, Atlanta, GA
FireMountian Gems, somewhere in WA
Rio Grand, El Passo,TX
Stuller, somewhere in LA
Suggested Reading:
Practical Casting, Tim McCreight
The Complete Metalsmith, Tim McCreight Also a Vidio is available.
Soapstone Carving for Children, Bonnie Gosse
Suggested Site to visit:
http://user.tninet.se/~mfx106d/vikingbronze.htm
Lrd Olaf of Trollhiemsfjord
Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2000 05:36:25 -0700
From: Edwin Hewitt <brogoose at pe.net>
To: sca_moneyer at egroups.com
Subject: Cheap American Pewter
> I accidentally deleted the thread on where to get cheap American pewter - any
> leads? Herr Malachias von Morgenstern, Kapitän der Galatea
Try the following links:
http://www.welcocastings.com/industries/jewellery.htm
http://fryconquest.com/leadfree.htm
http://www.micromark.com/casting.html
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2000 05:22:53 -0400
From: rmhowe <magnusm at ncsu.edu>
Organization: Windmaster's Hill, Atlantia, and the GDH
Subject: MoL Pewter Exhibition book
Hornsby, Peter R G and Weinstein, Rosemary and Homer, Ronald F.
Pewter.
A Celebration of the Craft 1200-1700.
Museum of London, 1989. Catalogue of one of the finest exhibitions of
English pewter ever staged. Many b/w illustrations of
exhibits, engravings and ephemera. Four colour plates. 4to, 112pp,
illustrated card covers. New. Book # 12 £ 7.00
(approx. 11.04 American Dollars)
The Seller:
Anglia Publishing,
Unit T, Dodnash Priory FarmHazel Shrub, Bentley,
Ipswich, United Kingdom, IP9 2DF.
Phone: 01473 311138. Fax: 01473 312288.
Email: anglia at anglianet.co.uk
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 08:03:43 -0700
From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <dailleurs at liripipe.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Tin/Pewter Was: Cornish Pasties
To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
on pewter:
Pewter comes in lots of different types. most all will contain some tin, and
this can be mixed with lead, silver, bismuth, antimony etc depending on the
qualities of the pewter you want.
Lead pewter is lovely for casting because it flows so nicely and you can
play with the slush point, but it will be soft and duller in color
The pewter with a bit of silver in it can be trickier to cast since the
point at which it solidifies is much more narrow (so it can freeze up in
your mold) but its shinier and the pieces will be stiffer.
Each type of pewter will have different characteristics, but they all (at
least all the ones I've seen and/or used) have tin in them. If its pure
lead, then its "lead" and not pewter!
--Anne-Marie
ps... if you want more info you can check out what we're doing with pewter
here in AnTir at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pewterersguild/
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 17:40:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: smcclune at earthlink.net
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Lead, was Tin/Pewter
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
Given all the discussion of lead and such, thought I'd mention that
Lijsbet told me about test kits such as these:
http://www.leadinspector.com/?gclid=CIPCz7rjzocCFRieWAodGjNFbQ
So if you find a really cool pewter piece at the thrift store and you
just can't pass it up, you can at least make sure it's food safe
before you use it!
Arwen
From: Fvigil at aol.com
Date: September 26, 2007 1:19:01 PM CDT
To: pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [pewterersguild] Pewter Suppliers. Was: Pewter prices just went up again!
In a message dated 9/26/2007 12:54:58 P.M. Central Daylight Time, sean.wales at comcast.net writes:
<<< So I just ordered some more Pewter from Rio, and it's $72 for a 5.5
lbs. bar. Yikes! That a little over $13 a lbs. >>>
Rio Grande's pewter prices are usually quite high.
BUT, since they don't seem to adjust their prices as quickly as most of the metal suppliers, I've gotten lucky a couple of times when there has just been is a large increase in the commodity price of tin - basically my regular suppliers prices had gone up, while Rio's had not yet caught up. Not long after, Rio jumped their prices way up.
Since tin is traded on the commodities market, pricing can vary fairly widely and quickly. Over the last 6-8 years I've seen prices which varied from 3.10 to 12.30 a pound from my typical suppliers. Some places change their price regularly, others less often, so I typically check around before placing a large order. Prices do get better with some suppliers as you order more, so getting a group order together can help if you think you'll reach possible break points 50#, 100#, 200#.
Here are a couple of other Pewter suppliers
Purity Casting Alloys LTD 604-888-0181 www.PurityAlloys.com
They sell "Lead Free Pewter" (92% Tin, 7% Antimony, 1% Copper).
Their pricing typically includes shipping from Vancouver. They sell by the pound, ship in small (under 1#) bars which can be convenient, and they don't seem to have a minimum order. Their prices have tended to be reasonable on smaller quantities, but since they don't (or did not last I checked) offer volume discounts, they are not competitive on larger amounts where prices are reduced, and shipping is less of an issue.
Ney Metals 718-389-4900 NeyMetals.com
They sell Alloy B-7 (92% Tin, 7.5% Antimony, 5% Copper)
Ney is up in New York State. They sell bars that they call 5#. But typically they come in under that in weight (a 12 bar box typically weighs about 55-56#). But you will be charged by the actual weight sent. I've never had them ship less than 12 bars, so I'm not sure what their minimum order may be, or how their pricing might look at under 55 pounds. They do give additional discounts at 100#
Hallmark Metals 888-467-8000 HallmarkMetals.net
They sell damn near any alloy you would ask for, but I typically buy: (92% Tin, 7.5% Antimony, 5% Copper or 92% Tin, 7% Antimony, 1% Copper )
Hallmark is in Rhode Island. They sell 7# (nominal) bars, but the exact weight will vary. Again, they charge you based on the actual weight sent. They seem willing to supply small orders. Though I typically order 10-20 bars, I once ordered only 5 bars. I've no clue if they will sell less.
More often than not these guys have seemed to have the best prices - at least for the quantities I buy.
Metalliferous Inc. 888-944-0909 Metalliferous.com
A friend recently rcommended these guys, but I've not checked them out personally yet.
And since Rio was the starting point for this post:
Rio Grande Jewelry Supply 800-545-6566 RioGrande.com
They sell catalog number 750031 (92% Tin, 7.5% Antimony, .5% Copper)
They sell nominal 5.5# bars, and you can order as little as 1 bar. Their prices are typically high, but they don't change them very often. So if tin prices skyrocket, their (old un-raised) prices seem more reasonable for a while. But, if they raise their price before the price drops, then their prices can seem astronomical in comparison to others. They offer price breaks at 10 bars (55#) and at 20 bars (110#.).
Fernando
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Conde Fernando Rodriguez de Falcon
Barony of Three Rivers, Calontir
From: Brian Ferguson <bjf10 at the-immortals.com>
Date: January 5, 2008 6:20:49 PM CST
To: pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [pewterersguild] Another pewter source
I recently bought some 99.9% pure tin for $10/lb from a supplier in Kansas that primarily caters to home bullet makers. I plan to alloy this with a roughly 90% tin alloy that I have at a 1:1 ratio, to make something similar to 95/5 solder in terms of material properties.
This supplier will make custom alloys with antimony, lead, tin, and possibly other metals. Prices vary, of course, but this is a few bucks cheaper per pound than I've seen elsewhere.
Action Bullets & Alloy Inc
PO Box 189
Quinter, KS 67752
(785) 754-3609
-Derian.
<the end>