Pewter Block - that one ok?

[Indianer]

Hey folks,

I have been looking for a nice pewter block for a long time. Like the one Mac uses, like the one Yumanov uses. Ok, I may have called it "lead block" here and there. Stupid....cause lead is kind of a health concern. But anyway, I found this on Ebay. Vendor writes it's been molten down from Cutlery all.

The price is 1/3 of what I could get from a larger commercial smelter. So...I am tempted. I want it to be actual pewter and it has to be lead free. Fumes when reheating, poisoning by touch.. So I'm kinda cautious. What do you all think? Yay or Nay?

EDIT: Sry, wrong ebay link. Is right now.
EDIT 2: Couldn't wait, bought it. Thought you guys probably don't know for sure what's in your pewter as well. Still interested to hear how I screwed this up..

[AlxW]

Congrats on finding that pewter block! It sounds like you've done quite a bit of research and have been really cautious, especially concerning the health aspects. Buying from eBay can be a hit or miss, but it's great that you found a deal that's much more affordable. Since you've already made the purchase, the best thing to do now is test the pewter block for lead content when you receive it. There are kits available for this kind of testing, which can give you peace of mind. And remember, many artisans work with materials whose exact composition they might not be 100% sure of, but taking precautions like testing and proper handling minimizes risks. Let us know how it turns out! myrskysytytin

[Indianer]

And here they are. My precious...

I wanna cast a larger round plate like Yumanov uses (video in original post). On YouTube someone guessed his one was lead, pewter would be too soft to form lames on. I hit a block a few times with a ball peen and it didn't care. I didn't hit hard, but I sure didn't tap on it. Billet didn't explode, that was a nice surprise!

So... can anyone tell me, is pewter adequate to form lames on? Or does it have to be lead?

[Galileo]

Lead is softer than pewter or tin. Whether that matters for what you need it for is up for debate from folks more knowledgeable than me.

[Kindyr]

There are probably a lot of factors in that question, including does the forming work well for you, since everybody works a bit different. Best way to find out would be to give it a shot.

the pewter blocks can always be melted back down and reformed, so the lame would be the only potential waste piece to just trying it.