The Art of Pewter

Each piece of Shirley Pewter is a hand-crafted piece of art. Every item is created using time-honored methods of pewtering which have been passed down from generation to generation. Several elements go into forming an item of quality and craftsmanship. Design, form, construction, and finish are the true gauges of the craftsman's hand and the quality of his product

The properties of pewter are such that the metal can be worked in a number of ways. The two traditional methods of crafting the material are casting, and spinning manipulation into forms from flat sheet metal.

Pouring molten pewter into a mould.

In casting, molten metal is poured into gunmetal moulds producing a single form, or into centrifugal casting machines, allowing for multiple castings of small items from a single rubber mould. Moulds of cuttlebones, plaster, or the lost wax process can produce a single unique casting. Following the rapid hardening of the metal, craftsmen must prepare pieces for polishing. Cleaning may involve using hand files to remove seams, or turning which is mounting the item on a lathe and removing thin layers of metal with cutting tools.

Joining and soldering components to finalize the form.

Soldering is the standard method of attaching pewter components. The pieces to be joined are heated, and a tin based alloy is applied. Under capillary action the molten material is drawn between the pieces, cools and hardens. Flux is used to remove oxides during heating.

Buffing & polishing, the last touch to highlight the beauty.

The beauty of pewter is often enhanced through polishing. The pewter item is pressed against rapidly rotating buffing wheels made of felt with varying abrasives or rouges being applied. The purpose of buffing is to remove surface imperfections. Some polishing takes place on pieces before assembly if areas on the item would be hidden during final polishing.

Shirley Pewter is routinely finished with a high luster polish, however a satin finish can be achieved through coarse abrasive and steel wool, creating the brushed effect. Pewter from earlier periods oxidized easily due to high lead content. In order to simulate antique pewter, chemical treatments may be applied which "oxidize" or darken the surface permanently.

Spinning, an art on the lathe.

Spinning is a metal forming process which occurs on a lathe and by which hollow pewter vessels are created from flat stock metal. A disc of metal is mounted against a chuck or mandrel - the form to be achieved - and then while rotating, pressure is applied to the metal by hand tools so that it conforms to the shape. Once the desired shapes has been attained a skilled spinner smoothes the surface of the vessel with an ironing type movement of his tools so as to remove any tooling marks. Pot bellied forms are created through the use of slit chucks. The slit chuck is assembled to create the form. Pewter is spun over the chuck, then each piece of the chuck is removed...like a puzzle.

Functionality, care and long life.

Shirley Pewter is produced from a pewter alloy made up of 92% tin, 5% antimony and 3% copper. All Shirley Pewter products are quite safe to use in contact with food and drink. Shirley Pewter is essentially "Lead Free," it occurs only as a trace element in the pewter. The beautiful appearance of our pewter requires surprisingly little maintenance.