Care of Pewter

Hand wash all your pewter in warm, soapy water and dry with a soft cloth. Never put pewter in a dishwasher, as the detergent and heat may be harmful to the finish.

To maintain a like-new look on your pewter items you should care for them differently, depending on the finish.

Polished Pewter

In addition to hand washing, polished pewter may need polishing once or twice a year. To do this you will need some Shirley Pewter Shop polish and two soft clean cloths. Apply the Shirley Pewter Shop polish to a spot on your pewter in a small circular pattern with one cloth. Remove the excess polish by using the same motion with the second cloth. Repeat these steps across the entire piece of pewter. To avoid stains, do not let the polish dry on your pewter.

Satin Pewter

In addition to hand washing, satin pewter may need an occasional brushing every couple of years. To do this you will need a swatch of very fine steel wool. After 48 years in the pewter business we have found that steel wool type # 0000 works the best. It should be available in any local hardware store. To use it take the steel wool and apply it to your satin pewter piece in the direction of the grain (the brush marks already visible). You need not press very hard as the satin finish will be restored almost immediately.

Oxidized Pewter

Oxidized pewter needs no care beyond occasional hand washing. The dark finish is designed to be carefree and maintain it's antique look. In fact, oxidized pewter gets darker over long periods of time in most cases.

Precautionary measures:

• Do not place pewter in direct flame, on a hot plate, or in the oven as it has a low melting point.
• For floral arrangements use a glass liner or line the bowl with clear plastic wrap.
• Do not leave party dips, salad dressing or citrus juices in your pewter for a prolong period of time, as extended exposure can stain the surface.

What is Pewter?
Pewter is an alloy consisting of mainly tin and containing antimony and copper for strength and color respectively. Although the percentages vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, a standard for present day pewter is approximately 91 percent tin, 7.5 percent antimony, and 1.5 percent copper. Modern pewter contains NO LEAD whatsoever.

For a more detailed look into the world of pewter please see some of our references.