Silver Polishing Tips
“Silver is meant to shine!” is a phrase that has echoed through hundreds of conversations on silver polishing. This elemental metal is much beloved in part for its ability to shine, brightening homes and moods wherever it is placed. And for many types of silver it is true. In this brief review, we will discuss some aspects of silver polishing, products, and other nuances of silver finish. If you are unsure of whether to polish or not yourself, it is recommended you consult a professional, as poor polishing materials and technique can cause dramatic damage.
What is tarnish?
As silver is exposed to air, its outermost surface binds to sulphur compounds in air and forms silver sulphide that give the silver a dark, eventually near black, finish. Additionally, many silver items are made of alloys that include other elements such as copper that similarly discolor. As an aside, these alloyed elements are the reason that, contrary to some beliefs, means that items made of gold too can tarnish. Most collectors for many types of pieces disdain the appearance of this silver sulphide, because it dulls the appearance of the item and diminishes its beauty.
Is patina the same as tarnish?
Patina may include tarnish, and in fact some selective tarnish can be desired in some pieces,. Patina, as the term is used in silver circles, refers to something else. Patina is the history of use of a piece that can be seen on its surface. Over time, a well-loved 18th century cup picks up fine surface scratches, micro dents, repairs, and engravings. All of these things are the patina. In many ways, patina represents the story of a piece of silver. Polishing to remove tarnish should endeavor not to remove the patina, because to remove patina is to remove the historical context of silver. Later in this discussion, I will discuss strategies to remove tarnish, but limit the damage to patina.
What you need to polish silver
A cotton makeup pad or a clean sponge. The texture of the polishing material impacts polishing. For a tougher job, you may find you need a slightly courser medium such as a soft piece of cloth. Fine cotton is generally indicated for removing tarnish. Cotton pads such as those used to remove cosmetics work well and are very soft (mostly avoiding adding needless scratches), but need to be replaced often. A nice piece of cotton, such as cloth used in making soft t-shirts can be used, but is rougher than cotton pads.
A good quality polish. When choosing a polish, consider first, what am I polishing? Different pieces require different polish. A piece of historically important silver held in a museum collection requires different treatment than a typical factory-made 1970’s spoon. In the museum conservation setting, in-house formulas are often used and, as an example, may consist of a water and calcium carbonate slurry, also called ‘precipitated chalk’. For items that are not considered historically important, other polishes can be considered. Herman’s is considered a top silver polish. Others commonly used by dealers and collectors are Twinkle, and for heavy tarnish on non-historical silver: Wright’s, and Hagerty. These last are more abrasive than the slurry method, Twinkle, or Herman’s. Serious collectors and dealers use multiple products because there is no “one size fits all”. Some polishes and methods are not recommended such as Simichrome or Maas. Toothpaste, baking soda, the aluminum foil method, and dips are recommended against.
Warm Water
A nice liquid soap
A wax or surface protectant such as Renaissance Wax or similar can be used on silver that is displayed.
What types of silver should not be polished by an amateur?
It depends on your skill level and ability. If you are new to silver, begin by practicing on the least significant pieces possible. For very little money, you can buy a few tarnished pieces of silver plate at a second hand store to practice before moving on to more important items.
Mixed metal silver items. These kinds of items can be quite difficult to polish. With areas that are plated with other metals and intentional patinas, even an advanced collector may seek professional consultation or polishing.
Mixed Metal Bowl by Gorham.
Oxidized silver or silver with intentional surface treatments that can be removed if improperly polished.
Removal of these intentionally darkened or colored surfaces can be very difficult to repair. Thus, polishing by inexpert hands can be a very costly, sometimes nearly irreparable mistake in the hands of a novice. If you have such an item and you are unsure, I urge you to reach out to a professional skilled in conservation. Some examples below in a Japanese mixed metal with applied patinas and shakudo Japanese cufflinks.
Gilding is a light layer of gold applied over silver for a variety of reasons that includes decoration as well as protecting silver from tarnish and from damage in such items as cups and salt cellars. The layer of gold is usually spare due to costs of the material and the process of gilding. Therefore, extreme and maximum care should be taken when dealing with tarnished gilt surfaces. If you can avoid polishing it, do. Sometimes, polishing gently with just cotton and no polish is an option. You can also use cotton and alcohol to clean gilt silver with pretty good results. Even with no added polish that is abrasive, proceed with caution and consider consulting a silversmith.
Porous Items Associated with Silver. Silver items are often accompanied by other materials like wood, bone, ivory, coral, pearl, and so on that are porous and should be cleaned with great care. The principle here is that the porous item must be protected from the polish and the precipitated tarnish as the item is being polished. If not, the items can be permanently stained. There are really two methods of doing this. One is to avoid touching the porous material. This take great care, but it can be done. The other is to seal the porous item and this can be achieved by the use of a wax in some cases before you begin to polish. It is very easy to cause extreme damage to these types of materials. If you have such an item and you are unsure, I urge you to reach out to a professional skilled in conservation.
