posted 01-19-2005 09:22 PM            

I do not know much about lacquer but that it is a sort of coat given to silver to protect it. Now sometimes I find polishing a piece will wear the hallmarks away and were they are already faint it is rather risky, if you don't polish they might tarnish up (forgetting to wash the silver regularly etc. ...)

Now here comes the brainwave- apply lacquer to the hallmarks themselves (and nowhere else) after polishing them in order to protect them from further polishing and rubbing.
What do you guys think?
Could this work?
If so how would you apply a lacquer?
Could this be done at home and how would you find it in shops?

posted 01-20-2005 12:25 PM            

I can tell you that scientifric instruments lacquered in the 18th and 19th Centuries - both brass and silver - have survived in an excellent state of preservation. Musical instruments of both metals are still coated today. There will be no harm to the metal, and it will be protected from corrosion, and it can be removed at any time, but the mere presence of the coating will change the appearance of the metal somewhat, so the choice of whether or not to lacquer an object is a matter of personal choice. The surface to be coated must be especially clean and the lacquer must be especially pure if the coating is to adhere properly and last - it takes skill and practice, and the proper materials are hard to find - they are not available in the neighborhood hardwood store. For bare metal objects - like instruments - that must be handled repeatedly, the use of lacquer is essential; for those that are stored properly and not handled, it is not, unless one takes a long term view (which is why the question arises over and over again in museums).

posted 01-20-2005 02:40 PM            

Well I found a great way to clean tarnish in the marks and avoiding excess polishing.... What I did was put a drop of liquid silvo in the mark... then very carefully with a pin I lightly started moving it in the hallmark itself avoiding the actual raised mark for example the lion. By doing this the tarnish was moved out of place in the background of the mark leaving the actual raised part untouched! with a tooth brush I then lightly pressed it in the hallmark (mot rubbing but simply pressing and moving slightly). This further got loose the tarnish and then I just washed the thing under a tap using the pressure of the water to remove the remaining tarnish/polish. It worked fine and the background of the hallmark became clean.

This in my opinion does not damage the marks and does not wear away the marks because you are not touching them (the raised part). Best is to periodically wash them to prevent tarnish build up.... but it worked!

If anyone knows a way to preserve so to say the hallmarks of silver please leave a post.