Turning mnaterial

[Bodrighy]

Whilst most on here rave about the woods they get I also trawl charity shops and boot fairs for these. Don't usually get this many in one go though. All these for a tenner. Good amount of pewter in them for future projects.

Pete

 

[Woodmonkey]

For turning??

 

[NickWelford]

So, Pete, you melt them down, and then what do you do with them? Pics?

 

[Bodrighy]

I melt them down and cast them into ingots in a small SS bowl for handiness and to get rid of the dirt and impurities. When I want to use some I can then remelt and pour into a mould I make in a piece of hard wood. When it is cool I can then turn as you would wood. I sue for collars, finials and sometimes inlay. And no, pewter made in England after about 1800 doesn't have any lead content. Some foreign stuff does apparently.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Cool, and you just use normal turning tools?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The lead persisted until the 20c according to Wiki.

 

[Bodrighy]

The lead persisted until the 20c according to Wiki.

Pewter that was used for anything to do with food or drink changed to what is called Britannia ware in the 19th century. Lead was banned from it altogether. The pewter that was for ornamental things such as picture frames etc would possibly have a small percentage of lead. If you are using pewter then as long as you use relatively modern pewter used for tankards, plates flasks etc you should be safe. Rather than trusting wiki which I find can be sometimes more a persons opinion than hard fact have a look here where you can find out the history of the metal.

Pete

 

[yorkshirepudding]

Is there a way to tell pewter from other metals?

 

[Grahamshed]

I read your post and thought of lots of questions, and they have all been asked so I will just add this to my ( very small ) knowledge bank.

I take it you can turn it with ordinary tools ?

 

[Dalboy]

Whilst most on here rave about the woods they get I also trawl charity shops and boot fairs for these. Don't usually get this many in one go though. All these for a tenner. Good amount of pewter in them for future projects.

Pete

Great little haul you must be pleased for that price

 

[Bodrighy]

Yes it can be turned with ordinary tools. Depending on what shape I am going for I use a spindle gouge or a skew. To get a pristine finish just clean up by buffing with tripoli or you can texture if you prefer.

Pete