SEND E-MAIL Casting Pewter One of the more common activities of a pewtersmith is casting pewter. This is the process whereby pewter is heated until it becomes a liquid, and is then poured into a mold. It is then allowed to cool, hardening again into a solid. The cooling pewter takes on a new and desired shape. Jewelry, handles for hollowware, animal miniatures, and various collectibles are examples of pewter items that are cast.
Pewter is heated in a white metal furnace.
It is basically a cast iron pot, fired with LP or natural gas, and thermostatically controlled to maintain desired and consistent casting temperatures. The larger the casting, the cooler the liquid pewter is poured into the mold. A common method for casting jewelry and other small items in pewter is to use the process of centrifugal rubber mold casting. Here the pewter is poured into a flat, two-piece rubber mold while it is spinning in a casting machine. The centrifugal force presses the liquid pewter throughout the mold in the seconds before cooling, and returning to it's natural, solid state in the mold cavity.