Subject: Re: Pewter repair

From: [email-masked] (Harvey Freeman)
Date: 30 Jun 1996 10:17:11 GMT

TAREX ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Have a fine German pewter mug.  Bottom (pewter, not one of those glass
: ones) started to leak.  Took it to a local jeweler for repair, but they
: somewhat botched the job (may have even used lead solder...).  Worse yet,
: it still leaks.

: Any suggestions regarding repair.  I am damned near dehydration, as that
: mug was coffee in the morning and ice-cold rum and Coke in the evening.

: Regards,

: [email-masked]

I would go looking for a place that was in the business of making pewter 
items and would be doing pewter soldering as a matter of course. Strange 
that the jeweller would not have tested his repair before he gave it back 
to you.
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From: [email-masked] (Ken Young)
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 19:49:08 GMT

[email-masked] (TAREX) writes:
: Have a fine German pewter mug.  Bottom (pewter, not one of those glass
: ones) started to leak.  Took it to a local jeweler for repair, but they
: somewhat botched the job (may have even used lead solder...).  Worse yet,
: it still leaks.
: 
: Any suggestions regarding repair.  I am damned near dehydration, as that
: mug was coffee in the morning and ice-cold rum and Coke in the evening.
: 
One technique that you can use is to make a fiber-reinforced plaster
encasement and remelt the mug in a kiln (or a self-cleaning oven).
The (presumably) lead-free pewter will expand when it melts and you
will need more heat than the 550F most ovens will put out.  Some lead-
free pewters will melt nicely at that temperature, but dont count on it.

Another thing you can do is to try what the jeweler did only do a 
better job.  Use some lead-free solder (like 95Sn/5Sb) and a torch
to melt it into the bottom.  Then you will need to resmooth the bottom.
I suppose you could get the mug hot and the solder REALLY hot and 
flood the bottom.  Be forwarned that the solder I mentioned does not
have very good fluidity.

Ken Young