How to Cast Pewter Jewelry

Cast pewter jewelry using the oiled sand used in sand casting.

Pewter ingots and reclaimed pewter are used by home enthusiasts to create their own pewter cast jewelry. Medallion-shaped items are the most common homemade pewter jewelry item because of their simplicity to cast. Beginners to casting pewter will find that using a round coin-shaped item as a mold will ensure the first pour as a success. Choose a necklace medallion with a top ring as the first casting project. Get the feel for the pour before continuing with other projects.

Things You'll Need

• Small cast iron skillet
• Square metal cake pan
• Oiled sand
• Wooden meat cleaver
• Yardstick
• Necklace medallion with top ring
• Sharp knife
• Pewter ingots
• Safety glasses
• Torch
• Striker
• Hot pat or oven mitt
• Wire cutters
• Needle files
• Sandpaper

Instructions

1. Place the cast iron skillet on a flame-resistant surface. Remove any flammable items within six feet of the area. Place the square cake pan on a flat work surface nearby.

2. Fill the cake pan with oiled sand used in sand casting. Pack the sand tightly in the cake pan using the palm of your hand. Turn a wooden meat cleaver so the handle is pointing straight up. Push the head of the meat cleaver against the sand to pack it hard.

3. Add more sand until it mounds over the top of the cake pan 1/2-inch. Pack the sand into the cake pan.

4. Pull the edge of a yardstick over the top edge of the pan. Slide the yardstick back and forth to cut the oiled sand that extends past the top of the cake pan.

5. Press the sand with the palm of your hand to tap down any loose grains.

6. Turn the necklace medallion over so the design is on the bottom. Sit the medallion in the center of the sand-filled cake pan. Press the medallion into the sand until the back of the medallion is even with the surface of the sand.

7. Carefully remove the medallion from the sand. Use a sharp knife and cut a thin V-shaped line starting at the medallion and moving away from the medallion approximately one inch. This is the channel the molten pewter will follow to fill the medallion. Taper the canal so it is low at the starting point, which is the medallion impression and gets higher as it goes back. This small V-shaped canal will create a sprue on the medallion.

8. Remove a small pour pool at the end of the V-shaped canal. A pour pool is made by pressing your thumb into the sand and creating a small indentation that is circular in shape. Push hard enough in the sand that the indentation stops at the bottom of the tapered V-canal.

9. Place one to two ingots of pewter in the small cast iron skillet. Put on the safety glasses/goggles. Light the torch with the striker.

10. Hold the flame approximately two inches above the pewter. Move the flame in small circular motions over the top of the pewter. Watch the pewter until it melts. This will take between three to 10 minutes depending on the room temperature and the intensity of the flame.

11. Immediately turn off the torch. Pick up the small cast iron skillet with a hot pad or oven mitt. Carefully pour a small stream of pewter into the pour pool. Watch the pewter flow down the V-shaped canal and fill the medallion impression. Stop pouring just before the impression is full. The remainder of the pewter in the pour pool will fill the medallion.

12. Allow the pewter to settle. Pour more molten pewter if needed. Allow the pewter to cool for 30 minutes. Remove the medallion from the sand. Cut the sprue from the edge of the medallion with wire cutters. Sand and file as needed.