Dave is a pewter caster, it’s a little like sorcery and takes years of expert practise to get it right. Dave starts by making a mould out of soapstone. The soapstone is carved into the desired shape needed to make household liveries (badges and logos).
These liveries are vital in the 15th> century and on the battlefield, as it helps identify friend, foe and the lord you belong to. Wanderers, and those on pilgrimages, would collect badges as memorabilia as they travelled from town to town, the more badges you have the wiser and travelled you are. Let’s face it, even the in 21th century we still like a good story and storyteller.
Now for the magic, the pewter. Dave makes a fire, which needs to be kept at a constant heat, without modern thermometers and heat sources this is no mean feat. The temperature is important that even the weather, wet or hot, can have a detrimental effect on the casting and finish. Over this heat Dave warms a mixture of tin, antimony, copper and bismuth known as pewter. Once heated to exactly the correct temperature he then skilfully pours into the moulds. Some of which a minute and very intricate. The pewter is then allowed to cool. Once this process is complete the mould is removed, and the pewter badge revealed. There are very few pewter casters that are able to use the traditional methods. Dave would be more than happy to show you the moulds, demonstrate the process and answer all the questions you have.
