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 Cleaning Silver
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| Author | Topic: Cleaning Silver |
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chase33 Posts: 362 |
posted 03-13-2009 08:48 AM
  
Hello All, A friend lent me a book called "Saving Stuff" by Don Williams (senoir conservator at the Smithsonian) and Louisa Jagger. There is a section on cleaning silver with methods that aren't familiar to me and I was hoping to see if anyone is using or may have tried them in the past. The cleaning solution he recommends is one part acetone and one part alcohol. The polishing "slurry" he recommends is a combination of powered chalk or whiting and alcohol or mineral spirits. Thanks Robert IP: Logged |
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Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
posted 03-13-2009 09:29 AM
Take a look at: IP: Logged |
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argentum1 Posts: 602 |
posted 03-13-2009 10:27 AM
These are conservatorial methods of cleaning silver. They are the least damaging methods to date. Chalk is used as the particle size is microscopic so therefore removes the least amount of metal. The spray can be removed using acetone along with a very mildly soapy wash(no scrubbing). There are a few websites which are dedicated to conservation techniques for all sorts of materials. IP: Logged |
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Kimo Posts: 1627 |
posted 03-13-2009 01:30 PM
While it is not carcinogenic, acetone is not something you want to expose yourself to if you do not have to. It creates rashes on some people's skin, and inhaling the vapors from it can cause dizzyness, nausea, and sometimes worse effects in more sensitive people. If you feel you really must use it you would do well to wait for nice day and go outside where the ventilation is greatest, and wear rubber gloves. Is there a reason why you are not thinking of using silver polish paste? There are a number of very effective ones that do little harm from abrasion. By the way, do not use liquid dips since most of those do have a cancer causing chemical in them. If you really are intent on using a dip, make sure what you are using does not contain a chemical called 'thiourea'. IP: Logged |
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chase33 Posts: 362 |
posted 03-13-2009 02:16 PM
Actually I was just wondering if these were a better method to cleaning and polishing. I was also curious about the lacquering since do have a few pieces I would like to display in the open. I have always used Wright's silver polish and silver wipe (and occasionally a tiny bit of simichrome)but if there is a better way to clean, polish and preserve a piece I'm game to try it. BTW, he does say to use rubber gloves and a mask in a well-ventilated area when using the cleaning solution. He also suggests that after cleaning and polishing to use cotton gloves in order to handle and store the pieces. And don't even get me started on those "dips"! My mom used that stuff on a few pieces of her flatware before she realized that all of the "good tarnish" (as she called it) had been removed from the deep areas of her silver leaving bright shiny pieces with no character that made them what they were. IP: Logged |
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argentum1 Posts: 602 |
posted 03-13-2009 04:06 PM
Take that simichrome and throw it as far as you possibly can unless you really want to strip all patination and leave an absolutely ugly shinny surface without any character. For the average person Wrights is quite possibly the best on the market. I personally think it is better than any of the 3M products. No commercials here just my personal preferences. Oops, forgive my manners. I have not seen you before so welcome to the forums and hope you are finding what you need. IP: Logged |
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seaduck Posts: 350 |
posted 03-13-2009 04:47 PM
Hi Argentum-- I remember Chase33, who has started a number of interesting threads here. I am curious about simichrome. Hadn't heard of it until recently, when I was talking to an antique dealer who collects/sells pewter. I don't know much about pewter, but I was given a very good quality, new high-polished pewter tea set years ago for my 21st birthday (when people assumed young women wouldn't want to polish silver). It looked terrific, but has noticeably dulled over the years, so its near-silver appearance is gone. I mentioned this to dealer, who recommended simichrome. I looked it up online, but my instincts have told me to stay away. Do you (or does anyone) have any experience with high-polish pewter? FWIW, specialized pewter polishes have had no effect. IP: Logged |
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Dale Posts: 2132 |
posted 03-13-2009 05:45 PM
I have always liked Haggarty's spray polish. It smells terrible, so use it outside. Pewter collectors have told me that running things thru the dishwasher with a gel not a powder restores the piece. IP: Logged |
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argentum1 Posts: 602 |
posted 03-13-2009 06:35 PM
If you have 'antique pewter' then please do not polish it but rather hand wash in mild detergent. Keep it out of dishwashers. That dull grey color is what collectors want to see. If you have relatively new pewter there are pewter polishes or if you want to get aggressive you could always have someone clean it up using a buffing wheel. IP: Logged |
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Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 |
posted 03-13-2009 08:45 PM
