-Pewter Spoons

[Mike Harper]

Does anybody have info on finishing pewter spoons, once they come out of the mould? I'm trying to find pictures of period pieces to get an idea of the finish.

Were they highly polished or cleaned up to a useable degree?

I realize that pewter was a re-usable material and not many period pieces remain.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

 

[Bartek]

 

[Mike Harper]

Bartek! Thanks for the pictures. Those are beautiful. I am guesing they are not the common everyday spoon? Approx what time frame are they?

 

[Chuck Thom]

where did you get a mould?

 

[CrackStock]

Actually, I am more interested in a mould. Anybody know of a good one being available?

CS

 

[Mike Harper]

You can find them at antique stores online. They are not cheap.

 

Those are some nice pieces. Thanks Bartek! I would hazard a guess that these date back to the mid 1500's. The bowls were probably hammered out, using either a brass or wooden form.

For finishing spoons, I would use fine or 800 grit sand paper. Buff it out with a chamois dressed with jewelers rouge.

As for spoon molds, those can be had from Smiling Fox Forge. On their website, you can find it under Colonial Goods, Castings. They have both a small and large mold. And the prices aren't that bad.

Hope that helps,
CP

 

[Bartek]

Hi, Claypipe :hatsoff:
Thats right, middle of XVI century. I don't remember from what i have them (pictures off course), but i supose it's the work of craftsmen from Gdansk or Elblag, so Hansa's towns.

 

Years back, I specialized for a while as a purveyor of fine pewter at SCA events.

CP

 

[CrackStock]

I was thinking of doing something similar at various events. A bit of heating and beating steel and moulding a few items as demos.
Might sell just enough to make back some of the cost. Most likely wind up giving it all away...

CS

 

[Mike Harper]

I had several highly polished pieces at the tallahassee trade faire and had also brought my mould and accoutrements. I poured while I was there as a demo to several of the school groups that came by. I did end up giving a couple of them away. The others I took home to do some serious polishing on them.

I file them down a bit to get rid of the rough spots and flashing, then I use a buffing wheel with two differnt types of rouge. Sometimes a little 800 grit sandpaper. I just was hopeing there might be an easier way.

Mike

 

[Mike Harper]

I finally found the link for the antique shop that I purchased my mould from. It is an early to mid-1700s mould. The lady was quite shocked that I would actually use it!
[url] http://www.rubylane.com/[/url]

Mike

 

[paulvallandigham]

The old pewter with lead darkens with age. You may not want to have anyone eat with those. The new pewter. composed of Tin, antimony, and copper, does not darken with age. Might be useful information to know when looking at " old " spoons.

 

[Cmabie]

I agree. My wife has an extensive pewter ware collectuion that has been in her family nearly two centuries. It is pretty, but full of lead. I noticed in her home town of Bamberg, Bavaria, all of the medieval resturants have pulled their antique pewter ware off the tables and only have it on display.
:nono:

 

The old pewter with lead darkens with age. You may not want to have anyone eat with those. The new pewter. composed of Tin, antimony, and copper, does not darken with age. Might be useful information to know when looking at " old " spoons.

I wouldn't say that it doesn't darken with age. To the trained eye, one can easily discern the different patinas of lead pewter and modern lead free Britania.

CP

 

[Mike Harper]

The Worshipful Company of Pewterers (English guild) in the mid to late 17th century figured out that lead was not a good idea in pewter used for eating and everyday use. Lead was still added in pewter that was made for ornamental objects. These objects were also sometimes gilded, inlayed and bejeweled for decorations. Usually in places where precious metals were too expensive to use.

 

[Patrick Hemken]

You can always carve one of soap stone, mine came out real well

Pat