Expert: Martin G Roberts - 1/4/2009

Question
QUESTION: Sir,  I have acquired a lovely old pewter tea set (KMD-Royal Holland with a crown- on bottom) but the problem is because of its age, there are  small dings on many of the pieces.  Can these be removed by me?  
The set has four pieces and the coffeepot and teapot have lovely wood handles (perhaps ebony?) and there is a wooden ball on the top of the sugar bowl that has the matching wood. Would these dings hurt the value of the set?  Thanks for any help you can give me.

ANSWER: -

Hello Anne,

I'm sorry to report your teaset is quite modern - Royal Holland started in 1898 and may still be manufacturing pieces. Most of their wares are reproductions of older styles.

The handles will be either ebonised, which is a process that gives the appearance of ebony on the surface of some less exotic wood, or simply painted black.

As a modern set, the value is quite small, so the issue becomes one of aesthetics. Do you like the evidence of use, or do you want something that looks new? If the latter, then you can easily remove dents by gently tapping with a suitable object - I often use a rolling pin. Be careful around soldered seams, as they can split when you push a dent out, and never hit too hard. You may find that tapping dents out produces a slight 'bruising' effect on the metal surface, but that can be polished away.

Hope that helps.

Martin
www.antique-metalware.co.uk

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your quick and informative response.  I read on the internet that if a hair dryer was used and then ice (or dry ice or a spray on coolant) applied that the dent might pop out.  Your thoughts. Thank you again for your advise.  I wish I could return the favor.  Sincerely,  Anne

Answer
-

Hello Anne,

In my view, that is complete nonsense. I cannot imagine that gentle heating followed by sudden cooling would have any effect at all on pewter.

Pewter is a soft, malleable metal, while that suggested method requires a material with elastic properties - a quick Google found people suggesting it might work on car bodywork, which is made of steel, a highly elastic metal. Furthermore, the method assumes that the dent is indented on a flat surface, while your teaset is made up of complex curves - how would the metal know what shape it should 'pop' back into?

This is the first time I've seem the photo of the set - it wasn't visible before. It is definitely a modern set, not more than 50 years old in my view, though reproducing the style of the second quarter of the 19th Century. The handles are just varnished wood, certainly not ebony.

Hope that helps.

Martin
www.antique-metalware.co.uk