I am curious to hear what all of you use to prevent tarnish on
sterling silver. I have not used anything in the past but I now
find that, as my work gets more complex it is difficult, if not
impossible, to get at some areas to clean away tarnish.
Thanks-Deb
Dear Deb There is a formula for making tarnish free sterling
…has to do with substituting some aluminum for copper …wish
I could tell you more but I have forgotten what the thread was
called it will be in t archives…good luck Ron
For areas I can get to, I use Connoisseurs Jewelry Wipes,
available at Walmart, cost is appoximately $5 for a pack of 25
wipes, they do a great job on accessible areas. For pieces with
hard to reach areas, I lay a sheet of aluminum foil in the
bottom of a glass baking dish, add several tablespoons of washing
soda and hot water to cover the jewelry. The water immediately
begins to fizz, and in fifteen minutes or so the tarnish has left
the silver and deposited on the aluminum foil. Cheap and easy.
Lee
Hi I had the same problem with times of the month, my 14 kt.
gold ring would turn my finger an ugly black where it touched my
skin. It doesn’t happen with my 18 kt gold jewelry. I now take a
powdered vitimin mixed up in an orange juice-banana- yougert
smoothie every morning. I feel great and no more ring around the
finger. Could it be a vitimin deffiecienty?I hate swallowing
pills and the powder taste like a milkshake. It is called all one
and comes in a blue can. (vitimin world, the discount store has
it cheapest for $21. a can) I think we all are exposed to more
toxins( whether you are a jeweler or not), and this has the
amino acids, and antioxidents and everyone I know who tries it
-says they do feel better. Also my dad recently had a heart
attack and bypass surgury, his cardiologist said that people who
take 400 units of vitimin e have far less heart attacks and
cancer. I just want to live along time so I can create all those
designs in my head!!!.Cheers- sue in shingle springs.
I keep all my silver in airtight plastic bags with a piece of
aluminum foil (the ordinary kind that one uses in the kitchen).
I’ve gone years without polishing some pieces. Martha from Long
Island
I’ve seen numerous “miracle dip” products that involve some
special stuff mixed in hot water. Oxide tranference is the key.
The “stuff” is equal parts dish soap, salt, and baking soda. 1/4
cup of each to 1 gal h2o is good. Place tarnished stuff and
sheets of aluminum foil in the broth and heat. Tarnish goes to
the aluminum. Prevention? Many products exist. Anti-tarnish paper
in rolls (dispensers available), poly bags, and lacquers are
available. daniel@ijsinc.com
Indian Jewelers Supply, ph. 1.800.545.6540 or 1.505.722.4451, Gallup, New
Mexico
I’ve seen numerous “miracle dip” products that involve some
special stuff mixed in hot water. Oxide tranference is the key.
The “stuff” is equal parts dish soap, salt, and baking soda. 1/4
cup of each to 1 gal h2o is good. Place tarnished stuff and
sheets of aluminum foil in the broth and heat. Tarnish goes to
the aluminum. Prevention? Many products exist. Anti-tarnish paper
in rolls (dispensers available), poly bags, and lacquers are
available. daniel@ijsinc.com Indian Jewelers Supply, ph.
1.800.545.6540 or 1.505.722.4451, Gallup, New
Mexico
Once I get a piece finished (piolished, ready to sell), I put on
Rennaissance Wax, a microcrystalline wax that is virtually
invisible and not only prevents tarnish, but prevents finger
prints. I bought mine a long time ago, and the place I bought it
no longer carries it, so I can’t help you find any. Other people
I’ve talked to are happy with carnuba car wax.
I keep all my silver in airtight plastic bags with a piece of aluminum foil (the ordinary kind that one uses in the kitchen). I've gone years without polishing some pieces.
Has anybody got an explanation why this might work?
Sabine
Hi there,
I am Martha Bates, with R.Sturtz, Inc. We have found that also
keeping your silver jewelry or any jewelry will stay tarnish
free longer when kept in a velvet drawstring bag. You can find
them almost anywhere.
Thought you might like that tip, too. Also, you don’t have to
put the dish soap in unless the jewelry has a lot of body
deposits.
Sincerely,
Martha Bates
R. Sturtz, Inc.
From: “Daniel Woodard” danielw@ijsinc.com
Reply-To: orchid@ganoksin.com
Subject: Re: [Orchid] Preventing tarnish
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 18:43:36 -0500
I've seen numerous "miracle dip" products that involve some special stuff mixed in hot water. Oxide tranference is the key. The "stuff" is equal parts dish soap, salt, and baking soda. 1/4 cup of each to 1 gal h2o is good. Place tarnished stuff and sheets of aluminum foil in the broth and heat. Tarnish goes to the aluminum. Prevention? Many products exist. Anti-tarnish paper in rolls (dispensers available), poly bags, and lacquers are available. daniel@ijsinc.com
Indian Jewelers Supply, ph. 1.800.545.6540 or 1.505.722.4451, Gallup, New
Mexico
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Hand knife makers love Renaissance wax to keep rust off of
blades. There is a big knife forum called www.bladeforums.com
that you must be able to track the wax down on.
