Coming out of their shells
This week we learnt about the ancient art of pewter casting and each child had the opportunity to create a mould, melt the pewter over the campfire in the long spoon called the crucible and pour the molten metal into their mould to create a pewter shell. It took concentration, patience and accuracy. Not every pour was a success on the first attempt but they re-melted and re-poured. At the 'grand reveal' all the group turned their casts out at the same time to whoops and sighs of joy. A special shared moment.
Click here to see this week's photos
Pewter is an alloy* made of tin mixed with antimony and copper. It is soft and flexible and it can be melted easily as it has a low melting point 170-230'C (depending on the exact mixture of metals)
Pewter objects have been found in Egyptian tombs & the Romans knew and used pewter to a considerable extent and had developed a great deal of expertise in working it. As well as utensils such as knives, forks and spoons, the Romans used pewter for coins and seals of office.
It used to contain poisonous lead but it does not contain lead anymore as it would make people ill when making things with pewter.
*An alloy is a substance made of two or more metals or of a metal and non-metallic materials. To make an alloy, the ingredients are melted and mixed together. When the mixture cools, it hardens. Alloys are generally more useful than pure metals.
