Pewter Inlays

G

gijaney

Joined
Oct 17, 2004
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Hello. Does anybody have any suggestions for working with pewter as an inlay material? I'm having a devil of a time with the stuff. I'm primarily attempting to inlay a band of pewter around a cylindrical shape, and was instructed to a) undercut the groove I made for the inlay(already thought of that) b)wrap a fine copper wire in the groove for the pewter to stick to and c) use a soldering iron and not a torch, as the excessive heat of the torch will either cause the pewter to run out of the groove, or the "parent" material eg. knife handle , will get damaged. I've had limited success, with the biggest problem being the same encountered with solder: once a portion cools, the new stuff you're trying to add to the groove won't stick to the material that's already there, and cooler.VERY frustrating. I might opt for lead-free solder, but I thought the lead-free pewter I obtained would work easily enough, as it's melting point is about 500 degrees. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated, thanks. :mad:
 
Can't you just make a band of copper and clamp it tight around the handle with a hole over were you want the band then melt your pewter and pour it in and after cooling remove the band and then clean it up with a file and sand paper.I seen a pewter guard poured once and they just wrapped the handle material with masking tape and poured in it,must have been some with lead in it as it barely scorched the tape.
Good Luck and I am curious what you end up doing and how well it works.
Bruce
 
When we pour a nose cap on a muzzleloading rifle we just wrap a thin piece of alum. siding around and just masking tape it in place. Do some looking around and I think you will find lead free solder that melts at about half of the temp of the solder you are using.
Good luck
 
You will need to do it all in one pour. I melt mine in an old soup can and then pour it right where I want it. I use a manilla folder and tape to make my form. Hope that helps.
 
Thanks all, for the suggestions. I'll have to give it another shot. Previously, a buddy and I tried the melt-a-little-dipper-full approach, and were practicing in some grooves I'd carved into a block of wood, the result of which was that the stuff that poured in IMMEDIATELY cooled to the point where the stuff being poured a few seconds later wouldn't stick to it. We were too discouraged to try a "circumferential"(?) pour, with a retainer of sorts in place. I guess I'll try that, and let y'all know how it turns out. Thanks again.
 
Here's a little how-to with pictures....
Pewter Bolster Tutorial

I pour a lot of pewter butt caps and bolsters and like Anthony I use manila folder stock and tape it on with masking tape. When doing a wrap around inlay like yours wrap a piece of folder stock around it and seal the edges with tape - then cut a hole - about 3/8" diameter - and tape a funnel on made from the folder stock. Melt your pewter in a container rather than in just the ladle, it will flow much better. Dip a piece of wood into the molten metal about the size of a popsicle stick - if you get a flash and the wood starts to burn - it's too hot, if it just chars the wood then you're good to go. Pour it quickly and steadily - shaking the knife a bit helps spread the hot liquid. When pouring a bolster where the pewter will touch against the blade - warm the blade before pouring - I use a hair dryer - it doesn't have to be HOT just warm. Warming the blade will help the pewter to adhere.

Here's a fairly simple example of a pewter bolster and butt cap - poured slightly over size and then filed/sanded to shape (lower knife).
cr9-2.jpg


Belwo are a couple of examples by another maker that show just how delicate/complicated pewter inlays can get

PA130017.jpg


PA130006.jpg


Hope this helps..

BTW - an excellent source for pewter, babbit metal, and even a low melting point (281F) casting metal - the only problem I found with the ultra low temp metals are they softer so get beat up faster and for me when even boiling water can soften/melt them than that's just too low! (also being a maker of "period pieces" I make all attempts to use the materials originally used rather than modern substitutes).
 
Hey Chuck & All,
I use Al flashing material most of the time but manila folder works just fine. For a circumfrential pour, I would build up the borders one layer before taping on the form to allow shrinkage as the pewter cools. Undercutting the groove helps lock in place. I use one of those large shop soldering irons (3/8") with a modified tip to smooth in the "divots" and flaws.
I made a modified high-volume dipper for melting and pouring. Get a deep stainless steel soup ladle at a thrift shop. Braze a 1" section of steel gas (auto) tubing about two thirds up from the bowl at a right angle to the handle. Drill out the base of the tube through the ladle side to make a pouring spout. Clean up with a dremel for smoother pouring. Now you can melt a significant amount of pewter right in the ladel with a simple propane torch and pour when up to temp.
Never used the wood burn test for temp check. Sounds like a good idea Chuck. I'll have try it next time.
 
Many, many thanks to all who responded to my query. I can't believe it was as simple as that! Used the manilla envelope material, and a few attempts later, I've figured out not only how precise everything needs to be, but also how to correct imperfections, seal up divets etc. I found that some undercutting with a Dremel , followed by a re-pour fixes it up so you can't see anything. Beautiful! Thanks also to Wild Rose for the pictures-let me see what can be done WAY beyond my simple banding. As per the Chinese proverb, I've been shown how to fish. MUCH happier now. :)
 
Howdy Carl and your welcome janey-
Now tool wise I tend to go non-PC - for melting I use a little Lyman lead melting pot, holds plenty of metal at heat with out messing around with a torch and you can get one for under $25.00 - for a ladle I use one of the Lyman lead dippers with the bottom pour spout - just gives me better control. Preheat the dipper in the molten pewter and it helps a bunch in maintaining the heat while transferring it to your "mold".

In addition to undercutting the edges slightly I drill several small - .050-.0625" - holes at angles in the cutouts. These little curved "legs" act like locks to really help hold the metal in place especially when filing/sanding it.
 
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