What is Best Cleaner for Black Tarnish on Silver Plate?
twila_2008
15 years ago
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lindac
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Best brass polish for very tarnished brass?
Comments (9)A long time ago I bought an older piece of furniture that had brass handles, wow were they cruddy. I was considering replacing them till I noticed one that must've been seldom used had a nice, subtle finish on the inner side. (I'm not really a fan of in-your-face brassiness). So I dove in to clean them. Brasso, all kinds of products, but I wasn't getting anywhere. What finally worked was a cheap little tub of stuff I found at the grocery store called "Twinkle"....See MoreSilver-plated tea service?
Comments (24)That is one pretty tea set. In the past month, I have been in two friends homes and noticed that they had gorgeous silver tea sets. One friend lives in a mediterranean style house with the red tiles on the roof and the stucco walls. She has decorated with rich fabrics in saturated colors, and the tea set adds beautifully to the sumptuous nature of her home. My other friend lives in a wonderful ranch house that she has remodeled with floor to ceiling windows in the back overlooking a deep yard that she has multilple gardens in. Her home is more modern, with light wood on the floor and is flooded with sunlight. In the midst of this, is a wonderful polished silver tea set and candelabra on the sideboard of her DR. I know it sounds incongruous, but the effect is anything but. It is gorgeous! So, maybe tea sets are making a come back. Or maybe we are getting to the age in life where we are finally appreciating the finer things in life. Go for it!...See MoreCleaning up silver tray tarnished by Katrina
Comments (1)Get it replated. The base metal, which could be brass, or copper, is showing through. One of the best replating companies is Finn's, in Jacksonville Fl. www.finnsbrass.com In the future, use nothing other than Hagerty's Silver Polish. I've been using it for twenty years now, and swear by it. Get a silk sponge, and rub it on with that. Then, use soft, non-retardant flannel to buff off to a high shine....See MoreThe baking soda and aluminum foil method of removing silver tarnish
Comments (21)I have been a metalsmith since 1988. It's not a "job", I don't work for someone else. I have an MFA in Jewelry and Metals, earned in 2006. As part of my training we studied forging, welding, casting and fabrication from sheet metal: in copper, brass, bronze, nickel, and silver. Including blacksmithing in iron. NO PIECE was considered complete until a proper PATINA was created. It is an important part of the finishing process, whether through application of chemicals from a bottle, liver of sulphur, fuming with ammonia, etc. Though it it IS an important part of the work, it is still an APPLIED patina. Here is the definitive book on the subject, which I and every other metals student studied : https://www.amazon.com/Colouring-Bronzing-Patination-Metals/dp/0823007626 Oxidation is nothing more than a chemical reaction between the molecules in the metal and compounds in the air (as in your outdoor bronze example) or compounds applied, such as the sulphur released by a liver of sulphur solution. A microscopic layer forms which is technically an alloy of the metal and the chemical, such as silver sulphide. You APPLY a patina chemical. OXIDATION is the result. Calling it "artificial" ...well: it's ALL artificial. I don't know of a single sculptor or jeweler today who lets their pieces color naturally in the air. It is because you cannot control the result that way. Go to an art fair like the Des Moines Art Festival (not a craft fair with "yard art") and talk to some modern day bronze sculptors. Ask them if they let their pieces color naturally. From ancient times through the Renaissance to the present day: sculptors have colored their metals. I have seen old recipes calling for burying the piece in sawdust with urine added; akin to the ammonia fuming of today. A raw bronze is not a pretty thing. There is no contrast, no richness of the surface. No Renaissance sculptor would have thought of exhibiting one. Unless coated with lacquer, all patinas are "living" surfaces. They will continue to react and the color change with time: sometimes looking better with age, sometimes not; with the original metal gradually being eroded/penetrated by the alloy. Hence many outdoor bronzes in Italy (where acid rain and air pollition in general is a problem), have been removed indoors to controlled conditions, and copies placed outdoors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_of_Saint_Mark...See Moreantiquesilver
15 years agotwila_2008
15 years agoIdeefixe
15 years agolindac
15 years ago
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linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)