Pewter

[loz.]

Hi ALl,

Anyone know where i can gte hold of small quantities of pewter ( or other similar casting metals that have a low melt temp - ie i can melt over the gas burner at home )

I want to use this for inlay on some turned items.

Thanks

Loz

 

[Toddy]

I buy old tankards for usually under a £ at car boot sales for pewter.

Model shops sell the casting blocks, Prince August, I think is the name of the make, for the Dungeons and Dragons folks who cast their own. My sons used to do this, so somewhere out in one of the sheds there might be some left over.
If you don't manage to find any easily, let me know ? and I'll have a rummage.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[xylaria]

Don't you end up inhaling lead fumes doing this?

 

[loz.]

Ah Thanks Toddy,


Re the lead, that did concern me - but Prince August sell also soemthing called 5star metal for casting, which is lead free !

 

[loz.]

forgot to say,

Its for doing things like this ( These are not mine )

 

[Toddy]

Don't you end up inhaling lead fumes doing this?

Pewter comes in many forms; mostly nowadays it's 'potable' stuff which is supposedly lead free anyway.

Besides, I do it outside over a charcoal brazier so minimising any fumes issue.

http://www.gwneale.co.uk/leadfreepewter.html

If you can get hold of plumber's potable solder then it works just as well and melts with a blow torch. Comparatively cheap too.

cheers,
Toddy

p.s. usual disclaimers re the company.

 

[Gailainne]

Hi ALl,

Anyone know where i can gte hold of small quantities of pewter ( or other similar casting metals that have a low melt temp - ie i can melt over the gas burner at home )

I want to use this for inlay on some turned items.

Thanks

Loz

You could use plumbers solder, I've used that in the past, Pewter is mostly tin ,as is the solder. Or you can order 1 kg bars from here

Stephen

 

[Draven]

IIRC Ragweed forge sells lead-free pewter... but I, like Toddy, use old tankards. You can also sometimes get lots of pewter jewelry dirt cheap at boot sales. Thing to watch out for though, some of the tankards have a coating of some sort on them (either to make pewter with lead in it safe to drink from, or to keep it looking shiny) which I've had cause minor imperfections when it burns and settles in the pewter...

Lead's boiling point is over 1700 deg C so it's not a huge concern, but lead-free is invariably safer to use of course.

Have you ever cast pewter before? One thing I've noticed is that it seems to have a very high surface tension, so it likes to remain as a blob. When casting one-sided things (like a Mjolnir pendant I made...) I find it best to melt more than you need so it spills over a bit (careful of course) to ensure it gets in all parts of the mold, and you can just trim away and reuse the excess.

Hope this helps..
Pete

 

[loz.]

Thansk all,

I havent cast before , but what i plan on doing is simply casting into a recess, say round the rim of a bowl, or the lid of a box. Ill over fill then remount the piece and then turn flush to the wood.

 

[Gailainne]

Thansk all,

I havent cast before , but what i plan on doing is simply casting into a recess, say round the rim of a bowl, or the lid of a box. Ill over fill then remount the piece and then turn flush to the wood.

If I'm reading you correctly I dont see how that would work, the molten pewter would at best scorch the wood, at worst burn straight through.

Why not make an impression in plaster of paris, cast in that then set it into the wood ?

Stephen

 

[loz.]

No Pewter has a ow enough melt point that it will scorch, but not burn the wood it contacts, but, and will cool fairly quick.

If the recess is preped in advance, i should be able to pour in the molten metal, with very little effect on the surounding wood.

Any scorch mark on the surface due to overfill can be turned back anyway !

 

[Draven]

That's quite right, I carve out wooden molds to cast the pewter in The scorching from overfilling is quite faint in my experience, I guess because it's cooled to an extent before then. You can get pretty cool textures depending on what wood you use and how you've carved out the mold
I think you'll have an issue getting them to stay in though, as I say I've used wood for casting and the pewter pops out pretty readily. You could easily pop out the pewter and glue it in though, or you could maybe drill a few small holes for the pewter to fill and "catch" but I'm not sure how strong it would be...

Pete

 

[loz.]

Ah but im going to turn a dovetailed recess !! ;-)

Shouldnt pop out of that !

Loz

 

[Hammock_man]

I have used theses people in the past

http://www.tiranti.co.uk

They have a shop on wardor street London and also do mail oder. They have the full range of metals and moldmaking gear.

 

[Draven]

Ah but im going to turn a dovetailed recess !! ;-)

Shouldnt pop out of that !

Loz

Ahhh one step ahead! Good man!

Pete

 

[Gailainne]

No Pewter has a ow enough melt point that it will scorch, but not burn the wood it contacts, but, and will cool fairly quick.

If the recess is preped in advance, i should be able to pour in the molten metal, with very little effect on the surounding wood.

Any scorch mark on the surface due to overfill can be turned back anyway !

Ah interesting, you learn from this forum everyday

Stephen

 

[smoggy]

must admit to being a little confused at first, but all has now become clear.......LOL

What about "white metal" as used in engine crank bearings.....a fitter I used to work with collected all the old ones to cast into models....not too sure on the melting point...

Smoggy.

 

[jimford]

As a matter of interest, you can use cuttlefish 'bone' for moulding. It's very easy to carve or press/crush in a cavity, leaves a fine finish and takes the heat well.

Jim

 

[xylaria]

I have a horrible looking pewter coffee set, from the 1920's. it is heavier than modern pewter and has a dark quality. I don't wont to use it for its orginal food perpose as it obviously contains lead, and I lothe the waste of space it is, as it makes a pretty ugly set of orniments.

I don't know whether to try smelting myself, but I 'll bring some to the next meet we go to so someelse can have a go.

 

[Toddy]

The 1920's stuff is collectable, someone might well offer you good hard cash for the set
I had an Aunt who collected the stuff, and when she died my cousin got thousands for her pewter.
Not a fan myself, but each to their own.

cheers,
Toddy