Pewter - Roll Out the Red Carpet

Posted in The World Of Metal on 3rd March 2011

Pewter

There are various forms of pewter alloy, but all are a basic blend of tin, copper and antimony.

At our foundry in the West Midlands of the UK, William Rowland Ltd produce Pewter from virgin Metals to customer specifications.

English Pewter is distinguished by the fact that it contains no Lead or nickel, indeed British Standard BS5140 was brought in around 1974 to ensure that Lead was removed from the English Pewter composition altogether.

Pewter is a malleable, low melting point, tin-based alloy, with the addition of copper, antimony and occasionally bismuth, acting as hardeners.

Oscar Statue

Another pewter type alloy worthy of a mention is Britannia Metal which is a true Oscar winner! The small statues presented to grateful winners at the Academy Award ceremonies each year are made from gold plated Britannia Metal.

Following developments in electro-plating using silver with Britannia Metal as a base in the mid-to-late 1800's, it offered manufacturers a cheaper alternative to electroplated nickel silver, and was a way of bringing affordable household goods like cutlery for example, to the market.

Pewter's use as a major part of the housewares market was overtaken by glass once improved production techniques enabled it to be mass produced in a cost effective way by the late 18th century. Until then plates, goblets, candlesticks etc were all typically made from Pewter.

Today the main pewter alloys markets are castable miniature figurines, commemorative tankards and hip flasks, picture frames and collectable gift items. Another area where it is used, but this time as a sheet product, is in bar top coverings in some of the more expensive 'designer' wine bars.

One of the world's largest producers of Pewterware is the Malaysian company Royal Selangor whose goods sell around the globe and can be found in prestigious department stores such as Harrods.

Their designs have won numerous awards and the company hold the Guinness World Record for producing the largest pewter tankard - almost 2 metres high and over 3400lbs in weight - no one will be downing the contents in one sitting any time soon!

William Rowland Ltd are pewter suppliers, and if you would like to find out how we can meet your requirements, please contact us using the Quick Enquiry Form on the right-hand side of this website.

Tags: