Has anybody tried to cast in pewter. I have a mould, I have pewter, I have a soldering iron which melts it but it doesn’t flow as much as Id like it to and as the pewter is in the form of an ingot, getting it into the mould is tricky.
Has anybody used a stove and pot, or casting ladle?
What can I use to melt it? Do I have to buy a blow torch?(Id like to avoid buying one)
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I have a hand held blow torch from Cooksons, you can borrow it if you like, as its quite light it would cost you £2.79 both ways to post if that is economical for you?
I’ve not melted pewter before but I have cast in sterling silver. You will probably need a Sievert blowtorch and a propane cannister to get the material in the crucible to melting point so that it will flow. A hand-held blow torch is not going to do it, I’m afraid. It is difficult to get substantial material (ie, not wire) to even solder with a hand-held torch.
The melting point of pewter is from 170 to 230 degrees C and it will need to be near the upper limit to flow properly. Having said that it would probably melt in a hot oven, but I don’t think I would want to do it in the oven I use for cooking. Maybe use a kiln?
Love Sam x
I’ve looked into doing this, but too many health and safety issues for my liking…
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I found this guide which might be of help
The pages are in a funny order as its supposed to be printed out and assembled into a pamphlet.
Thanks for the replies, Ive had a google and apparently a hot plate and a casting ladle will work so that might be a way of doing things. Il keep looking.
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I have recycled pewter to make a footer for one of my pieces you can use a small pan on gas picnic stove. Old pewter has a lot of lead in it the modern bright has less , it’s best to melt in well ventilated area and allow 10% at least for shrinkage ensure mould is dry. If reusing pewter you need to scrape off flotsam skin before pouring and must pour in one
Hope this helps
Mel