Pewter, how to keep it beautiful though time.

Hello, my name is Ginny. Rachel is my daughter. We are the authors of "Wrinkles and Grace".
In our first blog you will learn a little about me and a lot about polishing pewter. As you witness life being brought back into these pewter pieces you may also see how God can use an everyday chore to speak life into us.

Back in the 80's my mother and I enjoyed spending time together thrifting and antiquing. Much as my daughter Rachel and I do today.

Mom and I both loved pewter. One day while in Pennsylvania we came across Armetale pewter.
We both fell in love with these dishes and each of us purchased a set of them. An extra bonus to these dishes was that the children could not break them.

Our family used these dishes for many years. Then one day I put them away. I did save them with the hopes of using them again one day. That day has come.

These old gems are out of their hiding place and they do NOT look good. Many of them have a cobwebbed discoloration. I like old and patina, but this is not it.

 

Let me save you a little time and money by sharing my experience of cleaning these pewter pieces. When my husband saw how many pieces of pewter I would be cleaning he went shopping and came back home with a dremel. I was so excited, hoping the dremel would make my job easier. The dremel was a great idea, but I did not have the right size polisher. My sweet husband then ordered another dremel with a larger buffer. This dremel polished okay, but it made a mess. Polish was spraying everywhere. The fact that it was battery operated was nice but it would not hold it’s charge very long. All of these facts were causing me to become a little bit frustrated. Honestly, good old elbow grease works best. This is what I used to polish my pewter; plastic gloves, some #0000 steel wool, old rags and some Flitz metal cleaner.

You can use the Flitz cream or liquid. They both work well. I put the polish right onto the pewter and started polishing with the steel wool. You will want to go with the grain as you polish.

 

Once you feel you have all the cobwebs and discoloration out wipe the excess polish off of your pewter with a soft cloth.

Put your pewter in warm soapy water. Using a soft wash cloth, wash your pewter well. Your wash cloth will look black and your dish water will need to be changed. I washed what was in my sink, drained the sink and wash the dishes again. Remember warm soapy water is key. It will help to get the film off of your dishes.

Once your dishes are clean, dry them with a soft cloth.

 

As I polished each of these pewter pieces I was reminded of life. How we are all blemished in some way. Cobwebs and scares have a way of growing us. If we never had a difficulty how would we be able to identify with others? A small gentle movement of a soft cloth may seem insignificant, but is it? Could I be a little gentler in the way I approach others, listen to them and speak to them?

There is a quote by Mark Twain that I find very wise,

"It ain't what you know that gets you into trouble,

it's what you know for sure that just ain't so."

How many times have I judged others not knowing what lays under the skin? With each movement of my cloth I was reminded of God's grace and how He has washed us clean. The Lord gave me a gift through this domestic exercise. He has shown me that these dishes are not perfect just as no one on this plant is. My dishes have scratches and scares of time. These pewter pieces are just pieces, pieces marked by time, yet they have a lovely patina. 

With a gentle smile, I thank God for his gentleness and the way He brings life into everyday.