I use Simichrome polish on a few occasions when there is very stubborn tarnish that will not come out with standard polish. It works well. I put a small amount on an old cotton sock and polish that way. I save those old socks (once white, they are now black with old tarnish and polish) and reuse them. Eventually they retain enough polish that I generally do not even have to reapply new polish, just perhaps dampen them slightly. I find them to work exceptionally well, better than rouge cloth or regular polishing. IP: Logged |
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Dale Posts: 2132 |
posted 03-13-2009 11:38 PM
I have had bad experiences putting modern pewter on a buffing wheel. Put a King Olaf spoon on to smooth out an edge and the thing literally melted on me. The heat being generated can melt the pewter. IP: Logged |
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seaduck Posts: 350 |
posted 03-14-2009 11:57 AM
MELTED the pewter?! I guess I won't be doing that. Paul: when you used your simi-sock technique, was that on silver or pewter? Argentum: This set dates from 1975, purchased at Shreve's in Boston. Made in Holland by Meeuws (if I remember correctly)in a reproduction lighthouse form style. Nicely made and finished, with rosewood handles on the pots. Originally high-polish, and retains that finish on the undersides that haven't been exposed to air. The dealer I talked to had several antique pieces, some dark dull gray, some much brighter (tho' not as high polished as my set was originally). She made the comment that collectors of English pieces like the dark dull finish, and American collectors tend to prefer the slightly brighter finish. (But then I have an American friend who is a collector of American pewter who was horrified to hear that.) I apologize if I've put this thread off-topic...it seemed to be a moment to pehaps get an answer to a question that has been vexing me for some time. IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 03-14-2009 02:26 PM
If mineral deposits are a problem it is best to start with something that removes these before you start polishing. Vinegar usually works or if something stronger is needed try one of the cleaners used to dissolve calcium and lime; i.e. CLR or the like. IP: Logged |
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Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 |
posted 03-14-2009 02:33 PM
I wouldn't recommend polishing pewter with harsh chemicals such as Simichrome. I'd either leave it alone completely or else just use mild soap and clean by hand. No buffing wheels. IP: Logged |
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middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 03-14-2009 02:59 PM
At ONC we, until recently, had a line of polished pewter. We've found that a silver polish such as Wright's will bring back the shine, but a treated polishing cloth used for jewelry or silver will also renew the shine well, and not scratch. Dale, if used carefully, a buffing wheel will work just fine, but one must be very careful , as you found out, not to concentrate too much on one spot or heat will build up and the pewter will melt like wax, with no warning. I suspect that Simichrome is too abrasive for either silver or pewter. IP: Logged |
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seaduck Posts: 350 |
posted 03-15-2009 01:25 PM
Middletom-- I've tried Wright's Silver Cream in the past (and I think Haggerty's before that, both Pewter and Silver polishes)to no obvious effect, but knowing about your success with it, I just gave it another try. If I rub really, really hard I get some tarnish on the sponge. But the surface isn't noticeably brighter. Running the piece under water (which I've found makes it easier to see tarnish), it still has its uneven film/cloud of tarnish. That took a lot of time, working on one small section of a creamer. So...I suspect that it is in the realm of possibility that this would work, but in the realm of practicality One thought: does anyone have any experience with Cape Cod Metal Polishing Cloth? I've seen it advertised widely, but have never tried it. The irony of all this is of course that polished pewter is marketed as a low-maintenance alternative to silver (cost aside). Give me silver any day! In the end, it's much easier to care for (and more satisfying). IP: Logged |
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argentum1 Posts: 602 |
posted 03-15-2009 01:48 PM
Seaduck There are a few possibilities
IP: Logged |
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seaduck Posts: 350 |
posted 03-15-2009 03:24 PM
Hi Argentum-- I know for certain that it's not silver or silver plate...it is high-polish pewter. I am the first owner; my mother gave it to me and bought it new from Shreve's in 1975. The maker is Meeuws, which I would gather is/was a well-known producer in Holland. Perhaps the composition is slightly different from what the good folks at ONC used, which would account for Middletom's greater success with applying silver polish. Sorry for the confusion! It's a result of my greater sin of hijacking the conversation. IP: Logged |
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Ulysses Dietz Moderator Posts: 1265 |
posted 03-15-2009 04:52 PM
At the Museum, we use a suspension of calcium carbonate (precipitated chalk) and ethyl alcohol (smells like rubbing alcohol to me) to clean the silver; then pure alcohol to rinse it. We have taken to lacquering pieces that are not displayed in cases and thus tend to tarnish quicker than our five-year cleaning cycle. At home, I use Goddard's silver foam. I will use silver dip if something has gone really blue with tarnish and i don't want to rub it that hard. But I wouldn't be entirely comfortable using it at the museum--the issue with "patina" tarnish or oxidation as opposed to regular old tarnish. IP: Logged |
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, I suspect I'm stuck with a graying, dulling pewter set.