Make your own pewterware

03 January 2012 , By NST

ROYAL Selangor's newest store in the much talk-about Johor Premium Outlets (JPO), in Kulaijaya here, houses an extensive selection of pewter products and tableware.

All products available at the 121 sq m Royal Selangor store are offered at attractive discounts or gift with purchases.

Its retail manager, Caven Mohd Noh, said the design of the store in JPO reflects the Royal Selangor retail identity.

"The design is inspired by our raw product -- tin mines, which is the source of pewter," he said.

The store in JPO has a unique addition to it. There is a special section within the store where its popular "School of Hard Knocks" is located, offering pewtersmithing workshops.

Pewtersmithing is Royal Selangor's interactive workshop, where visitors are given the opportunity to re-live the experiences of the olden day of making beautiful ornaments from tin mine into Royal Selangor's pewters.

At RM60 per person, visitors can make their own pewter bowl, using traditional methods and tools, exactly the way it used to be done hundreds of years ago.

With just a few simple tools like the hammer, mallet, wooden mould and scraper, one will be guided through the processes of forming, scraping, polishing and packing by the experienced "gurus" while crafting one's own pewter bowl.

The best part of the whole process, which takes about 20 minutes for one who is fast or up to 45 minutes if one is more painstaking, is the finished product, engraved with the maker's initials or personal message which is for keeps.

Even before starting the knocking session or molding, the visitor gets to carve his or her initials onto the plate that has been engraved with with the words, "Made By...".

The visitor will be handed an apron and a flat plate of pewter sheet. Letter blocks are used for carving the names or initials behind the pewter sheet, to indicate it is an original piece of handiwork.

Then comes the fun part of knocking the pewter plate with hammer on a wood block, where the pewter plate will be knocked in the shape of a bowl.

Besides providing lots of fun, it also works as a good way for releasing stress.

JPO Royal Selangor store manager, Raja Roslan Abd Latif, said such a workshop that offers a hands-on experience is also a great place for networking, relaxing and having fun.

"One can invite business partners, friends and relatives for an unforgettable experience at the School of Hard Knocks," he said.

The finished bowl engraved with the initials or a personal message will be packed into a beautiful box for the visitor to take back.

Visitors will also get to keep the "apprentice pewtersmith" apron and a personalised certificate to attest to their new-found skills.

Those interested can simply walk in and ask for a session, but it is advisable to book if organising corporate functions to ensure getting the workshop for the intended group at the needed time.

Royal Selangor is located at Lot 318, Johor Premium Outlets, Indahpura, Kulaijaya. There are ample parking spaces at RM3 per entry between 10am and 10pm daily.

Royal Selangor is Malaysia's extraordinary success story, surviving two world wars and evolving with time to retain its stronghold in the pewter business.

From humble beginnings way back in 1885, Royal Selangor is now the world's largest pewter artifact maker. Royal Selangor was previously known as Selangor Pewter, and the change in name took place in 1992 to reflect the royal endorsement from the Sultan of Selangor and looking at its diverse product offerings, which had extended beyond pewter.