Pewter cleaning, finishing & polishing Problems & Solutions

A. "How you care for your pewter depends on the appearance you wish to achieve and maintain.

In daily use, pewter was kept bright and polished and some collectors prefer this appearance. Pewter does not tarnish like silver, so a periodic clean with an all-purpose metal (not silver) polish will keep it looking bright.

Much old pewter is patinated and has a colour ranging from mellow silver to charcoal grey, a more 'antique' appearance favoured by many collectors, especially in Britain and Europe . It is possible to restore patinated pieces to a brighter and polished condition and there are degrees of restoration depending on whether a completely untarnished appearance is preferred or whether some signs of age, e.g. oxidation in joints, dents, etc., should be apparent.

Oxidation on pewter varies according the composition of the alloy and even this composition can vary on individual pieces. Serious oxidation can eat right through the metal and eventually create holes, especially in sadware (dishes and chargers, for example). Expert guidance is needed if such pieces are to be restored. For other pieces, the following can be tried (although never on valuable pieces without practice or guidance).

Washing with hot, soapy water will often remove a surprising amount of dirt and tarnish and should always be the first step.

A light oxide can often be removed with a hard rub and repeated application of a proprietary metal (not silver) polish.

Use of a fine grade of emery paper, say 600 grade, wet and dry. A coarser grade may be tried to begin with, working up to finer grades. Dark, hard-metal items will be slow to respond to this treatment, however, and several applications may be needed.

Some restorers also use electrolysis to remove oxide but this is an even more skilled task.

We repeat, never attempt to restore old or valuable pieces without guidance and practice on non-valuable/unwanted items!

Finally, old and valuable pieces will benefit from an application of good quality neutral wax polish to enhance appearance and protect from further oxidation."
-- (according to the Pewter Society webpage)

A. Not sure what final result you are looking for but I've done perhaps 100 pieces including plates, mugs, pitcher, etc. in the past decade. These were old, distressed pieces which were picked up at flea markets and antique shops around the world. In most cases I've hand sanded them working up to at least a 400 grade paper followed by machine buffing using at least two grades of rouge. The result is a blemish-free surface which is mistaken for all as polished silver. Indeed in Victorian England pewter was known as "poor mans' silver". I certainly would not do this on a valuable old piece since the value would disappear with the patina. It also takes a heck of a lot of hours so the reward of turning what was viewed as a piece of junk into a beautiful shining object must be sufficient for you.

Tom

A. I read somewhere, but have not tested for myself, that Caustic Acid will blacken the pewter and age it.

A. Hi Natalie,

Pewter buckles? ... but ye olde dark pewter with lots of lead or the modern shiny so-called pewter?

If ye olde, which have a dark patina, then try Silvo ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] brass and chrome cleaner. That's what I used but I forgot which gives one the best shine! You'd never get it to be shiny. For 'modern', I guess chrome cleaner or Silvo . Go & try them yourself.

As far as acid cleaning is concerned, I just don't know which would be best ... but then you never posed that question, did you !

But to get your buckle to a smooth state, you'd have to use fine emery (or sand) paper, then super fine and finish off with ultra fine. Then get a drill with a polishing pad and use whatever 'grinding' paste you can lay your hands on ... i.e., jeweler's rouge ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , for instance. That should make your pieces nice and smooth prior to polishing them properly.

Hope this helps.

A. Hiya, I hope this doesn't come too late, but the only way to polish pewter is to tumble it in steel BBs. That's what they use in the industry. Also, they plate it with various "shiny" metals. Pewter is rather porous and fuzzy, compared to the finer metals, that's what makes it resist a rouge wheel polish. The friction just causes it to "fluff up" and the rouge becomes impregnated in the soft pewter. You can try baking soda [in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and Q-tips ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , I've gotten nice results that way.

Good Luck!

A. Precipitated chalk (finest!) mixed with some water is also good for cleaning of your object. When finished rinse thoroughly!

A. If your pewter is antique-and it sounds as though it is, it is probably lead based... It is not meant to be shiny like silver so don't overdo it! Mix rottenstone ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] with boiled boiled linseed oil ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] to a paste and rub your piece with a soft cotton cloth dipped in the mixture.(Rottenstone is used in the regular 'Brasso' but is mixed with a more volatile carrier.) Rub in one direction only and the smooth bits will have a beautiful satin finish. When you are done, wash it in hot soapy water to clean all the stuff out of the crevices then dry it off. Finally buff it with a soft cloth to reveal all the detailing. I just did it with an Indian flower patterned napkin ring and it looks beautiful.

A. According to pewtersociety.org website: "In daily use, pewter was kept bright and polished and some collectors prefer this ... clean with an all-purpose metal (not silver) polish will keep it looking bright."

Hope it helps and good luck!

A. Use hydrochloric acid ⇦this on Amazon [affil link] aka muriatic acid or Harpic limescale remover to remove the scale from pewter prior to polishing. The item must be totally clean of oil and wax before doing this.

To keep the black scale in certain places just mask up using lacquer. Be very watchful over this process as the acid can completely dissolve the pewter within an hour!