{{Short description|Zinc-lead alloy}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}} thumb|Spelter commemorative medal of Queen Victoria (1887)
'''Spelter''', a zinc–lead alloy, ages to resemble bronze, but is softer and has a lower melting-point. The name can also refer to a copper–zinc alloy (a brass) used for brazing, or to pure zinc.
== Etymology == [[File:Site of Tindale spelter works - geograph.org.uk - 1539906.jpg|thumb|Spelter works at Tindale, Cumbria]] In his etymology of the English language, 19th-century philologist Walter William Skeat speculated that the word pewter might have been derived from spelter.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Skeat|first=Walter William|title=An etymological dictionary of the English language|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1893|edition=2nd|location=Oxford|pages=438–439}}</ref>
== Zinc–lead spelter == An inexpensive alloy that is easily cast and worked, spelter was used from the 1860s in the manufacture of candlesticks, clock cases, tableware, and light fixtures. In the early 20th century, sculptors such as Jacques Limousin used spelter heavily in their manufacture of Art Nouveau and Art Deco figurines and other ornaments.
Spelter is relatively soft and brittle. It can be distinguished from bronze by scratching its patina: untarnished spelter is white, while bronze is yellow.
==The speltering process== Brass was made using a cementation process but this was replaced by '''speltering''', the direct alloying of copper and zinc metal which was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.<ref name=Craddock>Craddock, P.T. and Eckstein, K (2003) "Production of Brass in Antiquity by Direct Reduction" in Craddock, P.T. and Lang, J. (eds) ''Mining and Metal Production Through the Ages'' London: British Museum pp. 226–7</ref>
== Other uses == {{Anchor|Zinc ingots}}Brasses containing zinc may be termed spelter, as may zinc ingots formed by smelting.
== See also == * {{annotated link|French Bronze}} * {{annotated link|Latten}} * {{annotated link|White metal}}
== References == {{Reflist}} == External links == * {{wiktionary-inline}} * [https://20decoarts.com/deco-seated-lamp2.html German Art Deco Spelter Lamp]
Category:Zinc Category:Zinc alloys Category:Lead alloys Category:Brass