Things You Will Need
Pewter, in particular, has a bright, brand-new finish that can last for a long time. Giving pewter an antique treatment can make it look like a higher-quality product.
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Distress the pewter. Since pewter is so soft and pliable, you can easily make it look worn; put slight dings and dents using taps from a hammer and rough up some of the texture using sandpaper.
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Fill the paper cup with a few inches of water. The exact amount of water is less important for this process than making sure you have the right depth; make sure you have at least two or three inches of water.
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Add black spray paint into the water. Point the nozzle at the surface of the water and spray for thirty seconds. Give the mixture a quick stir with a mixing stick to disperse the paint in the water. The two will not mix, but you want to get small droplets of paint spread around as much as possible.
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Immediately apply the paint/water mixture to the pewter. Dip your craft brush into the mixture and try to get a distribution of mostly water with a little paint and spread it thickly over a small section of your pewter item.
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Wipe away some of the paint mixture. Use a rag to remove the bulk of the mixture. Tiny portions of paint will stick to the pewter, looking like tarnish.
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Repeat steps four and five with each section of pewter.