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Best way to clean "black" silver?
- Thread starter seaweednh
- Start date
Steve from Ohio
New member
Silver tarnishes by absorbing the sulfur that is present in the ground or in the air. Silver is a natural sulfur magnet and that is what causes silver to turn black.
Try this.....
This method was recommended to me by a professional coin / jewelry restorer. It will not damage the silver.
For coins, I take a small pan of water. I then add about a tablespoon of salt. I take a small strip of tin foil and make a small cradle for the coin to be put in.
I lower the coin into the pan of water while bringing the water to a boil. Before it starts to boil, I add about a tablespoon and a half of baking soda.
You will see the water and the baking soda will all of a sudden react and cause a lot of bubbles, so watch so it does not overflow out of the pan.
Allow the coin to sit in the bubbling pan of water for about 5 minutes and you will notice that the black tarnish will disappear. It will smell like burning matches.
Take the coin out and rinse off with cool water. Then take the coin and place it in a small cup of lemon juice. The lemon juice coats the silver and does not allow the sulfur to get near the surface as easily. Keep it in the lemon juice for about a half hour. Then rinse off with cold water. Never rub the silver item for it will scratch.
You could do this on a larger scale with silverware or any sterling silver items. Just scale it up to whatever size pot or pan you are using.
Try it on a small scale to verify what I am saying is true. After all, you cannot believe everything you read on the internet! Just give it a try!
Try this.....
This method was recommended to me by a professional coin / jewelry restorer. It will not damage the silver.
For coins, I take a small pan of water. I then add about a tablespoon of salt. I take a small strip of tin foil and make a small cradle for the coin to be put in.
I lower the coin into the pan of water while bringing the water to a boil. Before it starts to boil, I add about a tablespoon and a half of baking soda.
You will see the water and the baking soda will all of a sudden react and cause a lot of bubbles, so watch so it does not overflow out of the pan.
Allow the coin to sit in the bubbling pan of water for about 5 minutes and you will notice that the black tarnish will disappear. It will smell like burning matches.
Take the coin out and rinse off with cool water. Then take the coin and place it in a small cup of lemon juice. The lemon juice coats the silver and does not allow the sulfur to get near the surface as easily. Keep it in the lemon juice for about a half hour. Then rinse off with cold water. Never rub the silver item for it will scratch.
You could do this on a larger scale with silverware or any sterling silver items. Just scale it up to whatever size pot or pan you are using.
Try it on a small scale to verify what I am saying is true. After all, you cannot believe everything you read on the internet! Just give it a try!
treasuresalvor
New member
I have done this method several times and it does work but as mentioned it will boil over when you add the baking soda so use a larger pan than what you think you need.
Steve,
I tried this method with little luck. I think the silver has been in salt water too long. The method that finally worked was to use Tarn-X and baking soda to make a paste and wok it in with gloved fingers, Q-tips and a toothbrush. I realize this may not be a good idea for a coin of value but it worked great for the silver jewelry. It was either this or leave them black.
This was the method I used from Magyar
"If it is heavily tarnished, I first electrolysize the item; rinse it; and with my fingers( use gloves) I gently rub the loosened tarnish away , using a bit of baking soda if necessary.
If the above does not "do the job", I will soak the item in Tarn-X for a few minutes after electrolysis and rinsing it; then I make a paste of Tarn-X and baking soda, and rub the item , or use a gentle toothbrush , or Q-tips to further clean it
Tarn-X can be bought at any super market..or Walmart.
If you want to see a sample of my cleaned silver, I just posted a pic on the "Friends and Finds" forum of a small ring that I found today in the wet sand slope of a beach.
Hope this helps you
Magyar"
Thanks Magyar, it did the job.
Thanks again to everyone,
Ron
I tried this method with little luck. I think the silver has been in salt water too long. The method that finally worked was to use Tarn-X and baking soda to make a paste and wok it in with gloved fingers, Q-tips and a toothbrush. I realize this may not be a good idea for a coin of value but it worked great for the silver jewelry. It was either this or leave them black.
This was the method I used from Magyar
"If it is heavily tarnished, I first electrolysize the item; rinse it; and with my fingers( use gloves) I gently rub the loosened tarnish away , using a bit of baking soda if necessary.
If the above does not "do the job", I will soak the item in Tarn-X for a few minutes after electrolysis and rinsing it; then I make a paste of Tarn-X and baking soda, and rub the item , or use a gentle toothbrush , or Q-tips to further clean it
Tarn-X can be bought at any super market..or Walmart.
If you want to see a sample of my cleaned silver, I just posted a pic on the "Friends and Finds" forum of a small ring that I found today in the wet sand slope of a beach.
Hope this helps you
Magyar"
Thanks Magyar, it did the job.
Thanks again to everyone,
Ron
tomcatpl said:or you can make you own electrolysis machine with an old wall charger
Don't leave me hanging, how is this method done??
nickie said:what are you using for the strip of metal with the + symbol?
I use a strip of stainless steel but even an old teaspoon will do
nickie said:what are you using for the strip of metal with the + symbol?
I'll have to ask my brother...will get back to you with an answer
Magyar said:nickie said:what are you using for the strip of metal with the + symbol?
I'll have to ask my brother...will get back to you with an answer
Answer:stainless steel
This has worked every time, I got this from a beach pirate in Santa Monica, CA.
Get a piece of tin foil and make a cup out of it big enough to hold your silver item with the shinny foil side out. Then place it in a lager bowl to allow for any spillage. Add enough white vinegar to more than cover your item, place it in the foil cup and let it sit for 1 hour. Dump the vinegar & silver into the glass bowl and discard the foil. Add backing soda to make a paste and begin rubbing and working the object with your fingers. The black will start to come off with very little effort. For the kooks and crannies I use a tooth brush. Rinse off and polish with a standard silver polish.
HH,
SP
Get a piece of tin foil and make a cup out of it big enough to hold your silver item with the shinny foil side out. Then place it in a lager bowl to allow for any spillage. Add enough white vinegar to more than cover your item, place it in the foil cup and let it sit for 1 hour. Dump the vinegar & silver into the glass bowl and discard the foil. Add backing soda to make a paste and begin rubbing and working the object with your fingers. The black will start to come off with very little effort. For the kooks and crannies I use a tooth brush. Rinse off and polish with a standard silver polish.
HH,
SP
tidewalker2
New member
Tried the method on a number of items. On a piece of household silver it worked better than silver polish without rubbing or toxic chemicals. It also works on copper and bronze. Does not work on iron so I guess we're still stuck with Coke. For those old tough black silver coins that Seaweed mentioned, throw a piece of iron in the pot and watch what happens after about half an hour. It won't be shiny because its all abraded from years in the sand, but most of the black will be gone. Next time I go to the beach, I'm going to try it on clad. Finally an easy, Green way to clean coins. Next is to find out if the process works cold. Keep diggin'. ED
Keeshond John
New member
BARKER and Seaweednh: Something for the "Small World" catagory; I too live in Ipswich and I think I know BARKER from high school and street hockey back in the 70s. I won't use full names here but if your first name is Ron then your last name is of Polish decent.
Am I close? I played high school hockey in the early 70s and you and I played street hockey together up near the old Burley School back then. I'm John B.
Am I close? I played high school hockey in the early 70s and you and I played street hockey together up near the old Burley School back then. I'm John B.