Silver Care
- Hollow Handle knives should never be
put in the dishwasher due to the heat generated which can swell the handles
and lead to looseness and rattles.
- Hand polishing is best (with a
slightly damp, clean cloth), with a great and maybe the best paste polish
like Simichrome (at your hardware store or from us $7.50 a tube plus
tax and shipping). We don't use any Hagerty's products ourselves.
Always polish in one direction (lengthwise), not crosswise, and not in
circles For hollow ware, follow the natural curves of the piece. Wet
the piece in water and use a toothbrush to remove excess polish after final
polish. Then one last light polish with the polish cloth.
NEVR DULL works well often.
- Use of the dishwasher can lead to a
"washed" out look over time to all of your sterling pieces. Hand
polishing is best and often you can leave your silver out for a few days and
then hand polish. This will leave a dark area (oxidation) in the
design (crevices) for enhancement of the design. Also. Simichrome is
great for adding a dark background for "washed out" silverware.
Silver buffing by a jeweler can restore that "new" look, but harsh
over buffing will give an artificial, bright look. Extra polish can be
removed with water and a small strong bristle brush or a teeth brush. Then
do a final light polish. NEVR DULL works well also.
- We sometimes use 0000 steel wool on the
non-intricate design areas of a fork or spoon such as the fork tines or
bowls to "polish" away the scratches and discoloration that can
sometimes occur. This is will give the silver a "French" or
matte finish. Doing this on the design can result in a washed out look to
the pattern, so avoid these areas.
- For cuts or dings on the sides of
spoons, heavy duty abrasive screen from the hardware store (180 or so),
followed by 3M Wetordry (a light abrasive) followed by Crocus cloth, 3M
Wetordry 001 and/or the 0000 steel wool for final touch up. Rinse thoroughly
after stage of abrasion. Sometimes, you can stop before going though
this entire process but the 0000 steel wool works wonders on bowls and
tines. Wash in hot soapy water after this to get rid of any
"metal" aftertaste. Again finish with Simichrome and
/or NEVR DULL polish.
- Always dry your silverware before
putting it away. 3M strips are great to absorb the sulfur in the
air!!! The black spots you can get on the sterling are silver sulfide
as silver is highly reactive with sulfur when in the presence of water.
Always avoid moisture when storing. Do not leave stainless knife blades in
water in contact with other silverware for a long period. This can
cause corrosion.
- Baking soda and water will
often remove a lot of the dark tarnish. Make a paste rub and rinse.
Black spots and tarnish that appear on sterling (Silver
Sulfide) ( rubber bands, eggs and other materials particularly those with
sulfur will rapidly turn the silver areas dark) can
sometimes be removed with water, baking soda, and a rubbing action.
For severe tarnish/black spots, you can dip the silver in a cleaner such as
Coin Lustre or E Z Est for 20-30 seconds, drain, then follow with baking
soda sprinkled on the spot, rubbing, and a rinse in warm water. Then rinse
again in soapy water and a final water rinse. Awesome orange or other
degreaser sprayed on the silver, then rinsed should finish the work and
remove any remnants of the coin cleaner. (Repeat as necessary). Use
rubber gloves. You can get Coin Lustre at any coin shop. Caution:
Do not leave stainless blades in the dip solution for more than 15 seconds. Best
not to do so at all!!! Always double rinse in warm soapy water. Then a final
water rinse, Awesome orange spray and then rinse and dry.
- Black spots on the stainless blades can
rarely be removed, so use caution and do not leave salt or such foods as
eggs in contact with the silver for a long time. Silverware, in the
past, was gilded (gold plated/Vermeil), to protect the silver from
turning black when in contact with acidic and sulfur containing compounds
foods such as eggs, salt, tomatoes, etc. Brief food exposure is normally not
a problem.
- Rotate the use of your silverware
so that it will all age gracefully. This means if you have a set for 12
and use 6, next time use the bottom six.
- Use caution when using steak knives
with your silver and do not let the steak knives "cut" into the
soft sterling fork tines or bowls. Nasty gashes will result.
- Use and enjoy your silverware
>>> be very careful when using cocktail or seafood forks as they
can bend if jabbed into crab or lobster shells forcefully. Silver is
soft and will bend!!!
- For crab and other shellfish, we use
silver plate cocktail forks which are much stronger. Ice cream forks
and spoons should only be used with soft or softened ice cream!!
- For silver repair, knife
blades, or restoration, we recommend Michele’s
1
800 332-4693 Ted
Philip
Bea 805 Crystal Mtn Dr
Austin TX 78733,
CGPRO@Aol.com,
in Louisville KY, restore@silversmithing.com
in Providence Rhode Island, Jeans Silversmiths
212
575-0723
16 W 45th NYC 10036, and
others.
- Silver Chests should be aired out for
a day or so and brushed about once every 6-8 months. Just remove the
silver and let the box breathe. Rose petals will give the inside of the
chest a pleasant smell.
- For straightening bent or misaligned
tines, such as on forks, best to take another fork and insert the four tines
in between the bent tines and forcibly work/pull until the tines are
realigned.
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Last modified: February 12, 2008
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