Historically-Important Silver. I’ve used this term throughout this summary, but what does it mean? In my mind, there has been a growing rift between the value I place on silver that was created by a craftsman by hand versus items stamped out en masse in a factory. Making handmade silver like the Pedro Castillo forks and spoons shown in the photo (below left) from silver takes time, skill, and is difficult. To the contrary, factory silver like the various Kirk pieces in the photo (below right) is easily replaceable. When I think about silversmith-made items, additional care must be provided in how we polish, keep, and display them. To be candid, I would never hesitate to use the fastest most effective way to remove tarnish and even resurface mass-produced factory items. This is because they have little value beyond that of the silver content itself. In fact, there is a huge subset of the silver community dedicated to buying and melting down this kind of silver. We generally refer to these individual as “scrappers”. Some scrappers are careful not to melt historically important silver and some aren’t. But to a scrapper, the value of silver is solely based on weight. It’s a crude measure, akin to measuring the value of an oil painting by how much paint is on the canvas.
When you are dealing with a piece of pre-1850 silver or silver that has been produced by an identifiable silversmith or even any silver that has been handmade with a degree of skill by a silversmith, we are no longer just considering the item as a precious metal, because it has been elevated to art. And there are some pieces, such as colonial and Federal Period American silver that are nearly irreplaceable and scarce. Each example may be only one of a handful or even one of a kind. Likewise, in the case of a modern piece made by a silversmith who has died, each piece is a one of a kind.
Silver Plate and Old Sheffield Plate Items
These types of items are made from a base metal with a sometimes thin layer of silver overlaid. Over time with use and polishing, this layer can wear thin and expose the base metal. While most silver plated items are not very valuable, this becomes unsightly. And there is a subset of silver plated and OSP items that are very valuable. Either way, to keep these items looking their best, extra care should be given with polishing them.
Overpolishing that removes the historically important surface is a real problem with silver like this, because over time the odds of a piece of historical silver getting placed on a buffing machine go up across the decades and hands that own them. It can be a real temptation to return a piece of silver to new. Don’t give in to that temptation. Overpolishing can be caused by the wrong polish, or even worse buffing machines, dremels, or other means of automated polishing. When an object becomes overpolished, its desirability and collectibility will be greatly diminished. But it can
also be caused by too much pressure.
Techniques
Washing the Silver
There are pieces where submerging them in water can be quite damaging. Pieces with plaster for example, can't tolerate soaking in water. But for all solid silver pieces, you can wash them in very hot soapy water. A good quality unscented liquid castille soap is a great way to achieve this. You can remove a lot of initial dirt and oil before polishing with a good wash. An extra soft bristle toothbrush soaked in liquid soap is a useful tool during this step to remove debris and old polish in the nooks and crannies.
Lacquer
Lacquer is a protective coating applied to the outside of silver, usually in a spray form. It does prevent tarnishing of the silver in the places where it remains intact, but wherever it chips or peels, the silver will tarnish leaving an uneven surface. Worse, lacquer must be replaced periodically as it degrades and takes on an unsightly yellow cast over time. removing lacquer can be accomplished by at least two methods in solid silver pieces. Hollow pieces that need the lacquer replaced should go to a silversmith for treatment. Once technique is the use of acetone wiped on in a well-ventilated area. This will dissolve the lacquer. A second method is to boil a piece in a large pot of slowly boiling water. Given enough time, the lacquer will melt from the piece. Before attempting these methods, some thought should be given about the tolerance of the items to withstand these aggressive treatments. Once removed, a piece can be left with the bare metal once polished or it can be relacquered if necessary. Many museums have begun to abandon this once popular practice of lacquering.
Pressure
Pressure is a factor in polishing like the choice of the cloth described earlier. The more pressure you apply, the more destructive the polishing is. Start gently and work your way up in pressure recognizing that it doesn’t take much to alter valuable pieces by using too much pressure. You can always take a light swipe at a piece, wash it, dry it, evaluate it, and then go another round with more pressure. But you can’t undo having removed the surface or imparting deep scratches in the surface. Remember, the goal is to remove the tarnish but retain the patina. Getting a mirror finish is simply not necessary for most silver items.
The Stroke
Conventional wisdom is to polish the silver in circular strokes to minimize scratches left on the surface. Numerous authors have described this as the best manner for polishing. That said, if you aren't imparting scratches to the surface of the silver, this becomes less important.
Brief Summary of Don'ts
The number of products that should not be used on silver greatly outweighs those that should, but generally, high abrasion products, dips, and the aluminum foil method are among the worst. Tarn-X, jeweler's rouge, toothpaste, salt are all things that get recommended that are not good practice. If a product is described as a "metal polish", don't use it on decent silver.
There are likely some exceptions, but machining of silver whether with a dremel, a polishing wheel or some other means is not considered best practice and can quickly ruin valuable pieces of silver.
Don't overpolish.
Learn the significance of a piece before you dive in.