Letter 19793

CLEANING PEWTER [South Africa] 

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What can I use to clean tarnished pewter that has lots of detail i.e. if I use a silver polish, when I rub it off with a cloth, some of the polish remains where the cloth cannot reach it.

Thank you,

Tina Faherty
- Durban, KZN, South Africa

Precipitated chalk(finest!) mixed with some water is also good for cleaning of your object. When finished rinse thoroughly!

Goran Budija
- Zagreb, Croatia

If your pewter is antique-and it sounds as though it is, it is probably lead based... It is not meant to be shiny like silver so don't overdo it! Mix Rottenstone [link is to product info at Rockler] with boiled Linseed Oil [link is to product info at Rockler] to a paste and rub your piece with a soft cotton cloth dipped in the mixture.(Rottenstone is used in the regular 'Brasso' but is mixed with a more volatile carrier.) Rub in one direction only and the smooth bits will have a beautiful satin finish. When you are done, wash it in hot soapy water to clean all the stuff out of the crevices then dry it off. Finally buff it with a soft cloth to reveal all the detailing. I just did it with an Indian flower patterned napkin ring and it looks beautiful.

Clive Hollins
- Cambridge, UK

I need to clean and polish to a shine modern pewter. Who would supply me with rotten-stone or can I use Brasso [link is to product info at Amazon] without damaging the objects? These are everyday articles that you would use for dining and food preparation.

Renette Kumm
- South Africa

Ed. note: We've now hotlinked the previous posting to a source for rottenstone, Renette.

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