How to identify pewter

[Ignoramus4705]

I bought seven grey colored, cast metal drinking cups with handles. I
suspect that they may be pewter, but I am not sure. What is the
easiest way to recognize pewter?

They have a cast mark on the bottom, like FTR or HTR.

thanks

i

[Joseph Gwinn]

In article <eb-dndURGoLpi8TT...@giganews.com>,
Ignoramus4705 <ignora...@NOSPAM.4705.invalid> wrote:

By softness, color and density.

There are chemical tests, but these are not commonly available.

Joe Gwinn

[Jim Wilkins]

"Ignoramus4705" <ignora...@NOSPAM.4705.invalid> wrote in message
news:eb-dndURGoLpi8TT...@giganews.com...

You could try a lead test kit.

jsw

[David Billington]

I think pewter containing lead was phased out over 150 years ago for
anything that came in contact with food and replaced with modern pewter,
AKA Britannia metal, so a lead test kit probably wouldn't be of much
use. The typical composition of modern pewter is about 92% tin, 2%
copper, and about 6% antimony, The percentages vary depending on the
application and whether cast or rolled and IIRC the Japanese require
much lower antimony content as they consider it a problem, IIRC they
require 2% or less.

[Ignoramus4705]

I think that an easy test is to just try to melt one cup.

I thought, for a moment, that they may be cast aluminum, because,
though they scratch, they are not nearly as soft as lead. But when I
looked for "cast aluminum cup" on ebay, and saw nothing, I realized that
they do not exist.

Could they be maxde of some other soft, grey metal, like zinc? I would
say that they do not look like "potmetal".

i

i

[DT]

In article <eb-dndURGoLpi8TT...@giganews.com>,
ignora...@NOSPAM.4705.invalid says...

Could the marks be RWP? Anyway, cast bottom marks = modern piece.

http://reviews.ebay.com/RWP-Wilton-ARMETALE-is-not-Pewter_W0QQugidZ10000
000004569616

--
DT

[Ignoramus4705]

I do not think that it could be RWP. It looks more like RTR, HTR, FTP,
or something

I took some pictures:

http://igor.chudov.com/tmp/Cast-Metal-Mugs/

The logo is visible on two large scale pictures.

thanks

i

[Jeff R.]

"Ignoramus4705" <ignora...@NOSPAM.4705.invalid> wrote in message
news:eb-dndURGoLpi8TT...@giganews.com...

Measure its density (SG)

Instructions at: http://mendosus.com/sg.html

This won't identify the actual alloy, but it will certainly eliminate a few.
Less then 7.5 (IIRC) means lead-free.

Aluminium = 2.7
Tin = 7.3
Pretty easy to differentiate.
With minimal care you should be able to return two decimal places of SG -
far more than required.

Got and electronic scale and a tub of water?
(What are you waiting for?)

--
Jeff R.

[Steve Walker]

This may or may not help:

Verification or excess capacity marks

Such marks are designed to confirm the capacity of vessels designed to
hold liquids or verify that they have been checked. From around 1826
until the late 1870s each town had its own verification mark but vessels
of a more recent vintage will contain the standard mark consisting of a
crown, the monarch’s initials and a number code signifying location.

--
Steve Walker
Fusi...@frontierbrain.com (remove brain when replying)

[Steve W.]

Those are cast pewter Abbey Bell Tankards. 1 pint size.
Most of them sell for around 50-100 bucks each. More if they are heavy
and polished.

--
Steve W.

[Ignoramus4705]

On 2011-08-28, Steve W. <csr6...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Ignoramus4705 wrote:
>> On 2011-08-27, DT <dthomp...@SPAMwowway.com> wrote:
>>> In article <eb-dndURGoLpi8TT...@giganews.com>,
>>> ignora...@NOSPAM.4705.invalid says...
>>>> I bought seven grey colored, cast metal drinking cups with handles. I
>>>> suspect that they may be pewter, but I am not sure. What is the
>>>> easiest way to recognize pewter?
>>>>
>>>> They have a cast mark on the bottom, like FTR or HTR.
>>>
>>> Could the marks be RWP? Anyway, cast bottom marks = modern piece.
>>>
>>> http://reviews.ebay.com/RWP-Wilton-ARMETALE-is-not-Pewter_W0QQugidZ10000
>>> 000004569616
>> I do not think that it could be RWP. It looks more like RTR, HTR, FTP,

>> or something.

>> I took some pictures:
>> http://igor.chudov.com/tmp/Cast-Metal-Mugs/
>> The logo is visible on two large scale pictures.
>

> Those are cast pewter Abbey Bell Tankards. 1 pint size.
> Most of them sell for around 50-100 bucks each. More if they are heavy
> and polished.

Steve, thanks a lot. I am highly impressed with those mugs. Thanks
you, I would never figure it out mysqlf. What does the logo mean?

i

[Ignoramus4705]

By the way, the trademark on the bottom is clearly a stamp, not a
casting feature. It was stamped after the casting was machined on the
bottom.

i

[Steve W.]

The logo is usually the foundry/job shop that cast them. OR the mark of
the shop/dinner theater that uses them, 99% of these are sold/used by
reenactment people, the ones who like to wear armor and talk about
finding a "faire maiden in distresse". I have seen the rough cast ones
at theme places like Medieval Times as well.

The original ones used a pewter that contained lead, the lead would
leach out into the mead or ale and caused many problems for the drinker.

--
Steve W.

[Ignoramus6628]

Yep, I was at Medieval Times too. I was impressed wit the sparks that
their swords made.

> The original ones used a pewter that contained lead, the lead would
> leach out into the mead or ale and caused many problems for the drinker.

No doubt.

i