Polishing silverware

[SteelHorseCowboy]

I was informed no more than 5 minutes ago that I've inherited a nice, large, antique silverware set from some obscure relative I never really knew very well. Somehow, for some reason, they remembered me and liked me well enough to write me into their will, and I kind of feel like a crappy human being because when my mom told me I had to ask her who the heck she was talking about. I was never even informed that she passed.

Anyway...
I figure a nice way to honor her generosity would be to clean it up and make a nice little display.
But, they've sat so long that they're dark gray. And it's a lot!
Do y'all reckon I can put them in my tumble polisher I use for brass, small batches at a time, or would that damage them?
Also, what would y'all recommend to keep it shiny for longer periods of time?

These are solid silver, not the silver plated stuff. Whoever packed it up and gave it to my mom went ahead and packed up her nice stainless set too. I'll probably end up using that.

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[WebMonkey]

I'd just hand polish with never dull.

Good luck on the sweet bequeath.

;)

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Some people will use Tarn-X or other chemical cleaner, but that cleans them completely.
I don't recomend that. Ideally, for best presentation, you want to leave some of the dark patina in the recesses of the pattern and makes the image of the design POP when you look at it.
I use Maas silver polish and hand polish them. It's a lot of work, but it worth it.

[waksupi]

Instructions for Making Homemade Silver Cleaner:
Line bottom of non-aluminum dish with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda into a quart of hot water.
Soak for a half hour — time may vary depending on degree of tarnish.
Buff with clean, dry cloth.

https://www.rd.com/home/cleaning-organizing/how-to-clean-silver/

[gwpercle]

I had a big gut feeling the question was going to be ...
"can I put the silver service in my tumbler and polish it ".

I wouldn't . Old silver will get beat to death and all nicked up hitting against each other in the tumbler .
If you don't wont to hand polish it just leave it as is ...if it's valuable it might loose value when you shine it all up.
And don't use power buffing wheels on fine silver...that's a bad idea also .

[Winger Ed.]

Don't keep going after it turns bright.
You're removing metal during the polishing, and will erode the detail of it the more ya polish.

If its just for looking at, automotive wax will help keep it from tarnishing again so soon.

[garandsrus]

A sterling silver set is worth several thousand dollars in just melt value. Possibly more as silverware.

[William Yanda]

Instructions for Making Homemade Silver Cleaner:
Line bottom of non-aluminum dish with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda into a quart of hot water.
Soak for a half hour — time may vary depending on degree of tarnish.
Buff with clean, dry cloth.

https://www.rd.com/home/cleaning-organizing/how-to-clean-silver/

Or boil in the same solution in an Al pot.

[David2011]

First, do no harm. Tarn-X and other liquid “polishes” will as mentioned remove the dark patina in the grooves that give silverware its character. Tarn-X is also known to etch the surface. I would consult a jeweler with knowledge of antique silverware.

[Wayne Smith]

Do you know anyone that sews? There is a silver cloth that includes tarnish resistance - all of your silver chests are lined with it. Our silver is in a silver chest and the larger pieces are in silver cloth bags. Both my mother, my mother in law, and my wife are capable of simple sewing. Years ago I relined a chest.

That's how you keep silver nice long term.

[SteelHorseCowboy]

I had a big gut feeling the question was going to be ...
"can I put the silver service in my tumbler and polish it ".

I wouldn't . Old silver will get beat to death and all nicked up hitting against each other in the tumbler .
If you don't wont to hand polish it just leave it as is ...if it's valuable it might loose value when you shine it all up.
And don't use power buffing wheels on fine silver...that's a bad idea also .That's exactly what I was hoping not to hear. Oh well.

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[SteelHorseCowboy]

Y'all I'm actually pretty good at polishing by hand and I have several polishes in my desk drawer. I was just hoping to take the lazy way out.
I served in the Marines back when we still had to polish buttons, buckles and toilet fixtures by hand.
This is apparently just part of it...

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190724/7af29f58f43f1ebee587460dd75b6713.jpg

I guess there's two or three more boxes with more forks, knives, serving utensils and the stainless set.

Wayne, I didn't even think about silver cloth. I played trumpet in high school band in what seems like another lifetime, it was a vintage silver Getzen 900S Eterna. It was also inherited in a way and came with a silver cloth bag that looked like a pillow case. I'd wrap it in the bag before putting it back in it's case, and I rarely had to clean it.

