Meet the Team - Mark Ismay

Joined Wentworth Pewter: 2006 and he’s been in the trade for almost 30 years.

Role: Preparing the right pieces of pewter for spinners and metalsmiths, making moulds for casting.

The craft: I make silicon moulds for casting pieces. Everything has to be cut and trimmed to exactly the right shape, then the mould is vulcanised to make it harder so you can pour the metal into it. I’m learning to spin tankards, but it takes years to get right as it’s one of the hardest jobs in the trade.

The hallmark of Wentworth Pewter: Each part of the pewtersmithing process takes specialist knowledge and we still have people with the know-how to do it. There’s something special about a piece that’s been made by hand using skills that have been around for hundreds of years.