Talk:Pewter
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I think it is rather fragile. I do not feel authoritative enough to change the page, however.Pdn 05:24, 23 May 2005 (UTC)
- Hello Pdn, you are correct, at least some Pewter alloys are fragile. Please feel free to edit the article. --195.243.67.130 10:05, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC) (sorry, forgot to log in --Gunter.krebs 10:06, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC))
I don't get the second last line. The whole article talks about tin and copper, and then that sentence says something about iron. Confused Balfa 04:26, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
The composition of the third type of pewter claims it "could contain up to 150 percent lead". Surely this is some sort of error?
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[edit] Spelter
I must query the equivalence between spelter and pewter. Spelter is an obsolete word for zinc. Peterkingiron 23:03, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
in modern usage, spelter is an alloy of almost all zinc, used as a base metal for plating with bronze, brass, etc., in the making of statuary, lamps and knick-knacks. its advantages are in being lighter and cheaper than the metals with which it is plate. collectors, however largely view speltertware with disdain.Toyokuni3 (talk) 16:41, 17 April 2008 (UTC)
Early pewterers used bismuth to harden the alloy, but it lowered the melting point and caused brittleness. Substituting brass, an alloy of copper and zinc for bismuth improved the ductility and may have provided the poor link to the spelter name. The use of antimony to replace both bismuth and zinc did not lower the melting point and provided the ability to obtain a high polish. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.152.71.206 (talk) 12:20, 4 July 2006
[edit] copper + tin = bronze
As far as I can tell, the only difference between bronze and pewter is the copper to tin ratio. Is there some physical difference between them (such as the physical difference between Bainite and Pearlite), or is it a historical artifact of naming ("Gamma rays, x-rays, visible light, and UV rays are all forms of electromagnetic radiation. The only difference is the frequency and hence the energy of the photons."). --76.209.30.239 16:48, 30 December 2006 (UTC)
You are correct; copper alloyed with a small amount of tin is bronze; tin alloyed with a small amount of copper is pewter. Plus, sometimes, even smaller amounts of other elements. J S Ayer 01:04, 12 September 2007 (UTC)
given that varying the proportions of components in any alloy by even a little will change its physical properties, it is not surprising that bronze and pewter are vastly different. pewter is a lustrous silvery grey. bronze is,well, bronze coloured, sort of a vaguely coppery brown, which darkens(patinates) over time.pewter is malleable and hence not particularly durable (it is, however eminently re-cyclable, this being the reason for the rarity of pre-revolutionary american pewter). bronze is harder.(hard enough to make edged weapnos and tools from.)Toyokuni3 (talk) 17:32, 17 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Danforth link
I propose that the Danforth link be replaced with a more informative link. The photos aren't very informative and don't really expand on the topic. Ctordtor 03:25, 12 January 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Pewter Swords
Did smiths use Pewter to make swords? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 65.12.123.141 (talk) 13:47, 1 April 2007 (UTC).
- Have seen no examples. Pewter is a very soft metal compared to others that would be more suitable for the sword craft. Altzinn 00:43, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
altzinn's answer is polite understatement. a pewter sword would be absolutly useless.Toyokuni3 (talk) 18:41, 17 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Tomato
It seems unlikely that lead poisoning is the reason for mistrust of tomatoes. The effects are gradual and subtile. More likely is the relationship of the tomato plant to the nightshade plant. Thus, I suggest that this line be researched or removed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.179.107.8 (talk) 11:34, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
The relationship to nightshade is the reasoning for the distrust of the tomato, until the poor people had no choice but to eat it, at which point the fruit slowly gained popularity. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.93.23.213 (talk) 21:35, 27 November 2007 (UTC)
