Pewter
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Pewters are alloys made chiefly of tin, but including copper, lead, antimony and bismuth. Being easily melted down and recast, it is easy to reuse, repair, and recycle.
Uses
- food service and drinking vessels
Production
| Authority | Name | Usage | wt% | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tin | Copper | Antimony | Bismuth | Lead | |||
| British Standard | 5140 | Any | 91 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| US Standard | Pewter | Any | 92+ | 1.2+ | 6.7+ | 0+ | 0 |
| Worshipful Company of Pewterers |
Fine Metal | Tableware | 99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trifle | Holloware | 95 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Lay | No food contact | 85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
| Historic | Roman Pewter | Any | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Japanese Pewter | Any | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |
| Plate pewter #1 | Tableware | 83.5 | 3.3 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 0 | |
Hazards
Cooking in pewter vessels is unwise for several reasons. Lead, a frequent constituent of pewter, is not toxic in elemental form, but forms toxic compounds, and may do so if exposed to organic matter at high temperatures, which would occur during cooking processes. Secondly, most pewter alloys have a low melting point, and might lose integrity completely if used in a hot fire.