Scientific Analysis of Tea Caddy Linings

In the vast majority of tea containers, the compartments for the tea were lined with a metal foil, variously described as zinc, tin or lead, or sometimes given the pseudotechnical name of ‘tea pewter’. In order to identify the metal(s) more specifically, a scientific analysis of small samples of the material lining seven different containers was undertaken in connection with research for this book by Professor Nicholas St. J. Braithwaite of The Open University, and his colleague Dr Xian Wei Liu. In each case, the linings appeared to be original to the container.

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Download the Full Analysis below.