Brooks Burt
Hand Engraved Jewelry, Etc.
Hi Sabinea,
The reason silver (other metals may tarnish, rust or corrode)
tarnishes is a process called oxidation. The simplest form of
oxidation is the combination of the metal (or some part of it, if
it’s an alloy) and oxygen in the air. The oxidation reaction also
occurs between metals/alloys with other gases in the atmosphere.
It can also occur if materials high in some chemicals such as
sulfur come in contact with the metal/alloy.
The air in most cities in industrialized nations contains many
pollutants as well as the little bit of oxygen that keeps most
things alive. It’s the pollutants that react with the
metals/alloys to cause the oxidation (tarnish). Anything that
can be done to keep the atmosphere away from the metals/alloys
will aid in preventing oxidation.
‘Anti tarnish’ strips (chemical saturated paper) can also help
keep silver from tarnishing. They work by being a sacrificial
metal for the pollutants (oxidants) in the atmosphere. The
chemicals used have a greater affinity for combining with the
pollutants (oxidants) than the silver does. As a result, the the
pollutants combine with the anti tarnish strip 1st. Since this
reduces the % of pollutant in the air, there’s less left to
combine with the silver. This causes the silver to stay tarnish
free for a longer period of time.
Dave
Anything that
Renaissance Wax may be purchased from Bryant Laboratory, in
Berkeley, CA. 1-800-367-3141. It’s rather pricey: a 200 ml jar
costs $25.95. However, it’s supposed to be used very sparingly,
and a jar will last a long time. Also, unlike other kinds of wax,
it doesn’t dry out in the jar, even after years.
Rene Roberts
Hi Dave,
thanks for your explanation. The reasons why silver and other
metals are tarnishing are clear. What I would like to know is,
why a small piece of aluminium foil (as someone suggested) would
keep the silver clean. AFAIK aluminium is not very reactive (you
wouldn’t use it to wrap your food if it was) and therefore would
not absorb the tarnishing chemicals in the air around a piece of
silver jewelry. Okay, I think I’ll just give it a try and find
out if it will work for me, too. How nice that would be… I’m
always shocked how bad my sterling pieces look after a while.
Sabine
sabinea’s virtual gallery - metal design, jewelry & silverwork
http://www.sabinea.com/
please vote for me:
http://www.webbieworld.com/ww/vote2.asp?RecordNo=2442
What I would like to know is, why a small piece of aluminium foil (as someone suggested) would keep the silver clean.
Sorry. but I don’t believe it does either. You have two
(possibly more options: you can buy tarnish inhibiting papers
from many jewellery tool suppliers - it’s cheap. Or y u can
clean your jewellery using one of the long life polishes
(Goddards from Supermarkets is one), and keep it in an air tight
container when not in use. A screw topped jar works well.
Cheers and sing along with the Company Anthem;
/\ John Burgess
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(_______) Modern Corporate Song next verse):-
Why should we break our backs stupidly paying tax
Better get some untaxed income
You gotta pick a pocket or two, boys; etc.
Chorus: Why should we keep paying tax
We gotta pick a pocket or two
Perhaps the humblest beginnings are the easiest. My wife uses
kitchen wax (She uses Jubilee brand but any brand will work, as
will car wax) for her silver jewelry. No fancy stuff, no rhodium
plating, no chemicals. Geo.
Hey Sabine: For years I have used my Mother-in-laws trick of
storing all my silver pieces in a plastic bag with a piece of
chalk. Yes, blackboard chalk. After a show I use a rouge cloth,
then tuck the silver in with the chalk. Very seldom do I have to
repolish when the next showing comes around. I’ve always assumed
the chalk absorbs the sulfur in the air. Anyway it works for me.
Hope this helps. Helene
In response about the aluminum foil I don"t remember what the original
solution was that the person said to put in with the foil but I have always
used a strong solution of TSP Tri Sodium Phosphate that you can buy at a
hardware store and that has always removed the tarnish from silver
for myself. Warming the solution always works best. Later
I recently did a radio show where one of the guests was a man who had
written a “Helpful Hints” kind of book. One of the things he did was to
take a well-tarnished sterling spoon and place it in a cup with (as I
recall) a couple teaspoons of salt and a hunk of aluminum foil. Making sure
the spoon touched the foil, he dipped it in the cup for no more than 10
seconds–and the tarnish was gone.
While this may not prevent tarnishing, I can certainly vouch for aluminum
foil’s power in cleaning tarnish off.
John Shanahan
Associate Editor, AJM
(and occasional radio guy)
I keep all my silver in airtight plastic bags with a piece of aluminum foil (the ordinary kind that one uses in the kitchen). I've gone years without polishing some pieces. Has anybody got an explanation why this might work?
Been out of town or would have answered this before. What happens is that
the oxygen in the air inside the airtight baggy combines more quickly with
the aluminum which leaves behind an oxygen free atmosphere. No oxygen, no
tarnish. Martha from Long Island