Tag Archives: clean

How to Care for Pewter Glasses

Pewter is an alloy, which can make it a little different to care for than other metals. For the most part it does not rust. Most pewter is 9&% tin or higher. Contrary to what you might have heard Pewter does not contain lead nowadays and pewter mugs and glasses are okay to drink from. However you should be wary if you are in possession of a very old pie of pewter as it might contain lead.  If the pewter iron has a gray to black patina then it might have lead content.

 

The good new about pewter is that unlike silver it does not tarnish easily which means there is no need to clean it all the time.  Every few years is okay. The other thing to note here is that pewter looks great with a bit of a dusty gray patina. Even if you remove it the oxidization will naturally come back in a year or two.

 

There are three different types of pewter that exist: polished pewter, satin pewter and oxidized pewter.

 

Polished pewter is shiny and smooth and can be cleaned very easily with a soft cloth and a polish you make on your own.  The perfect paste for cleaning pewter is made out of salt, vinegar and flour and rubbed on the item to make it shine.

 

Satin pewter has a rougher, more grainy appearance and is usually cleaned with warm water and a mild soap. You can buff this type of pewter and make it loo shier by gently rubbing it with a very fine steel wood. Do not rub too hard or you could remove the chunks of plating.

 

Oxideized pewter usually has a darker finish and it may be hard to tell if it is made of lead. If it oxidizes quickly within a few months it might be a lead and tin alloy. As the dusty or gray look is part of the look of this type of pewter you only need to rinse it with warm water and soap.

 

To avoid damaging pewter then you need to avoid using it to contain citrus juice, which can pit or stain the item.

 

Keep in mind you cannot remove lead from pewter no matter how much you try to scrub it clean.  The FDA requires that the tin content be at least 92% in order to be qualified as “food safe” and you will find some companies go even beyond this point with up to 97% pewter.

Bottom Drains Keep Your Pond Looking Clean

 

Does your pond look dirty and is the water too murky to see plants or fish?  This is a common problem in outdoor ponds where the owner has not bothered to install a bottom drain.  A bottom drain helps keep your pond looking clean all year long because it is a great water clarifier.

 

It is generally accepted that bottom drains are a must and should be fitted to all ponds under construction but if you made your own pond with a plastic liner or basin you may have skipped this step.  The good news is that it is never too late to install a simple one.

 

A bottom drain can also greatly improve the efficiency of any mechanical filter and especially a gravity filter. This can save you a lot of time when it comes to skimming or vacuuming your pond and the filters will just work better.  The better the filters work the more oxygen there will be for any fish in the ponds.

 

If the main drain is above the height of the pond then it is possible to have a discharge chamber, and then you can pump the pond water to the drain, using a pump with a fitted float level.   The float levels can tell you a lot about the health of the pond and whether it is time to give it a cleaning.

 

In general, bottom drains have a deep large sump usually 10 to 12 inches diameter and about 6 inches deep. These usually have a 4-inch socket to take pressure pipe and this is then taken directly to the drain box where a 4-inch standpipe with `O’ ring is fitted. It is also possible to purchase bottom drains made of fiberglass.

 

Most pond drains have what is called a mushroom cover. It’s called this because it makes the drain look like a large black or steel mushroom.  The more bottom drains you have, the less maintenance your pond will require from you.

Usually, the number of bottom drains required will depend on the size and shape of the pond.  A rectangular pond that is between 12ft x 10ft would probably require two bottom drains if you want the water to be as oxygenated and as clean as possible.

 

Each drain should have its own straight pipe that connects directly to the mechanical filter to keep your pond from looking as muck free as possible. This can save you from doing a lot raking of debris all year round.