I am not in favor of an immersion cleaning process for silver because
silver ions are sacrificed and so I consider it deliterious . Looks
great on T.V. and at trade shows ;we are all looking for a quick
cleaning of our silver place settings when Auntie Edna comes to tea.
A further caution not addressed in this discourse today on cleaning
silver concerns  "niello".
Niello is  the black decorative silver sulphide paste ,applied hot to
highlight the details of cast,engraved or chased detail . Excess rubbing
to remove what appears to be "dirt" could contribute to the loss of
original "niello" .
After gentle softening of residues from previous cleanings with mineral
spirits/stoddard's  on a swab ,and changing swabs frequently we were
taught to very lightly coax stubborn products with the opposite end of a
swab stick, shaped to a gentle point.
 Firstly the niello areas should be examined under a mircoscope to check
the coating's stability to see if it is in fact loose. If so
,stop.Proceed no further.
Consult a conservator in your area .

Len Hambleton - Chief Conservator
North Carolina Museum of History
5 East Edenton Street
Raleigh NC. 27601-1011
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919-715-0200 x244
"Information in the spirit of sharing,catch the wave!"

Opinions expressed in this message may not represent the policy of my
agency

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mai-Li Hokama [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, May 07, 1998 10:56 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: Silver artifacts
>
> I'd also be interested in hearing conservators' comments on the baking
> soda method.  From my experience, that seems to be the easiest way to
> clean large items or large quantities of items.  For smaller pieces,
> such as a tarnished ring, I've used toothpaste which could possibly
> replace the below mentioned process since toothpaste is primarily made
> up of calcium carbonate, and on top of that already in a paste-like
> form.  Commercial toothpaste is of course made up of other substances
> and I'd be interested to know how these would play a role.
>
> Mai-Li
> ---
> Will Garrison wrote:
> >
> > Cleaning silver.
> > I'm not so sure about the baking soda method, but would be
> interested in
> > conservators' comments.
> > We use the following method (with credit to conservators Julie
> Reilly and
> > Debbie Long):
> > 1. Use cotton swabs and mineral spirits.  This will not only cut all
> the
> > accumulated gunk from previous treatments with commercial products,
> but
> > will remove a lot of the tarnish.  Use ventilation.
> > 2.  Mix a slurry of calcium carbonate (precipitated chalk) and
> distilled
> > water - to consistency of heavy cream.  With cotton swabs, clean a
> small
> > area at a time.  Calcium carbonate is used to mix paints, so can be
> > purchased at any good artists supply store.
> > 3.  Wipe down with distilled water.
> > 4.  As a drying agent, wipe down with denatured alcohol.
> > 5.  As protective coating, use Renaissance Wax.  Buff thoroughly
> with old
> > nylon stockings or similar.
> > 6.  Enjoy.  It sounds like a wimp method, but really works well.  It