Moe (fl) said:
Thanks Woody50!
Is there a wax available to protect pewter metal?
Here are pics of the pendant after two days in distilled water. It looks more brittle! I need to seal the metal with something. Any ideas?
-Moe
Wow, yes its not in such good shape, but that is just the oxide you see. The oxide is made from the metal itself, but maybe the metal is still in a reasonable condition under the oxide. I was surprised to see that the oxide is dark gray.
I think the best is to try to get it back to the original condition, and then wax it. How to do the first step is the problem. I would think we need to get rid of the oxide first. The oxide seems to also be what is chipping off, not the metal itself. Without knowing what oxide or even what metal it is can be quite a problem, and I am not an expert in that.
After getting rid of the oxide the best bet is sealing it with microcrystalline wax (MCW). You should be able to find it at an artists supply store. If you cannot find it I guess the next best is paraffin wax (candle wax). I am not sure how good this is or how difficult it is to use because I only use MCW.
I am hoping that an other member (maybe Daryl) could give us a tip here after he sees the oxide. I myself would think putting it into some sort of acid solution would remove the oxide (such as diluted lemon juice), but I can't recommend anything, I don't know if it would help or hurt. If the oxide had be white I think it would be easier to come to a conclusion.
If no one answers I myself would try the acid thing and put one tiny part of it into the solution (by for instance tie it above the container and letting only one small part into the acid water. Watch carefully and inspect it often to see if it starts removing the oxide.
After you get the item back to a good viewing condition seal it. I use a short tin can for this (tuna can). I put the wax or wax pellets into the can and melt them. I use hot air from a sort of air paint stripper to melt the wax myself, but you have to be carefull with small lead/tin/white metal items. The melting point of those objects is much lower than hard metals. If you are not carefull you can melt a object with the hot air before you know it. In a second it is gone, only a puddle.
That is not a problem with bronze and other hard metals, but with soft ones watch out. You can also just put the wax in the can and then on a heat source to melt it, but be carefull with open flames. When its melted put the item into the wax, wait a bit, and then take it out again. Put it on a kitchen towel (paper) to dry and pat it down with another kitchen towel (paper), just do that softly. You have to work fast to pat it down because the wax solidifies fast. You can also just try first not to pat it down if you like that better.
So as I said I think microcrystalline wax is I guess the best bet. That is what I use. I have not used anything else so can't say how good they are. One thing that is important is the melting point. It is higher with MCW and if you display your find under a hot lamp it will take a higher temperature before the wax starts to melt.
The main differences between paraffin wax and microcrystalline wax is that the MCW is amorphous (the crystals have no definite shape), it has a higher melting point, and it is soft and not brittle. On top of that it the molecules are different. Its just a better wax to use. Text from the net:
Microcrystalline waxes differ from refined paraffin wax in that the molecular structure is more branched and the hydrocarbon chains are longer (higher molecular weight). As a result the crystal structure of microcrystalline wax is much finer than paraffin wax, and this directly impacts many of the physical properties. Microcrystalline waxes are tougher, more flexible and generally higher in melting point than paraffin wax. The fine crystal structure also enables microcrystalline wax to bind solvents or oil, and thus prevent the sweating-out of compositions.
I hope this works, and hope others will give their opinion here (then we all can learn from your sorrow!). This is the way that I do it, if its the best method I don't really know. On the other hand this item is probably not a valuable item (like Daryl says maybe costume jewelry), but I know you found it and want to keep it of course, but it could be a good learn for you (we all learn that way so don't feel bad). Until you know, try to keep items coming from a wet environment in the same environment until you know what to do with it. I wish you good luck.
