A couple of months ago I posted some images of my walking stick/spear with poured pewter tips. I wanted to try a knife. The knife pommel didn't come out as smoothly, I am guessing because of the octagonal and tapered handle.
This is how the knife started, it's a generic 18th century trade knife from Avalon Forge.
You are going to need something to hold the pewter to the wood, I opted for the non period choice of a wood screw.
Next you need a mold. I just used a piece of cereal box and painter's tape. It doesn't need to be much.
Here's the pewter melting in a soup can on a bed of coals. A camp stove works just as well. For my pewter, I had a lead free pewter belt buckle that had a broken tab on the back. Keep an eye out for pewter items at thrift stores, or you can get it from places like Jas. Townsend.
Here's the freshly poured pewter. PLEASE WEAR HEAVY LEATHER GLOVES. It takes a few minutes to set up, but wait until it cools completely before removing the mold. I started to pull it off before it was totally cool and it pulled some of the pewter away.
After the mold is removed. It can now be filed and sanded smooth. I used a belt sander first, then hand sanded with fine grits 400-1200 in stages.
Final product. You can see how it's not really even, I need more practice.
Hope this was helpful.
. One thing you may consider for the next project is to make a little "cut-in?" or shelf so the pewter will pour around the wood and come up to be even with the surface of the handle. That gives you a little to play with in the sanding before you sand through the pewter to the wood. I've got pics up on my fb forge page of the five seaxish knives that I did this on if you want to go there and see them. Hope this helps some.