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Comments conncering ammonia. Useful for certain cleaning operations and advice still stands but acetone is also flammable and will evaporate as well. Expensive to buy the good stuff but cheap nail varnish remover will work although slowly.

All very good advice on removing lacquer from silver . Be advised that as well as working well, strong ammonia in a confined space is very unpleasant. It will fume immediatly the container is opened and if poured into an open container will release a powerfully irritating vapour. If at all possible ...

Very helpful photos possibly confirming the old Sheffield hypothersis for the spoon. The typical late O.S spoons are often lightweight if not downright flimsy so this one is more similar to all silver forms. A gut feeling, given the proportions and engraving, is to wonder if this is a provincial i.e...

Some wise words from AG2021. Handles have been known to have problems during removal but then again snarling and pushing has been known to stretch and split the clearly thin metal !

Heamatite

Hi Argent, Firstly congratulations on the super shots of the tankard and crushed area. Late Newcastle tankards are very often made from a thin gage so this is a not uncommon sight. There is alot to be said for leaving well alone if there are no leaks hower the desire to have it in good order has kep...

Delighted to help and thanks again for sharing images. A good fridge magnet will confirm either steel or copper as the base metal The black lettering effect will occur if either metals are cut deep enough and this is often done to achieve the contrast. One other indication of the various types is th...

Many thanks for posting this fascinating spoon. Appearences can be deceptive however it looks as if it is plated over a base metal. One possible candidate may be George Shaw of Birmingham plater, deaker, and chapman declared bannkrupt February 1831. A fiddle fork has been seen marked SHAW but in fou...

Dear Trev,
Many thanks for further thoughts on Samuel Colmore . His output and connections suggest he was one of one of the most significant figures in the development of solder plate with over 50 years in the trade. Why he failed to register a mark at Sheffield is unclear.

Heamatite

Many thanks for post concerning one of the apprentices of Joseph Fendall/ Findall. The entry for the duty paid in 1753 clearly records Colemore. The marriage to Mary Hutton on the 28th October 1765 lists the groom as Samuel Colemore. Recorded surname variations may reflect the whim of the clerk but ...

A Joseph Fendall registered a mark at Birmingham Assay Office sometime between 1773 and 1801. This is a well cut of a type used on silver and steel, His master Samuel Colemore c 1739- 1805 did not enter a mark at Birmingham or at Sheffield for plated wares but is found on plated table and dessert bl...

Has anybody come across a metalworker, silversmith or plater by the name of Joseph Findell or Fendall? He was the master of Birmingham plater and silversmith Samuel Colemore, the apprenticeship taking place around 1753. Joseph is recorded as a silver plater and by definition would have been at least...

The 1798 Land Tax Redemption for Ave Maria Lane London gives Jon Key and Sons £3 3s 3d with the surname only Ellerby underneath. This must be William and depending on when the entry was made is perhaps the earliest indication of his connection with commercial premises. Jon Key and Sons are unknown t...

Is it hallmarked silver?

Has anybody seen an example/ examples of close plated forks with silver points? A few retailers describe them from c 1817 and as practical way of overcoming disfiguring wear the process must have had some advantage . The silver tips were presumably hard soldered and then hammered hard again prior to...

It seems that Samuel did register a mark at Birmingham some tine during the period 1773-1801 and described as a plater. His apprenticeship was to Elizabeth Lane , plater, of Birmingham, duty paid 26th Febuary 1772 . This suggests his mark dates from at least 7 years later. Samuel Malkins joins the l...

A query concerning Samuel Malkin of Birmingham , plated buckle maker. A blue plaque in the Jewellery Quarter describes him as buckle maker to the King. Veitch gives him dates of 1781 -1793 What evidence is there that he held that post? Still described as a buckle maker in the 1798 Birmingham tontine...

A sharp edge may be caused by a number of reasons. Heavy wear and tear over centuries of use will remove metal differentially , the interior subject to the additional hazard of contact with steel knives and forks. When new a hammered plate,like its spun counterpart , would aim to have a crisp edge a...

I note the areas of solder at the junction of the rim and bouge. The excellent photographs also show the sharp edge at the junction of the two. Also seen is the really heavy wear to the metal. Bear in mind that this corner is invariably the thinnest part of a hammered plate, centuries of wear and p...

I note the areas of solder at the junction of the rim and bouge. The excellent photographs also show the sharp edge at the junction of the two. Also seen is the really heavy wear to the metal. Bear in mind that this corner is invariably the thinnest part of a hammered plate, centuries of wear and po...

Joseph Jukes senior entered two marks at Birmingham sometime during the period 1773 1801.

Heamatite