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Pewter And Brass
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Pewter usage goes back as far as the Pharaohs, Classical Greece, and the Roman Empire.
Pewter is an alloy composed largely of tin to which is added in varying amounts
depending on the location and artist lead, copper, antimony, and bismuth. Spread
throughout Europe and England by the Romans, pewter by the Middle Ages was used by
everyone who could afford it for everything from dinner plates and tankards to oil
lamps and teapots. The alloy was melted and poured in molds, primarily made of brass.
The molds, perhaps only second to the mixing of the alloy, were the most important part
of the process. Since many pieces would be cast from a single mold, imperfections would
be multiplied many times. Most “master pewterers” for that reason, as well as their
reputation since their “mark” would be on the finished product, made their own molds.
After removal from the mold, the piece was finished either by hand scraping of smaller
areas ( such as handles on a mug ) or turned on a lathe to skim and polish the finished
product ( such as a tankard or a plate ) . The finishing process added the signature
texture and color characteristics for which pewter is prized as antique pieces: a soft,
almost translucent sheen and warm texture. Where needed, handles and legs were soldered
to the milled piece. Almost all pewter made through the 19th century bears the “mark” or
“stamp” of the artisan, generally on the bottom of the piece, although on pieces with
lids (tankards, teapots, coffeepots, etc.) the mark is inside on the bottom of the
article or on the inside of the lid. There are many reference books for those marks,
which identify not only where the pewter was cast, but also reveal within some constraints
the time period in which it was cast. It was the British who brought pewter and the
methods to manufacture it to America, where its use reflected their traditions and
usage. By the middle of the 18th century, pewter was being produced in America, mainly
in Boston and Philadelphia. While the original molds were most likely brought from
England, it was not long before artisans in America who were trained by English
artisans made molds. Because of the inclusion of lead in the alloy, the dangers that
lead poisoning posed have relegated any pewter items used for eating by generations
in the past are now only used for display.
Brass, like pewter, is an alloy, although unlike pewter contains only two elements:
copper and zinc. Due to the difficulty of obtaining metallic zinc, the history of
brass is not nearly as extensive as pewter. While the use of copper extends back to
ancient Egypt, the ability to combine it with zinc in its metallic form was not
perfected until the 18th century. Copper has been known and used from the most ancient
records available to today. The Statue of Liberty is mainly copper, all the wires in
your home are copper, and every coin you carry in you pocket or purse contains copper.
Its ability to blend with other metals has made copper a versatile metal across
millennia. Even though brass is mentioned in the Old Testament, most scholars believe
that either copper or bronze was the real material [ see below for a paragraph about
bronze ]. It was the Romans who developed a process to heat calamine, a zinc ore, and
allow it’s vapors to meld with the copper producing a shiny, malleable metal which
they used for ornamental jewellery and helmets for parades and processions for
high-ranking military. Spread, again, by the Roman army to England, the process of
producing what is now called Calamine brass developed mainly in South Wales where
copper was in abundance. Because of its “gold-like” appearance, it was first used for
church monuments, crosses, altar enhancements, and personal jewelry for those who
could afford it. The Industrial Revolution and discovery of the methodology to blend
metallic zinc with copper produced the more malleable and durable metal we now call
brass. Two developments about this time ( the early 18th century ) fueled a rapid
expansion of brass production in England and Europe: the woolen trade in northern
England and the need for precision instruments for navigation and time keeping.
Most of the navigation instruments, clocks, and watches made during this time and for
centuries after used the malleable, corrosive resistance, acoustic and conductive
qualities of brass as the basis for their manufacture. Many
clocks from the 17th and 18th centuries
using brass in their mechanisms are still in perfect working order.
The same characteristics that made brass
the metal of choice for woolen mills and weaving machines rendered it appropriate for
instruments such as the trumpet, trombone, tuba and the like. Many of the church pipe
organs installed during the 18th and 19th centuries replaced actual reeds in the pipes
with brass “reeds” using the durability of the alloy with the acoustic properties of
copper to produce the same vibrations as a reed without the decay. Because of the
shine, which for many people resembled the appearance of gold, brass from the 19th
century on was used in many pieces for its ornamental beauty. Candleholders,
chandeliers, bases for oil lamps, andirons, door knockers are but a few of the
household articles made of brass which survive as antiques today. Combined with that
aesthetic beauty, the acoustic properties, which made brass, the choice for musical
instruments, also made it the choice for doorbells and wind chimes, many of which are
still available in melodic condition today. Unlike pewter, there are no marks or
signatures on brass to determine the artisan or the approximate time of production.
Just a short paragraph about the first cousin of brass: bronze. In many older
documents this alloy of copper and tin is often translated as brass as it has many
of the same characteristics as brass. It was so very important to ancient cultures
that an entire block of nearly 3,000 years of ancient civilization bears its name:
the Bronze Age. Tools, weapons, armor were among the utilitarian uses of bronze,
which was more durable and harder than copper or tin alone. Many historians credit
bronze for the development and implementation of the cannon. Its very low
metal-to-metal friction made it possible for iron cannonballs to be fired, rather
than stick in the barrel of an iron cannon. Artistically, bronze was used in statuary,
decorative tiles, and wall panels throughout antiquity and still is in many cases the
metal of choice for contemporary statues. Like brass, bronze is capable of being cast
in molds, mainly used for decoration where a slightly duller patina is desired than
brass would produce.
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