Pewter from the thrift store.

[Hooda Thunkit]

I, along with many home-casters, use pewter as a source of tin (Sn) for casting. I always am on the lookout, at flea markets, garage sales, whatever.

Mrs (Ida) Thunkit went thrift store shopping yesterday. She has been with me as I hunted up pewter, and called me with her find - It was 75% off day too. She wanted to know, should she buy it for me?

Oh yes, please.

Fine woman, is Ida.

I set the sharpie in the pic to give some indication of size.


A small platter, a vase, a Jefferson cup and a creamer. It all weighs out at 2lb 8.5oz. Since pewter is usually at least 90% Sn, I end up with 2.25 lb of Sn.

All together cost was $4.88 including tax. $2.16/lb for tin.

Since Sn is usually mixed somewhere from 2% to 5% in normal casting, I have enough tin here to alloy 100 pounds of lead. Even at 20-1 (the alloy recommended by Mr Kieth, and used by many BPC (Black Powder Cartridge) shooters) there's enough for over 40 pounds. I use the pewter as a 1-1 replacement for Sn.

For the folks that have never looked for pewter, I've shot some images of the hallmarks and other marks on the bottom of these pieces. If it doesn't say "pewter", it usually ain't. And if it says "Mexican Pewter" it's aluminum.

 

[DukeConnor]

I think the cast boolit forum has a pewter identification sticky. I've never used it.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I, along with many home-casters, use pewter as a source of tin (Sn) for casting. I always am on the lookout, at flea markets, garage sales, whatever.

Mrs (Ida) Thunkit went thrift store shopping yesterday. She has been with me as I hunted up pewter, and called me with her find - It was 75% off day too. She wanted to know, should she buy it for me?

Oh yes, please.

Fine woman, is Ida.

I set the sharpie in the pic to give some indication of size.
View attachment 1174921

A small platter, a vase, a Jefferson cup and a creamer. It all weighs out at 2lb 8.5oz. Since pewter is usually at least 90% Sn, I end up with 2.25 lb of Sn.

All together cost was $4.88 including tax. $2.16/lb for tin.

Since Sn is usually mixed somewhere from 2% to 5% in normal casting, I have enough tin here to alloy 100 pounds of lead. Even at 20-1 (the alloy recommended by Mr Kieth, and used by many BPC (Black Powder Cartridge) shooters) there's enough for over 40 pounds. I use the pewter as a 1-1 replacement for Sn.

For the folks that have never looked for pewter, I've shot some images of the hallmarks and other marks on the bottom of these pieces. If it doesn't say "pewter", it usually ain't. And if it says "Mexican Pewter" it's aluminum.
View attachment 1174920
View attachment 1174919
View attachment 1174918

Interesting

For my 1972 marraige to my first wife, I gave engraved pewter Jefferson cups to the groomsmen and some others.

Thought they were worthless. Guess not. Wonder if I can reclaim them?

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

Interesting

For my 1972 marraige to my first wife, I gave engraved pewter Jefferson cups to the groomsmen and some others.

Thought they were worthless. Guess not. Wonder if I can reclaim them?

As luck would have it, this cups also engraved.


I cannot make out the engraving. Maybe an L and a T, no idea on the third letter.

Maybe you recognize this cup?

 

[CQB45ACP]

As luck would have it, this cups also engraved.
View attachment 1174941

I cannot make out the engraving. Maybe an L and a T, no idea on the third letter.

Maybe you recognize this cup?

Does it perhaps say Please Help Me??

 

[nofendertom]

Before you melt the Kirk Stieff items down, you might want to look up to see if they have any value.
Kirk Stieff was a big name silver and pewter company.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

Before you melt the Kirk Stieff items down, you might want to look up to see if they have any value.
Kirk Stieff was a big name silver and pewter company.

I'm in no rush to melt them down. I'll toss the items in my pewter bin until the time comes. Ida has already claimed the creamer to go in her "look at this" shelf.
I have plenty of rendered solder and crushed/damaged pewter to tide me over.

Even if I do not retail the items, it's easier to sell the pewter as items with touch marks, than as ingots.

 

[Walkalong]

I betcha collectors would faint if they knew.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Just went on EBay—melt em with confidence!

Like most every collectible of the last couple of decades these Jefferson cups are near worthless. $6.50 plus $4.00 shipping for a Stieff for example.

And that’s why Ida found them in a thrift store

 

[Ritchie]

I bought a pair of candlesticks at a thrift store that were labeled as being from a well known department store, marked as pewter. They turned out to be very high melting temp,
and the density was consistent with stainless steel! Never did get them to actually melt.

 

[Thomasss]

I still have a nice supply of old dental x-ray shielding, which according to Kodak is 80% tin.(Bet ya knows what
the other 20% is)? There are people that actually charged dentists to get rid of the stuff. Imagine!!!
Then too, find an old in the scrapped heap window air conditioner and the coolant tubing is usually tin tubing.
It doesn't hurt to make inquiries at the local scrap yard.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I still have a nice supply of old dental x-ray shielding, which according to Kodak is 80% tin.(Bet ya knows what
the other 20% is)? There are people that actually charged dentists to get rid of the stuff. Imagine!!!
Then too, find an old in the scrapped heap window air conditioner and the coolant tubing is usually tin tubing.
It doesn't hurt to make inquiries at the local scrap yard.

Most dentists these days use digital X-ray technology, which uses a small fraction of the actual radiation than was used even a decade ago, much less several decades ago. The need for lead shielding is almost gone now.

As for the old a/c unit with tin tubing... It's gonna have to be a really old unit. From tin tubing, the manufacturers went to copper, then to aluminum. I think one would be hard pressed to find tin tubing in a condenser or evaporator these days.

Both of those sources are sadly out of date. Unfortunately.