Pewter mug from thrift store safe to use?

[Mateo1041]

Hi everyone,

Today I purchased a pewter mug from a small town thrift store and would like to use it this coming Saturday.  My question is, is it safe to consume from once washed in the sink w/ dishsoap?  It looks like pewter.  Not a high polish, but not dull either.  Has an "S" etched on the bottom.  Outside is smooth and looks worn.  Inside is a bit rougher and slightly bumpy, especially the inside bottom.  Has a "LIBERTY" emblem taking up most of the front.  Would love to use it if I can, but also want to make sure it's safe.  I've heard that lead used to be an issue and would leave darker areas which this mug doesn't have.

Thanks!

- Matt

[Mateo1041]

Here are a few photos:

http://m.flickr.com/photos/27261186@N06/4972168159/
http://m.flickr.com/photos/27261186@N06/4972782972/
http://m.flickr.com/photos/27261186@N06/4972170647/

[Merlin the Elder]

A vendor that I have purchased a number of items from has a website at http://www.ballenabaypewter.com

You might contact them and tell them that you were referred by one of their customers (from Scarborough). They won't know who in the bloody blazes i am, but that doesn't matter...they may see you as a future customer. There may be some test you can do to determine the material in your mug—a reagent perhaps. They have always done well by me.

[Butch]

My son buys pewter mugs from thrift store quite regularly.  He has owned one exactly like the one in your photos, and his was non-lead pewter (Brittania pewter).  So far, he has only bought one mug that we suspected as having lead.  That one was softer, and would not polish no matter what we used.

[Queen Bonnie]

 Hard to tell but it looks like Armetal. Newer pewter like material. That should be OK to use. I have several pewter mugs and use them all the time and I am still alive!  They get a bit scratched and dented at faire but that adds to their charm!

[Mateo1041]

Thanks everyone.  I ended up using it and have a couple times now.  Did use some steel wool beforehand and washed it really well.  Felt a little abnormal this past week, but that could have simply been me trying to eat healthier and clean up my overall diet.  The mug itself is wonderful at getting cold very quickly and being quite frosty.

[Merlin the Elder]

In the future, the pewtersmith at Scarby told me to clean the mug with alcohol. I don't think that using steel wool is good for it, in the long run.

[Mateo1041]

In the future, the pewtersmith at Scarby told me to clean the mug with alcohol. I don't think that using steel wool is good for it, in the long run.

Will try that in the future.  I don't think a ton came off, but it sure did leave my hands silvery in color.  I've been filling it with alcohol to drink.  Does that count?

[Merlin the Elder]

heh-heh...not quite. They were using either denatured or rubbing alcohol. It didn't all come off while they were doing it, but definitely some of it did.

[Queen Maggie]

If you're ever worried about lead in a product (pewter, ceramic, glazes, etc) there a small inexpensive kit you can get at Home Depot or such, that swabs the material and changes color if it detects lead. Easy and cheap peace of mind.

[Mateo1041]

If you're ever worried about lead in a product (pewter, ceramic, glazes, etc) there a small inexpensive kit you can get at Home Depot or such, that swabs the material and changes color if it detects lead. Easy and cheap peace of mind.

Hey, great idea.  Thanks!

[Nighthawk]

If you're ever worried about lead in a product (pewter, ceramic, glazes, etc) there a small inexpensive kit you can get at Home Depot or such, that swabs the material and changes color if it detects lead. Easy and cheap peace of mind.

No kidding! That's good to know! I didn't even know that pewter could contain lead! I guess I should test my mug! I have a thrift store mug... Been using it for several years. Maybe that explains a few things... 

[Merlin the Elder]

...No kidding! That's good to know! I didn't even know that pewter could contain lead! I guess I should test my mug! I have a thrift store mug... Been using it for several years. Maybe that explains a few things... 

If that's a picture of you on the left, you've had WAY too much lead!

[bellevivre]

here's my take on it- how often are you actually using the mug? 3-4 weekends a year? now, think abt the fact that people used OLD, leaded pewter for centuries, without keeling over from lead poisoning...

I have a real fake mug of questionable content, and even if it DID have pewter in it, I dont think I'd stop using it, as I ONLY use it for faire, a few weekends out of the year... it is mine, and it has character!

(ask me why it's a real fake! please!)

[Nighthawk]

here's my take on it- how often are you actually using the mug? 3-4 weekends a year? now, think abt the fact that people used OLD, leaded pewter for centuries, without keeling over from lead poisoning...

I have a real fake mug of questionable content, and even if it DID have pewter in it, I dont think I'd stop using it, as I ONLY use it for faire, a few weekends out of the year... it is mine, and it has character!

(ask me why it's a real fake! please!)

OK, 2 things- I use mine all year round. It's durable, convenient- and I camp A LOT! Second... What makes yours a real fake? Is it one of those English estate sale mugs?

...No kidding! That's good to know! I didn't even know that pewter could contain lead! I guess I should test my mug! I have a thrift store mug... Been using it for several years. Maybe that explains a few things...  

If that's a picture of you on the left, you've had WAY too much lead!

Man, I haven't laughed that hard in a while!! Thanks for that! No, that bear greets kids in a local dentists office... (And I thought it was about time I change it!)

[bellevivre]

yep, well, one of the knock offs, anyway! Lemmie see if I have the pictures I sent to the Pewter Collectors Society...

here it is



it has actual touchmarks and whatnot, but looks like it was cast then machined, as there is large crystalline features on the inside (like you see on the aluminum guardrails on roads) They were really interested in it as it was a shape they'd never seen, and that the marks were relatively clear, clearer than they'd seen in the past...

It's mt very favourite part of my faire kit- when in London, I bought a nifty glass bottom tankard that has a renaissance groat in the bottom... but I never use it!

[chinamimi]

Thanks everyone.

[Charlotte Rowan]

If you're ever worried about lead in a product (pewter, ceramic, glazes, etc) there a small inexpensive kit you can get at Home Depot or such, that swabs the material and changes color if it detects lead. Easy and cheap peace of mind.

No kidding! That's good to know! I didn't even know that pewter could contain lead! I guess I should test my mug! I have a thrift store mug... Been using it for several years. Maybe that explains a few things... 

Hmmm I didn't even think about this either! I've only used a pewter mug for one season, but I might need to test it before next year!

[iain robb]

But ... good luck with the testing kit. I bought a kit and, as I recall, it was supposed to leave a black mark if the mug contained lead. Sounds good.

I tried it on a mug I am almost certain does not contain lead, and on one I think might contain lead. On the one that almost certainly does not contain lead, it left a mark that was a little darker than the rest of the metal. On the other one, it left a mark that was a little more dark than the mark on the other mug.

So what does that mean? As far as I can figure out, it means the one I am almost certain does not contain lead almost certainly does not contain lead, and the one that I think might contain lead, I think might contain lead. Oh, and I had less money.

[Rowan MacD]

 Aren't those test kits for paint?  They may change color differently for on metal use, unless they can also be used to identify lead pipes in plumbing.

[iain robb]

Perhaps there is a test kit for lead pipes, and I got the wrong type. It's been a while, but as I recall there was only one type available and it was supposed to work on anything.