Tennessee Pewter makes pieces through two different methods—spinning and casting.
Spinning — Metal spinning is an ancient art form where pieces are made on a lathe (a machine tool which spins the work piece to perform various operations) using a round pewter disc. The pewter disc is spun over wood, steel or aluminum “chucks.” This crafting takes great skill and physical work. All tableware pieces at Tennessee Pewter are spun by hand using this method.
Casting — Casting is when pewter is melted and poured into molds to make different complex and unique shapes. The Christmas ornaments found at Tennessee Pewter as well as other small, intricate pieces are cast. Each mold used by Tennessee Pewter during the casting process is hand crafted and unique. We design and craft our molds in our studio and have a collection of 3,500 one-of-a-kind options.