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It cleaned up well. The solder lines disappear when polished.

I wanted to think it early American. I looked through many. Nearly all had the thumb barb on top of the handle and had the bottom of the handle applied such that the tip flared out from the body.

Here is the handle. It was likely hammered into a form that was used on other pitchers.

I found this Camusso pitcher to be almost a dead ringer in the handle construction.

I had thought all Peruvian silver was well marked. And generally heavier than this is.
The solder seams are not real well finished. Certainly somebody working with cruder methods than are employed in the big makers.

 

Terry, I think it is a lovely pitcher, especially the shape of it. I really like the bulbous (for my lack of a better word) shape of the body, the shape of the opening, the spout (and lip), and the handle. It did "clean up" quite well.

I know you were comparing the "handle construction" between your pitcher and the Camusso pitcher but . . . to me, your pitcher far outshines (no pun intended) the Camusso pitcher in overall form. Your pitcher looks like it would be easier to hold and pour from than the Camusso pitcher in the photo you provided.

 

Hard to tell with a photo,but the handle could have been repaired or replaced at some point.The "large" flow of solder above the seam near the pitcher should have been cleaned up.

Not sure what you meant about cruder methods,Paul Revere and many others didn't have much more than an alcohol lamp and a mouth blow pipe for soldering.It really isn't the methods which count,but the person doing the work.

 

I like it too... looks great cleaned up.

 

I don't know how well it can be seen in any of these. The solder did not flow well. There are spots where it is thicker and voids. I would think it was due to lack of heat control. The applied rim has a lot of gaps at the top edge. The solder in the handle is just naturally darker and hard to polish in that recess.
I have had fun trying to solder with modern materials and equipment. I have seen video of Asian craftsmen soldering tiny jewelry pieces with a blow pipe. They must have been made with photoshop because that's completely impossible.

 

Still a good-looking item. Maybe you should make some demonstration videos of your soldering. Also... I see you there, Terry!

 

I missed wherever discussion of this might have been so sorry if this has been answered but did you test it for silver? I also am assuming that is a repair on the handle. It's a lovely shape and much nicer with the foot than the other pitcher posted. IMO

 

Terry - there was a place on the foot that appeared to have a mark. Did that disappear in the polishing too?

Nice job, btw!

 

Yes, it is silver

I don't think there is a repair to the handle. All the soldering matches this.

The mark is no easier to see.

 

Rats.

 

I LOVE the simplicity of your pitcher Terry!! Nice, VERY nice!!

 

It polished up a treat! How did you know this was silver? Had I seen it in its original state, I would have imagined silverplate, or nickle silver at best.

 

In it's tarnished state it was easy to spot the clue. The solder seams were all a different color of tarnish. Had it been plated, the surface would have been tarnished the same as the plating would have been done over all of it.

A finger flick gave a second confirmation. All of the nickel silver type stuffs sound more like brass. I couldn't describe the sound to anyone. You just gotta tap a lot of pieces.

 

I'd tap that !!

( what ??.....not funny ??? )

 

Terry, did you try doing a rubbing of the mark?

 

I'll have to try the finger flick (if i ever get silver to try it on), but if the handle had been repaired, the solder would not have been plated.

 

That would make a great demo video, Terry! The finger flicks. I would SAVE it!
Right, Mr. Springfield Arms? (He's always encouraging people to do those.)
If I knew how to do anything useful, I would. Well, okay... salsa dancing... rolling burritos...

 

I tried rubbing. Never had any success with it.

I was talking about all the other solder joints - not the handle. The lines above the yellow lines here - plus some vertical ones.


I doubt a video could convey the subtle sound differences.

 

Ahhhhh... too bad, Terry. It just sounds so fascinating.

 

Would a silversmith use lead/tin solder, or silver solder?