On Sunday 1 Dec M.Jones asked: >In another vein, we have an old silverplate communion set and wondered >about the best way to clean and maintain it. It's always difficult to give advice about conserving things without seeing them. Avoid polishing silver - you'll only wear off the silverplate. If you feel that you have to polish it, then use a silver polish rather than Brasso etc, which is more abrasive. If it is tarnished, them you can remove the tarnish with a commercial silver dip. Follow the instructions carefully! Most commercial silver dips contain phosphoric acid & a corrosion inhibitor such as thiourea, and about 90% water. The acid can burn you, and the inhibitors are usually toxic and/or carcinogenic. Always wear gloves & rinse the silver thoroughly with clean water after using silver dip. The cleaned silver should not be handled with bare hands, and ideally you should coat it with an inhibited lacquer, such as INCRALAC to reduce the amount of tarnishinbg in the future. Silver should be stored away from sulphur bearing atmospheres. There are several types of "silver bags" on the market which are specifically made for storing silver in. Hope this helps. George Bailey Objects Conservator Australian War Memorial Treloar Centre for Conservation 4 Callan St, Mitchell, A.C.T. 2911 Australia Phone: +61 6 241 6122 fax: +61 6 241 7998 email: [log in to unmask]