Blanks for Stamping - Blanks Information Page

Our Blanks

Cast Pewter Blanks:  Made from Lead free Pewter. Molton Pewter is poured into centrifugal moulds to make these blanks. They are supplied to you polished or unfinished, unfinished blanks will need to be sanded and polished, once polished they come up to a nice shine. Due to the nature of cast Pewter the surface will not be perfectly even giving them a wonderful rustic charm

Holes

Due to the high number of blanks we sell and the time constraints, we are unable to offer a hole drilling service. It is far better to add a hole after the blank has been stamped in any case. There are many different tools for adding a hole; as our blanks are quite thick I recommend a mighty punch or drill/Dremel to do this.

Finishing Methods - Pewter

Sanding - Start at 400 grit then go onto 600, 800 grit then go onto the tumbling or polishing stage

Tumbling -  I recommend using Barrelbrite or washing up liquid I like Ecover Zero Sensitive washing up liquid. I do not recommend using soap 'b' (barreling soap from Palmers) as this can turn the Pewter Grey. Only tumble for a short time and check water is still clean as Pewter gives off a lot of dirt which in turn can turn it Grey if it's tumbling in it's own dirt. Check every half an hour I would not recommend tumbling for too long, Pewter does not work harden.

Polishing using mops and compounds:  I use a Dremel and a bench polisher, both give good shiny results. Pre polish stage you can use Tripoli, Green Menzerna... I use Hyfin with a close stitched or Calico mop, then for final polish I use Yellow Menzerna with a very soft mop... Ensure you use one mop per compound per type of metal to avoid any cross contamination.

For a quick freshen up you can use use Silvo cloth which will get rid of very fine scuffs the Pewter may have picked up in storage.

 

Pewter Information

Pewter is a Leadn & Nickel free alloy made from mostly Tin (about 92%) the rest is made up of Antimony & Copper to give more strength to the metal. All my Pewter is purchased from reputable UK companies who’s Pewter conforms to British Standards.

Our Pewter is Lead & Nickel free.

Modern Pewter has a lovely pale Silver colour and does not tarnish, to keep it clean just clean with mild detergent or hand soap and polish straight away with a very soft cloth, it should be kept away from harsh chemicals and chlorinated water as this could cause it to get a Grey hue. For light scuffs and to bring the shine back try using Silvo, rub the wadding very gently then buff with a soft cloth.

Pewter is very soft indeed which makes it lovely for hand stampers to decorate and has a nice weight to it so makes it ideal for Pendants. As it is so soft please ensure you take this into consideration when choosing it for your design as it will scuff if rubbed against keys and zips.

 

Custom Pewter Shapes

I am often asked if I can do custom shapes or exclusive shapes, the answer is yes and you have 2 options here:

1st Option is: if it's a shape that might be of interest to other people and you are happy for it to be added to the website,  we can just tailor it to your spec and I will add it to my next mould. I have done this for a few customers. It then just costs you the cost of the blanks each time, I am always happy to have ideas for new shapes this helps me out as I increase the range of shapes I can offer you and it means no outlay for you if you are trying out a new idea.

2nd Option is: If it's a shape that you want exclusive use of, I would need to make a mould for it for you.

There would be a cost of £50 to make the mould. I would own the mould and keep it here but you would own the exclusive rights for any blanks made from it. You would then just pay for the blanks each time they are made. The cost of blanks are based on weight so if you look around at the website at a shape which is a similar size as what you are after you can get a rough idea of the price each blank would cost.