Britannia metal Britannia metal Britannia metal (also called britannium or Britannia ware) is a specific type of pewter alloy, favoured for its silvery appearance and smooth surface. The composition by weight is typically about 92% tin, 6% antimony, and 2% copper. Britannia metal is usually spun rather than cast, and melts at 255 degrees Celsius. Britannia metal was first produced in 1769 or 1770. James Vickers created it after purchasing the formula from a dying friend. It was originally known as "Vickers White Metal" when made under contract by the Sheffield manufacturers Ebenezer Hancock and Richard Jessop. In 1776 James Vickers took
This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This! United Kingdom, and combines metal guitar riffs, disco backing and conspicuous drum stomps. Throughout the album, there are what AllMusic's Ned Raggett described as "intriguing surprises," including multiple moody goth and post-punk elements. Influences of rap, heavy metal and the band's early influence of punk rock are spliced with numerous "found" auto artefacts "collected from all over the junk-culture landscape," including Motown snippets, adverting slogans and the "play-by-play call of a John Elway touchdown pass. The music press found the band's sound hard to categorise. Band member Graham Crabb explained: "Nobody's really come up with a description of what we