About Us
About Us
Oster Pewter is a leading U.S. manufacturer of lead-free pewter (sometimes referred to as Britannia metal), supplying a wide range of industrial and artisan markets.
We alloy tin, antimony, and copper in a variety of ratios, and provide it in various sheet and ingot forms to meet our customers’ varied needs.
With over 100 years of combined experience in the pewter industry, Oster Pewter is well prepared to meet our customers’ material requirements and to act as a resource to help locate information, products and services that support successful product launches. Providing world-class service to our customers is our first priority.
Our site is designed to be a resource for you. Please contact us with suggestions for additional information that would be helpful to you.
History
Pewter, a term referring to a wide range of alloys that consist primarily of tin, has been used for thousands of years in a wide variety of applications, most recently ranging from gift and hollowware to industrial and electronic solders. It is available in ingot form for casting, or in sheet form for spinning and forming. Pewter has a low melting point, is easy to cast or form, and is ductile, making it easy to work without annealing. Many alloys of “pewter” contain lead and/or cadmium by design, however, the use of these alloys has diminished due to safety concerns. Be aware of what you are buying…for information, Click Here: Caveat Emptor
Oster Pewter
Oster Pewter originated in 1974 as product line within the A. J. Oster Company. In the mid 1980’s, British industrial conglomerate Cookson PLC bought the A. J. Oster Company, then sold the name and the brass division to Olin Corporation in the early 1990’s, but retained the white metal and pewter product lines under the name Oster Alloys, a dba of Fry’s Metals.
In 2002, Callico Metals, Inc. acquired the assets of the rolled sheet pewter product line from Cookson. This stand-alone, privately held company now does business as Oster Pewter.
What We Do
Oster Pewter manufactures lead-free pewter, sometimes referred to as Britannia metal. We procure base metal elements, including tin, antimony, and copper, and alloy them in a variety of ratios.
We then either cast the pewter and supply it as ingots, or process and roll it into sheets in a wide range of thicknesses, sizes, and shapes. Each lot of pewter is assayed to ensure the alloy meets specifications. Certificate of Analysis and/or Conformance are available.
Drawing on our 100+ years of experience in the pewter industry, Oster Pewter also acts as a resource for information related to the use of pewter; we direct inquiries to other resources and we liaison with related suppliers and subcontractors.
Quality, Safety and Environmental Overview
At Oster Pewter, we understand your expectations for consistent quality and purity of your starting material and that your supplier be a responsible environmental citizen. We make every effort to meet those expectations in the way we conduct our business internally, locally, and globally.
We purchase all starting materials pre-certified as low-lead. We further verify these results by performing assays on every lot made from newly acquired materials.
Certificates of Analysis* are available for a nominal fee.
As material moves through the various stages of production, we verify dimensional measurements and perform visual checks to ensure the finished product will meet or exceed ASTM specification B 560-72. To search for and purchase this specific document go to: http://www.astm.org
We visually inspect each piece of pewter before carefully wrapping and packaging it to ensure our customers receive the finest quality possible.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)* are provided with a customer’s first annual shipment and are available at any time from this website.
Certificates of Conformance* are available for a nominal fee.
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Oster Pewter™ contains no lead by design, and assays are performed to verify that no more than 500 parts per million (ppm) are contained in any lot of our material.
We can direct you to several sites for information on pewter’s suitability for applications where it comes in contact with food or beverages. See FAQs.