Melting pot for pouring pewter nose caps.

[fatcat]

Whats a good source for pewter? Melt old beer mugs ? Brownells?

[whitebear]

Whats a good source for pewter? Melt old beer mugs ? Brownells?

Yes, surprisingly over a period of time You can collect several damager pewter pieces and mugs at yard sales and antique shops relatively cheep.

[fatcat]

Thanks, I will be looking for some pewter. This is way to cool not to try!

[Ryan McNabb]

Whats a good source for pewter? Melt old beer mugs ? Brownells?

Pewter is like 95% tin and 5% other stuff...lead, copper, etc.  You can use tin which is commercially available for casting bullets.  I bet wheelweights would work, too.  Much harder than lead, melts easily, dirt cheap.

[Old Ford2]

Good Hard wheel weights melt easy and flow well, most likely better than pewter.
Cheaper too!
Fred

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I use high speed babbit that I was given by a fellow who worked in a saw mill here, about thirty years ago.  It casts well and finishes up to a high polish like pewter, if that is what you want.  I'm pretty sure this stuff has nickel in it.

[Bob Roller]

Taylor,
I worked in a shop that did nothing but Babbitt bearings and the material was Copper-Antimony-Tin.
The last one I worked on was huge and weighed about a ton including the cast steel housing which was
made in three segments.

Bob Roller

[James Rogers]

I use high speed babbit that I was given by a fellow who worked in a saw mill here, about thirty years ago.  It casts well and finishes up to a high polish like pewter, if that is what you want.  I'm pretty sure this stuff has nickel in it.

I use that as well for several applications. Copper, nickel alloy. It can also have tin content as mentioned but mine is copper-nickel.

[JBJ]

Try the Goodwill stores. I have had luck picking up "pewter" mugs and candle sticks - typically less than $2.00 per.
Most seem to be Britannia metal which is supposed to be tin (92%), antimony (6%) and copper (2%). Keep the temp up but below the char point of wood!
JB

[Old Bob]

I've never done this but Hershel's original videos showed him using a graphite pencil to blacken in the grooves which he says allows the pewter to flow smoothly.  He poured from the nose and it worked perfectly.  Worth a try?

Very much worth the try. I poured my second nose cap on a halfstock last week. I took a chance and didn't preheat the barrel, but I rubbed plenty of graphite from a carpenter's pencil into the mortise and low and behold, no holes! I could tell the difference in how the flow improved over the last time without graphite.

[AZshooter]

I have poured hundreds with a stainless soup ladle from the grocery store I bent the handle on. Holds enough for several if doing a more than one.

Dan

Got a smaller stainless steel gravy ladle at the 99¢ store & bent a pour spout into it.  Next project is to make a wooden handle & rivet it on  - classier and easier to pour with than the visegrips.

[Scota4570]

http://www.rotometals.com/Pewter-Alloys-s/23.htm

TRACK

Linotype metal.  The linotype looks fine, casts great. Bullelt casters may have some. 

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

I did a little experimenting making knife bolsters and the graphite was what made the difference.....otherwise on the other piece I had the same problem Rolf discussed.

[jamesthomas]

The pot is made boring out a piece of 40mm round stock Spout and handel are threaded to the pot and secured by welding beads on the outside.

I plan to use the pot on a elecric stove to melt the pewter. I've heated oil on the stove to 300 celsius, so it should work. Pewter melts at 270 celsius. Hopfully the spout will reduce spillage.





Best regards,
Rolf

Celsius!! What's that in English? just wanting to know. We don't do much metric stuff here in the States.

[Ky-Flinter]

Google "Celsius to fahrenheit"   Lot's of converters will result.

-Ron

[Flint62Smoothie]

Google "Celsius to fahrenheit"   Lot's of converters will result.

[1.8 x (value in Celsius)] + 32 = Degees Fahrenheit

[Bob Roller]

Google "Celsius to fahrenheit"   Lot's of converters will result.

[1.8 x (value in Celsius)] + 32 = Degees Fahrenheit

Is this what Taylor called "Foreignheat"?

Bob Roller

[Daryl]

Very nice Rolf! Makes my wired, spouted tuna can look like......a wired, spouted tuna can.

Good one, James!