pewter-msg - 2/25/10
Use of pewter in period. References. 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, Non-Ferrous-bib, Cast-Wood-Mlds-art.
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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
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: 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.
From: Precious Plunder <hrothgarthorsson at yahoo.com>
Date: May 1, 2008 11:57:32 AM CDT
To: trimaris-temp at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [tri-temp] need suggestions
I've had good luck with Metalliferous in New York.
Their website is http://www.metalliferous.com/ They
carry pewter in their base metal catalog on their
website.
HRothgar Thorsson
From: Brian Ferguson <bjf10 at the-immortals.com>
Date: July 28, 2008 11:12:09 PM CDT
To: pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [pewterersguild] Oh dear...Pewter in Portland
EaldredSCA wrote:
> Don't know about Portland for true pewter but you can get lead free
> solder at a hardware store.
This will work, though expect to pay a fair amount more than you would by buying a similar product online. Perhaps double. It's often sold as one of the following:
95/5 leadless solder (95% tin, 5% antimony) leadless plumbing solder
lead free solder (may contain other stuff, but should work)
> Actually, a 50% lead solder would be closer to true period silver. Just
> don't lick the site tokens.
Using a lead-based pewter for site tokens is a reeeally bad idea. Kids will lick them, people will handle them before meals, etc.
> Finally, online try www.rotometals.com <http://www.rotometals.com>. You
> can find a variety of pewters and low temp casting metals.
Rotometals is great, but I doubt you'll be able to get pewter from them ahead of your deadline.
Another possibility would be jeweler supply stores. They infrequently carry pewter, and may charge you more than you ought to pay, but you can sometimes get it from them. Again, buying online is generally your best bet.
Scouring second-hand stores can work, but you'll never be sure what sort of metal you're getting. It's not worth the time, IMO.
Lastly, industrial metal suppliers *sometimes* carry pewter alloys. They should be able to tell you exactly what's in it, but you may have to buy a relatively large quantity from them to qualify for a sale.
-Derian.
From: Stefan li Rous <stefanlirous at austin.rr.com>
Date: July 29, 2008 1:39:24 AM CDT
To: pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [pewterersguild] Oh dear...Pewter in Portland
On Jul 28, 2008, at 10:44 PM, Veronica wrote:
> I'm gonna facepalm. The persons doing the site tokens are newbies like
> me to pewter casting. What an adventure! As such none of us know where
> in Portland to get Pewter. Anyone know?
What is your deadline?
From my pewter class handout:
<<< My pewter now comes from:
Hallmark Metal Co (hallmark.metal at juno.com) 1-888-467-8000
http://www.hallmarkmetalscorp.com/
MPK is a Tin/Copper/Bismuth/Silver alloy melts 5-600 degrees F., $7.75 lb.
928 is a Tin/Antimony/Copper alloy melts 550-650 degrees F., $7.25 lb.
Call before ordering as this material is a commodity and varies from day to day.
The price of some of the materials has gone up drastically in the last year or two. This price is almost double what I paid as recently as 2005.
The pewter comes in 7 pound bars, which are notched for cutting into three pieces. If you ask, they will cut them at the factory.>>>
Those prices are from last February or March. They have probably gone up since then. That also doesn't include shipping.
They do ship fairly quick. Usually arrives in about a week or two, I think. Pewter isn't something you want to pay expedited shipping on. :-)
If you need to buy it locally, as someone else mentioned, lead-free plumbers solder is probably your best bet. It also has the advantage that being available in 1 pound spools, you can simply roll off how much you need and not have to melt 2 pound ingots in a 1 pound pot.
It will be more expensive. When I bought mine this way some years ago, I found a huge difference in price from $8 to $13 per pound at the local retail stores. By doing some calling around I was able to find a wholesale plumbing supply place that was willing to sell it to me and it was cheaper than the cheapest retail place I had found, about $7/pound.
These prices are from 15 years ago.
Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous Barony of Bryn Gwlad Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris Austin, Texas StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
From: de Savage <deSavage at telus.net>
Date: September 15, 2008 10:57:24 PM CDT
To: pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [pewterersguild] pewter pricing
In Canada ...
Purity Casting Alloys Ltd.
http://purityalloys.com/ #15 - 18503, 97th Ave
Surrey, B.C. V4N 3N9
Phone: (604) 888-0181
Fax: (604) 888-8318
Lead Free Pewter Alloy - $15.50 per pound
Silver Pewter Alloy - $16.95 per pound
Minimum Order - 25 pounds
Prices include shipping, handling and brokerage fees
If you have someone in the area to pick up for you, they'll do orders smaller than 25 pounds and they're open until midnight, Monday through Thursday.
