How They Used to Clean Pewter
By Loretta Crawford
Cleaning pewter is a relatively simple matter using modern cleaners and tarnish removers, however it wasn't always this way. Even just a few decades ago cleaning antiques was a chore requiring patience and as we will soon see a fair amount of creativity.
Modern cleaners are inexpensive and easy to use but some collectors worry about exposure to dangerous chemicals. I have spoken to environmentally sensitive antique collectors who refuse to use modern chemical cleaners and have compiled lists of old fashion methods that use safer substances.
One of the more unusual cleaning methods I have heard of is useful for cleaning very soiled items or pieces that have been painted. This method involves boiling the pewter piece in water and straw. Using a pot large enough to completely cover the piece with water, place the pewter object in the pot and fill with water.
After the water has come to a boil toss in a handful of straw. The abrasive qualities of the straw will work with the heat and rolling action of the boil to remove even the most stubborn grime and tarnish.
Now, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when trying to boil away grime. The first is it takes a long time. The boiling water must be kept full. If the water drops below the level of the antique piece it could severely damage the pewter and even destroy it.
Very fine wood ash when properly mixed with other substances makes a very fine abrasive excellent for giving a pewter piece a shiny new finish. To try this method collect several hands full of ash from your fireplace or ash pit. In order to separate the fine ash from the larger bits, sift the ash through cheesecloth.
Take your sifted ash and mix with just enough vinegar to make a wet paste and apply the mix with a rag to your pewter. The grainy and lightly acid mixture will, when vigorously applied, remove tarnish and dirt. Some collectors like to mix the juice of half a lemon into the ash as well.
Siliceous limestone when finely ground can be used as a mild abrasive. In the old days they called this material 'rotten-stone' for reasons that escape me but many old fashioned pewter books swear by the stuff. Most directions suggest mixing the material with a very mild soap or tiny amounts of turpentine. Although they sometimes suggest using the limestone alone on a dry rag to lightly polish a pewter object.
If you want to put away your pewter into storage or if you live in a salty or heavily polluted environment, it is suggested that applying a coat of fine non drying oil to the surface of a piece will protect it from oxidation and tarnishing.
Not all oil, however, is good for this purpose. Linseed oil, for example, will dry onto the surface and in the long run damage the piece. Curiously many old pewter books suggest the use of Vaseline as an inexpensive and excellent manner for protecting antique pewter.
More for novelty value than as an actual suggestion, paraffin oil will both clean and preserve pewter. Paraffin is unfortunately rare these days and working with it can be difficult. It smells terrible and if the piece being treated is porous, the smell will permeate the piece and linger long after the oily film has disappeared from the surface. The smell can be removed with tiny amounts of benzine.
While some of these methods may seem too archaic to try in our age of modern cleansers and chemicals they are very unlikely to do any harm. I'm particularly drawn to the wood ash mixture because of the lack of expense. For most people wood ash is essentially free and anything that decreases the expense of collecting improves its profitability.
Besides, any different method of polishing a pewter piece will minutely affect the final look. By experimenting with these old methods you might find that you prefer the way your pieces look using the new/old method. These kind of subtle differences are part of what makes collecting such an adventure and source of pleasure.
Loretta Crawford is a free-lance writer on a variety of topics including: food, wine and antiques. She can be reached at Content and Solutions.com.