Pewter Casting

Crispin Sexi (Jaysen Ollerenshaw), September 2006.

Over the past few years I have become interested in obtaining various small metal pieces for SCA use; buckles for shoes, bosses and clasps for books and mounts for belts. I've tried looking for the right thing in leather, hardware and art stores, but often I can't even get close to the medieval item I'm looking for, let alone an exact replica of a 14th Century belt-mount.

One of the common metals that such things were made from is pewter. I've heard people talking about pewter casting, and how 'easy' it is, but my natural instinct is to fear molten metal, so I have not been game to try it for myself.

This year at Canterbury Faire I attended a class on pewter casting run by Sir Sebastion von dem Schwartwald, who showed how to produce a soapstone mould in 2 or 3 pieces, what equipment one needs to cast pewter, and what precautions one needs to take to be safe. He then proceeded to cast several of the event tokens that we'd received on entry to Canterbury Faire.

It was actually quite easy.

And nobody was injured.

I retured home with a few sample trinkets, and over the new few months collected together the necessary items to do pewter casting for myself. There are websites around the place that will tell you what you need to know about casting, but I recommend you talk to people who are experienced before trying it yourself.

Warnings

Molten pewter is very hot.

Molten pewter turns water into steam with explosive force.

Older style pewter has lead in it, which kills babies, ship captains and Romans. Use modern lead-free pewter.

Soapstone dust is bad for your lungs.

Propane torches produce carbon monoxide, which will kill you if you work in a poorly ventilated area.

Talk to a person who's done pewter casting about the risks involved and how to do it safely before you try it yourself.

Equipment

• Pewter casting rods: I ordered mine from aemetal.
• Soapstone: For making the mould. Soapstone is a soft fine rock that is easy to carve. I got mine from an art supply store.
• Dust mask: Wear it while working the soapstone.
• Hacksaw: For slicing the soapstone into small slabs about 2cm thick.
• Fine sandpaper: For smoothing the soapstone slabs.
• A glass sheet: Lay the sandpaper on this to keep it flat while sanding.
• A drill press: For drilling the guide pin holes.
• Lino cutting tools: For carving the mould.
• Putty/blutak/plasticine: To check the shape of the mould.
• Steel ladle: For melting the pewter in. I bent the handle of mine to be a comfortable angle for pouring.
• Propane torch: For heating the ladle & pewter. People assure me that pewter can be melted on the stove, but I suspect the splatters would mess up the kitchen.
• Long matches: For lighting the torch.
• A tripod: To rest the ladle on while it is being heated.
• A protective visor: To protect your face from splatters.
• Old clothes with long sleeves: To protect your arms from splatters.
• Leather gardening gloves: Pewter gets hot.
• Leather welding gloves: Just one layer of gloves isn't enough.
• A metal tray: To catch drips and also the cast items.
• A teaspoon: For scraping the gungey bits off the molten pewter.
• Tinsnips: For cutting the sprue off the cast.
• A file and pliers: For cleaning up the cast.

Projects

My first project was a complete flop, so we shall never speak of it again. But the rest of them I'll add here as I get to them.

• A spangle as an event token.
• A Toy Knight.

Copyright Jaysen Ollerenshaw 2006. Free use for non-profit.

Joan & Crispin's Homepage: http://aelflaed.homemail.com.au/