Avoid "instant dips" that instantly strip tarnish off of silver. Such polishes achieve their quick results by adding more acids and abrasives, which can actually strip layers of metal off of a piece each time the solution is used. With only a few uses of an instant dip, silver plating can be removed or precious engraving can be obscured or removed all together.
If not removed properly, instant dips can also leave a milky finish that is difficult to remove, especially over time.
Image: "Handsome Silver Service from the Battleship, "Kentucky." (ca. 1900) (C. Frank Dunn Photographic Collection, Kentuckiana Digital Library)
Saving Kentucky's Past -- Preserving Silver and Other Metals
Silver- Use
- Oils in the skin will etch the surface of silver. Use a soft cotton cloth to buff off fingerprints or wear gloves for frequent handling.
Silver - Storage
- Store silver at moderate temperature and low humidity -- away from corrosive agents like salt, sugar, acidic foods, paper, wool, rubber (including rubber bands), unsealed wood, or plastic.
- Tarnish does not need to be removed before storing; polish silver only when it is intended to be used.
- Cloth specially treated for protecting silver is available in bags and rolls for wrapping individual pieces for storage. You can also wrap pieces in sulfur- and acid-free tissue paper and seal them in a bag with a commercial antitarnish strip.
- For additional protection, wrapped silver can be placed in polyethylene bags.
Silver - Care
- Always check to see if a piece is sterling or silver-plated.
- Avoid commercial polishes and dips containing dilute sulfuric acid.
- To polish silver, use a paste made of calcium carbonate and a mild detergent solution, applied with cotton balls. Rinse with water to remove residues and dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.
- Avoid electrochemical reduction - using sheets of aluminum and a warm solution of washing soda (sodium carbonate). This can lead to pitting.
- Treat all-silver jewelry like silver objects, but never immerse jewelry with gems and semi-precious materials in water.
- Too much polishing can result in a fair amount of abrasion, and can remove the detail and definition of raised areas in a pattern over time, and can also wear off silver plating, leaving the base metal exposed. Also, silver becomes vulnerable to tarnishing if old lacquers, applied as a protective surface, peel or wear off over time.
Other precious metals
- Polishing can destroy the look of metallic coatings, such as gold-plate, silver-gilt, golden varnishes, and ormolu (an alloy of copper and tin/zinc that looks like gold).
- Brass, copper, and gold-plated metals may have an original patina or a factory-applied lacquer. Clean gently with a damp cloth. Bright, unlacquered brass and copper can be cleaned like silver.
- Do not polish bronze, unless with a soft damp cloth. Bronze often has a finish on it to give the metal a darker patina or to shade the metal to accentuate its contours of the piece. Rubbing it vigorously or using chemicals can cause the finish to be removed.
- Pewter and nickel silver (also known as German silver) should be dusted, only occasionally washed, and then thoroughly dried.
- 18ct gold and higher, will not usually suffer from tarnish and isn't harmed by contact with household chemicals. However, bleach and other cleaning products will damage lower carat golds as they aren't so pure (being alloys of metals) and are therefore much more prone to attack by corrosive chemicals.
Glossary
acid-free tissue - In the course of time most tissue paper will become acidic and brittle with age. The acidity will transfer to adjacent objects causing these objects to become weaker and possibly discolored. Acid free tissue papers are specially processed to remove such contaminants. An 18 pound weight paper is useful for quilts, coverlets, and the storage of other flat textiles. For stuffing or interleaving, a lighter 12 pound paper is better. This lighter acid free paper is also known as "laminating tissue."
conservator - persons who periodically
examine objects, document their condition, and, if necessary, treat and repair
them to protect collections over time.
For more information or to locate a professional conservator, visit The
American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works.
muslin - a thin plain-weave cotton cloth used for curtains, sheets, and dresses
PAT test (photographic activity test) - a test that predicts possible interactions between photographic images and the enclosures in which they are stored. Boxes or other types of enclosures that hold several images, even if those images are in envelopes or sleeves, should be tested too. Many of the harmful chemicals in poor-quality enclosures can become airborne and, over time, work their way to the photograph.
PVC pipe - a lightweight, durable, and waterproof plastic pipe used for plumbing
polyethylene bags - flexible, extremely tough, and chemical-resistant plastic bags commonly used as sandwich or freezer storage
ragboard - board made from cotton and contains no wood (lignins). Little pulping or purification is required because cotton is the purest natural form of cellulose. Rag board is also called Museum Board, is acid-free and meets the standards set by the Library of Congress for museum quality matboard. It is available with or without buffering.
unbuffered - containing neither alkaline nor acid