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[Handloader109]

My daughter inherited my Mom's Silver set that my dad sent back from Germany in '45. Originally was given to his mother, and when she and my grandad passed, my mother got it.
Almost complete 8 piece set of nice German silver. Yes, it is SOFT. Very Soft. Two knives suffered injury at probably my grandad's hands. Looked like they were used as hammers.
But rest is good. I used a commercial polish when we brought home and it took a few hours to get most off. As she isn't going to use for a while. I got the idea of packaging into vacuum seal bags.
We have a cheap sealer and bought a new roll of bags. Worked really well. No air, no tarnish.

[gwpercle]

First, do no harm. Tarn-X and other liquid “polishes” will as mentioned remove the dark patina in the grooves that give silverware its character. Tarn-X is also known to etch the surface. I would consult a jeweler with knowledge of antique silverware.

Good advice here . If the set is , and it could be , very valuable , improper cleaning could damage the value . Find out what you have before you do anything .
Gary

[SteelHorseCowboy]

Good advice here . If the set is , and it could be , very valuable , improper cleaning could damage the value . Find out what you have before you do anything .
GaryComing from someone in my family? I doubt it's incredibly valuable, if for any other reason, it's likely not complete. I'm not really concerned too much about the value, more the sentiment but of course I don't want to damage it.

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[popper]

Dad said pack it with mothballs to reduce tarnish.

[Thin Man]

In past years we used both liquid and paste formulas (store bought) that were available back then only from jewelry stores. Recently I asked a jeweler if he had such. No, he answered, just use Tarn-X. OK, says me, where do I find it? I was floored when he said "Grocery stores. Just go the the cleaner section and ask for it. All of 'em have it." I was very surprised at this but at least it solves the mystery on where to find it, will be asking for it today when I make the weekly run.

[David2011]

Only problem with Tarn-X is that it WILL etch the silver.

[RED BEAR]

Could you use a sonic cleaner wife loves hers for gold and silver jewelry. They are fairly cheap at harbor freight and you can use it on your brass after the silverware.

[Big Tom]

A cooking pot full of hot salt water and a bunch of aluminum foil inside, then add the silverware and that should get it nice and shiny. Tried that many years ago with a few silver coins.

[GregLaROCHE]

Be careful not to use anything that etches it. A little more elbow grease is best.

[akajun]

There was a company that made these plates that you put the silver in with them in hot water that removed the tarnish. My parents used them on some large candle operas we have that were damn near impossible to polish by hand.

[KCSO]

Grandma used ash from the wood stove mixed liberally with elbow grease.

[SteelHorseCowboy]

Grandma used ash from the wood stove mixed liberally with elbow grease.Just about anything works when mixed with enough elbow grease. It's a universal solvent!

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[georgerkahn]

There is one polish, only, I would use. I first heard of it three decades or so, when Lake Ontario charter fishermen were using it to polish the silver plate on their Luhr Jensen silver-plated Herring Dodgers; lake trout fishermen to polish their Sutton (fishing) spoons; and quite a few other similar uses. The plating on most fishing items is very, very, very scant -- so a NON-abrasive substance is more than required. Anything even slightly abrasive would surely remove said thin silver plating!
A friend is a jeweler, and when I inquired of the stuff to him, he was actually startled that I heard of it -- his referring it to "the jeweler's secret", using it for polishing all sorts of precious metals, and, even (real) crystals on antique time-pieces.
Then quite hard to find, and really costly -- availability has gone up, and the prices have dropped.
The product name is Flitz, and here's their URL: https://www.flitz.com/flitz-polish-paste/?gclid=CjwKCAjw1f_pBRAEEiwApp0JKJoEpM7VOxXz5Kq8E8h-B1EBgsc9bhQPJnxYIM0MtGUVtNKyExNyvhoCIugQAvD_BwE
Many places, including Amazon, purvey it. In addition to polishing the silver, Flitz also purveys a wax -- recommended uses include firearms :) -- which, if the polished silver is for display only, will put a microscopic layer on to greatly retard future oxidation/tarnish as well.
I'd not hesitate a nano-second on using it to restore silver flatware!
geo