The Fascination of Pewter 

     Pewter belongs to the group of non ferrous metals and its chemical symbol is SN (Stannum).

     Pewter reaches its melting point at 232 degrees Celsius and is easily combined with other

     metals. On the other hand, it is a poor conductor of electricity and heat.  Pewter is tasteless

     and odorless and thus, functional. Drink some juice or a beer out of a pewter cup or mug. 

     You will then realize how long your drink remains pleasantly cool.

     Pewter is resistant to atmospheric and chemical effects. This means that rust, caused by

     humidity, does not affect pewter as it does iron, and as mold effects copper. The noble

     patina, which after time develops onto pewter, can, if not desired, easily be cleaned and

     removed.

     In historical times, the Romans preserved medical remedies in pewter containers.  Tin foil

     (for chocolate) and tin cans for food products confirm that, due to its low toxicity, pewter has

     always been used in conjunction with food, therefore safe and reliable for this purpose.

     Even today, without pewter, radios and televisions would not have the ability to function

     without soldering the soft parts with pewter.

Occurrence und Exporting Countries

Pure pewter does not occur naturally by itself in nature.  It is found as tin stone or cassiterite in Malaysia, Bolivia and Indonesia.

Extraction of Tin

Tin is a grey-ish white, shiny ore and is extracted from tin stone in its crude form.  It is found as “mountain tin” and is washed out with other stones underground or superficially as soap tin, which is then exposed due to weather processes.  The ore occurs in an extraordinarily low concentration.

In order to free the pewter from other materials, a lengthy process is required.  The stones go through rolling machines and bowl bearing mills. They are then initially washed, heated and then washed again.  Then it is ready to be processed further.

Worth noting, is the tiny concentration of pewter which is obtained.  From one ton of iron ore, 400kg of iron is gained whereas from one ton of tin ore, only 4-10 kg of tin is gained.