Measure, baluster measure

Measures of this type were cast in two horizontal halves. The two pieces were fused together by pouring molten metal around the seam on the inside of the body. At the same time a wet cooling rag was wrapped around the outside to prevent the metal from burning through and melting the area around the joint.. The vessel was then turned on a lathe and polished to remove all trace of the weld. No effort, however, was made to remove any extraneous metal from the inside. This measure is interesting because it shows that the traditional method was reversed. The rag marks are visible on the inside of the body ( fig.c above) which means that the molten pewter was poured on the outside. The end result is the same, of course, as the piece is turned and finished on the lathe to produce a seamless join. The cooling rag method was also used to fuse the strap handle to the body. It is unclear whether the mark in the base was integrally cast prior to assembly or was inserted at a later date.