Go figure.
Good company - very responsive.
Sevrin Lord de Savage
Rapier Marshal * Appledore
Autocrat - Tournament of the Golden Swan AS XLIII
Cadet to Don Enoch Jacobsz. van Zuidland
GdS, AoA, Scholar of St Thomas Aquinas, Silver Oak
From: Alex Haugland <ahauglan at gmail.com>
Date: September 15, 2008 11:35:15 PM CDT
To: pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [pewterersguild] pewter pricing
Another that I've bought from is www.rotometals.com. They have aquaclean at $15.49/lb, 98% tin alloy at 14.49, and 92% at 16.99... Not significantly cheaper than Rio Grande, but they sell in smaller quantities...
--Alysaundre Weldon d'Ath (who is still very glad about having bought 10 ingots from Rio Grande at $42 each a couple years ago...)
From: Dan Towse <dantowse at btinternet.com>
Date: June 18, 2009 4:10:25 PM CDT
To: No Reply <notify-dg-pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com>, <pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [pewterersguild] Another Online Artefacts database.
Pity about the dutch site, But here's another with a bunch of useful doodads. Not too many pilgrim badges but good for ampullae, and belt mounts.
http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ukdfddata/showcat.php?cat=21
From: Sean Wales <sean.wales at comcast.net>
Date: July 2, 2009 5:23:18 PM CDT
To: pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [pewterersguild] coloring pewter
On Jul 2, 2009, at 2:12 PM, David wrote:
<<< Greeting all, My question is :
What would be the best way to color pewter? Let's say I want it to look gold instead of silver. What are my options? >>>
I've gold leafed pewter, and it comes out pretty spiffy. (and period)
-sean
From: Stefan li Rous <stefanlirous at austin.rr.com>
Date: July 2, 2009 9:55:29 PM CDT
To: pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [pewterersguild] coloring pewter
On Jul 2, 2009, at 6:41 PM, Holly Compton wrote:
<<< That [gold leafing pewter] sounds very nifty. I would love to try it. Do you know of any extant pieces? Did you just use leaf from the local hobby place?
Maggie >>>
How do you get the gold leaf to stick to the pewter? Does surface tension alone do it?
I have two different files in the Florilegium having to do with gold leaf, one on using gold leaf on food and the other in illumination.
In the FOOD-SWEETS-DECORATED section:
endoring-msg (24K) 1/14/03 Medieval methods of giving food a gold color
In the SCRIBAL ARTS section:
gold-leaf-msg (24K) 2/15/06 Working with gold leaf, tools.
I'm not sure how much is applicable to pewter, though.
I have wondered about using the electoplating pens they make. They are available with lots of different metals from copper, to brass to silver to gold. The gold was pretty expensive ~$175 but the others were much cheaper.
One thing I have done is use the lower-temperature bake on enamels available in your local hobby store. If you pick them right, you can get a translucent, glass appearance. Looks great as the background on a "coin" shaped piece or to highlight a particular area. Ideally, the area such be a "pocket" to hold the "glass". You can't use real enamel since that has to be fired at a temperature which is higher than the melting point of the pewter. However, since pewter today is used today to imitate silver jewelry (and was in period), we are just using a fake glass and fake silver to imitate a period silver and enamel piece, so I see this as a reasonable compromise.
Stefan
From: Bob Woods <bobwoods at mac.com>
Date: July 3, 2009 12:54:59 AM CDT
To: pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [pewterersguild] coloring pewter
I've done electroplating gold on pewter with a plating pen. It works really well, but tends to wear off the high points easily. The gold layer that's deposited on the metal by pen plating is on the order of a few millionths of an inch thick. A bath-type plater could probably put a much deal thicker layer on, after all you can leave it plating in the tank for a while, where as the pen plater is almost like taking a sharpie to it, albeit a sharpie that uses pure gold as the ink.
I haven't tried doing undercoats of copper and nickel, as I usually do on silver, to keep the silver from tarnishing under the gold. I happen to have the pen plater since I do silversmithing, specializing in coronets and circlets.
What I use for the An Tir kingdom medallions (for the checky on the Goutte, Jambe and the Lion) is the low-fire Pebeo enamels. Be sure to use the transparent one for gold. The other, opaque variety goes an unappealing muddy green-gold color after firing that really doesn't look like gold. The transparent variety lets you see the gleam of the metal right through the color. Works very well, and is quite durable.
