There are two camps of antique-lovers in the world, we have found … they are both just as passionate as each other in their love of the old, but don’t quite agree on how to keep and display their antiques. In the silver corner, wearing the bright and shiny trunks, and weighing in at 142 pounds, we have the ‘New-Antiquarians … arians…arians’! These guys love old things, but also love their old things to look like new, and be nice and clean. The dirt of the ages is not what they had in mind when they started their collections! Then, in the dark and musty corner, in the mellow patinated trunks, and weighing in at 142 pounds also, we have “The Purists … purists … purists”! Many people from this corner can’t bear to clean up their old pieces too much, and believe that restoration can be akin to desecration.

We straddle both camps here – but this article is for the New Antiquarians (…arians!!), and especially those who love the ancient and historical look of pewter. It is definitely not a common metal, especially nowadays, however it does pop up in antique collections often, and many of our reproductions are available in pewter. It is an alloy composed mainly of tin, but including hardening agents like antimony, copper and lead. It was used in the very first of the great civilizations, the Egyptians and Romans, and medieval Europe also used it extensively. Did you know there was once a Worshipful Company of Pewterers, dedicated to maintaining pewter standards?!! So if the idea of a thousand years of dirt on your doorknobs doesn’t necessarily appeal to you – or you would like to keep your reproductions in a clean and respectable state, here are some methods for maintaining and restoring pewter.

If you have purchased a pewter reproduction, and want to keep it looking nice, simply polish it as you would any other metal object, only don’t use silver polish! Use a soft cloth and rub at the pewter until it begins feeling smoother and silkier, then wipe the polish away very well with a clean cloth. Follow any other directions that your metal polish container has printed on it.

If you have bought a pewter antique which you’d like to restore to the way it would have been when it was made – bright and shiny – there are several different methods you can use. However, always make sure you practice a new technique either on a hidden part of the piece first, or on some pewter which you don’t really want … every metal reacts to things differently, and every method is differently executed. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Water and soap

Your first stop should always be hot water and mild soap – just try your regular dish soap. Use a toothbrush or other plastic-bristled brush to help scrub away dirt and oxidated metal from the surface. It can be surprising how much tarnish and dirt this actually lifts off, and it is relatively risk free.

Metal polish

The next step to try is metal polish – although do not use silver polish for pewter. It is better to be safe than sorry, and it is safer to use more muscle than polish. Use only a little polish, and just keep rubbing – it is a labour of love, remember! You may have to apply a little polish, several times before you get the result you want. You can also use polish on toothbrushes or other soft bristled brushes to get right into the cracks of the piece.

Emery paper or sandpaper

Emery paper or sandpaper can also be used to remove tarnish. See how your piece reacts with finer grades first, and try it out on a hidden area. Once you’re sure you won’t damage it by using coarser grades, you can use these to remove most of the tarnish, then just do the detail with the fine grade paper, as it takes longer to have an effect.

Caustic soda

Caustic soda is great for removing tarnish … but be aware, once it is on, it is on. You can’t take it back like you can with polish. If you want to remove all tarnish from a piece with a lot of little nooks and crannies, this is a good method to use, but only once you have practiced on other unwanted pieces of pewter. Leave the piece in for fairly short times at first (the safe/sorry principle), and always use protective clothing. Keep the container out of reach of children and pets – caustic soda is an extremely harsh alkaline chemical and can cause serious burns. When you are ready to remove it from the bath, you need to put it into a clean water bath for two or three days – change the water every morning and night to remove all traces of the chemical. This step is absolutely essential if your pewter is to be used for serving food or drink, as it probably was when it was made.Once you take it out, it will have quite a dull finish – you still need to use either emery paper or metal polish to bring back the brightness, although once you have bathed it in caustic soda it is much easier to remove. To be extra safe, wash it with hot, soapy water once all is said and done, and it shouldn’t get much cleaner and shinier than that!

Hopefully all you New Antiquarians are satisfied with your pewter finish … such a gorgeous metal does deserve special treatment. However, we are not making any bets on that boxing match!

Photo credits: Pewter Pitcher by Geren W. Mortensen, Jr.

This entry was filed under Architectural Salvage, Do it Yourself. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.