Question about black spots on 800 & 835 silver

[JavaCan]

Hi,
I read the article on polishing silver and it was great and informative. I tried it on some of my silver and they look great, but I have a couple of pieces that have some deep rough black spots on them. I am wondering if this is normal with the age of some pieces or are they not really 800 or 835 silver :) Is there a way to clean it or should I leave them alone at this point?

Thanks for your help!
Jay
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[JLDoggett]

Jay, do the black spots stand proud of the metal (can be felt when you drag your fingernail across them) in which case it could be something the piece was set on and stuck to the silver. further polishing should remove it. Severly oxidized pieces may take several polishings to bring back the uniform luster.

If they are pits in the metal then something has etched or dinged the metal and they can not be removed by cleaning. Though usually you can clean them enough to make the piece look good. It appears to be the base of something, so once again further cleaning should do the trick.

In very rare cases I have seen sliver that when alloyed was not heated properly, in these cases the silver and copper did not blend properly and the finish developed an orange peel look. However that does not appear the case in your picture.

Good luck.

Jim
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[JavaCan]

Thanks Jim,

I can feel them as I drag my nail across them. It looks like pits in the metal instead of on it. I will try and polish them some more and see what happens. I am new to cleaning silver, but it just reminded me of being plated. Thank you for the response :)

Jay
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[JavaCan]

Further polishing has removed a lot more of the spots! I think I am up against a lacquer that was appiled to the silver long long ago. This has been a learning experience. Is there an easy way to get the rest of the lacquer off for a more uniform look? I have been using Wright's to clean and polish my other silver which works great.

Thank you,
Jay
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[JLDoggett]

Glad to hear it something is happening. If you think it is lacquer then a vew swipes with finger-nail polish remover should get rid of the rest. I have seen too many pieces that have been either shellaced or varnished in the past (polishing would have been a much better solution). It is nasty to do to a piece of silver and worse when there is deep chasing or applique.

Wright's is one of the best I have ever found. Can we see a picture of the entire piece?
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[JavaCan]

Hi,

Here are the before and after pics. Obviously, there is a major improvement with cleaning and polishing. There is still some areas that need more :) I am at a place where I am not sure what to try next to see if I can get some more shine out of it.



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[salmoned]

I'm not sure how much time you've put into polishing this item (not all the tarnish has been removed yet), but I suspect you have actual pits in the silver which can only be removed by buffing.
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[JLDoggett]

Yes, seeing the piece as a whole, it appears something pitted the surface. Alas the only way to bring back a uniform finish would be to buff the piece. I wonder if it had been stored in a dry-cleaner's bag or other plastic film.
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[dragonflywink]

I've seen this effect before, on pieces that had chips in a lacquer coating, on removal of the lacquer, the coated areas still have the original high gloss, the exposed areas are more dull from tarnish and/or polishing.

~Cheryl
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[kerangoumar]

this reminds me of all those "tarnish-resistant" works by WMF - they are coated with a thin film of something, possibly a plastic???? - when i was young i derived great delight in peeling this film off a bowl where the substance had come off already - that little bit of film standing up was a temptation too wonderful to resist.

well, the silver started to tarnish except in those few places where the film still adhered. perhaps nail lacquer remover might have taken it off?

anyone have a similar experience???
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[admin]

Nail polish remover is basically dilute acetone with fragrance added. I have found that commercial acetone, straight from the hardware or paint store, used with cotton wadding, works well at removal of most applied finishes.
After the applied finish is removed, if nothing has corroded the silver in areas that were not sealed or where the coating had been peeled or scratched away, a regular hand polishing will bring the entire piece back to an even luster.

note (ACETONE IS A HEALTH HAZARD, USE ONLY IN A WELL VENTILATED OR OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT)
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[kerangoumar]

if you are going to use acetone make sure you do so in a properly vented, large studio space or out of doors (preferred). you have no idea of the damage acetone can do to one's lungs.
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[admin]

a VERY IMPORTANT point, thanks for adding it! I'd better edit the original.

Tom
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[Silvy]

polishing german silver, especially hollowware, should be done very carefully, because most german massiiv silver products are electroplated with silver( not the old items). This is done for a very white gloss of the item, because plated silver is 1000 promille silver and much whiter than copperalloyed 800 or 835 0r 925.Also its done for hiding soldering areas.--So if anyone doesnn´t care enough the surface gets points or areas of a darker grey, the color of non electroplated massiv silver. Most people don`t know about that. For example even forks,spoons and knifes often are electroplated over the massiv 800 silver.(I own some of wilkens)
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