I have one medallion, the Goutte, which has a tear-shaped glass bead hanging in the middle of it. I can fire the medallion with the bead in place at the temperatures needed for curing the enamel.
Conchobar
From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <dailleurs at liripipe.com>
Date: July 8, 2009 12:19:12 AM CDT
To: <pewterersguild at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: RE: [pewterersguild] coloring pewter
Glad to be of help!
I know that some of the extant pieces in the museum catalogs I have show vestigates of enamel, etc. Mark der Gaulker could likely chime in if he knows of any examples of gilt pewter? I can think of jillions of examples of gilt silver....
--AM -----
Original Message-----
Hi Anne Marie, Thank you so much for sharing that how to. I am really interested in trying this. I am also really curious about when this was done in period. Can you point me in the direction of when? (not gold leaf, but gold leaf on pewter)
Thanks again, Maggie
<<< Hey all from Anne-Marie
On gold leafing pewter.... The work we did was very successful. All it took was a bit of sizing (we used a modern leafing size, but period egg white glair works great too based on our experiments) Paint it on in a thin coat, and let it dry to just the right tackiness (this will take some experimentation) . Apply the gold leaf by wrapping the paper backing around the piece and using your fingers, rub it into the piece.
That's it!
The only tricky bit was making sure the size was JUST sticky enough, and getting the gold into the nooks and crannies of the piece. It definitely worked better on the flatter surfaces than it did the super textured ones. We used the pure edible gold leaf I got from a cake decorating supply place, because its what I had, and it doesn't contain copper or other impurities like the "craft" stuff. In my hands, this stuff doesn't tarnish and wears like iron (I gilded the finial of my tent with the same method and its still super shiny and GOLD!!! after many years of weather and abuse). The "craft gold" doesn't have the same shine or color and looks fake to me....
Easy peasy!! And period to boot!
I love it when it works out that way :)
--Anne-Marie >>>
From: Fernando Vigil <Fvigil at AOL.COM>
Date: January 28, 2010 9:42:13 AM CST
To: CALONTIR at listserv.unl.edu
Subject: Re: [CALONTIR] paging Ferd---pewter question
In a message dated 1/28/2010 09:30:37 Central Standard Time, bpronia at HOTMAIL.COM
writes:
<<< What did you tell me I could use on pewter to add an aged finish? and is there anything you do to seal the back so it doesn't leave grey marks on your clothes? >>>
Two options. One is a commercial pewter oxidizer. You can buy it from RioGrande.com, and I'm sure from other jewelry suppliers as well. This stuff is comprised of a nitric and floroboric acid solution. I've also used a simple 5% nitric acid solution.
Either one of these will turn the pewter grey to black -depending on how long you leave it in the solutionn. A quick (few seconds) dip gives you grey, longer and it gets darker.
You can then seriously polish it to leave the color only in the cracks - this pops the detail out. Or you can rub it down or polish it to various levels of antique-ish look
As far as avoiding getting the grey on your cloths, I've not really had that issue, when I've rubbed the pieces down hard with a rag to remove all the lose oxide, but I've not done a big piece and then left it to rub on say, white clothing. You could also polish the back to get all the oxide off/sealed under wax.
Fernando
From: Stefan li Rous <StefanliRous at AUSTIN.RR.COM>
Date: January 28, 2010 7:29:25 PM CST
To: CALONTIR at listserv.unl.edu
Subject: Re: [CALONTIR] paging Ferd---pewter question
In a message dated 1/28/2010 09:30:37 Central Standard Time, bpronia at HOTMAIL.COM writes:
<<< What did you tell me I could use on pewter to add an aged finish? and is there anything you do to seal the back so it doesn't leave grey marks on your clothes? >>>
A question to consider is why you want to make your pewter item to look 'aged'?
Are you wanting your pewter item to look like an archeological item dug out of the ground? Or is it an item that was being worn or used everyday in the Middle Ages?
I tried one of these aging solutions when I first got into pewter casting ~15 years ago. I didn't get the gradual change that Fernando alludes to. In my case, I dipped it in the solution and it immediately turned quite dark. I didn't do any more experimenting to try to tone down the amount of aging because I decided I was making site tokens as if they were pilgrim badges being cast in the (current) Middle Ages and not some ancient artifact.
Even if you do indeed wish to age your pewter item, I would experiment on a scrap piece or two before trying your prime pieces.
Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous Barony of Bryn Gwlad Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris Austin, Texas StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
<the end>