Silver Care

• Hollow Handle knives should never be put in the dishwasher due to the heat generated which can swell the handles and lead to looseness and rattles.
• Hand polishing is best (with a slightly damp, clean cloth), with a great and maybe the best paste polish like Simichrome (at your hardware store or from us $7.50  a tube plus tax and shipping).  Simichrome starts as pink color and then as you polish, (you don't need to use much polish) turns dark.  Some Hagerty's products work well.  Always polish in one direction (lengthwise), not crosswise, and not in circles  For hollow ware, follow the natural curves of the piece.   To remove excess polish after a final polish, wet the piece in water and use a toothbrush   Then one last light polish with the polish cloth.  NEVR DULL  (impregnated wadding) in the blue can often works well.
• Use of the dishwasher can lead to a "washed" out look over time to all of your sterling pieces. To restore, do a hand polish and often you can leave your silver out for a few days and then hand polish again.  This will leave a dark area (oxidation) in the design (crevices) for enhancement of the design. Also. Simichrome is great for adding a dark background for "washed out" silverware. Silver buffing by a jeweler can restore that "new" look, but harsh over buffing will give an artificial, bright look.  Extra polish can be removed with water and a small strong bristle brush or a teeth brush. Then do a final light polish.  NEVR DULL works well also.
• We sometimes use 0000 steel wool on the non-intricate design areas of a fork or spoon such as the fork tines or bowls to "polish" away the scratches and discoloration that can sometimes occur.  This is will give the silver a "French" or matte finish. Doing this on the design can result in a washed out look to the pattern, so avoid these areas.
• For cuts or dings on the sides of spoons, heavy duty abrasive screen from the hardware store (180 or so), followed by 3M Wetordry (a light abrasive) followed by Crocus cloth, 3M Wetordry 001 and/or the 0000 steel wool for final touch up. Rinse thoroughly after stage of abrasion.  Sometimes, you can stop before going though this entire process but the 0000 steel wool works wonders on bowls and tines.  Wash in hot soapy water after this to get rid of any "metal" aftertaste.   Again finish with Simichrome and /or NEVR DULL polish. 
• Always dry your silverware before putting it away.  3M strips are great to absorb the sulfur in the air!!!  The black spots you can get on the sterling are silver sulfide as silver is highly reactive with sulfur when in the presence of water.  Always avoid moisture when storing. Do not leave stainless knife blades in water in contact with other silverware for a long period.  This can cause corrosion.
• Baking soda and water will often remove a lot of the dark tarnish.  Make a paste, rub, and rinse. Black spots and tarnish that appear on sterling (Silver Sulfide) ( rubber bands, eggs and other materials particularly those with sulfur will rapidly turn the silver areas dark) can sometimes be removed with water, baking soda, and a rubbing action.   For severe tarnish/black spots, you can dip the silver in a cleaner such as EZ-EST #1951 Instant Silver Cleaner sold in 10oz. jars and 1-gallon containers for 20-30 seconds, drain, then follow with baking soda sprinkled on the spot/area, rubbing, and then a rinse in warm water. Then rinse again in soapy water and a final water rinse.   Next spray Awesome Orange (at the $ Store) or other degreaser on the silver, followed by a rinse in water to remove any remnants of the Awesome Orange and coin cleaner.  (Repeat as necessary). Use rubber gloves if you have sensitive hands. You can get  ordering information below.  Caution: Do not leave stainless blades in the dip solution for more than 15 seconds. Best not to do so at all!!! Always double rinse in warm soapy water. Then a final water rinse, Awesome orange spray and then rinse and dry.
• Black spots (corrosion) on the stainless blades can rarely be removed, so use caution and do not leave salt or such foods as eggs in contact with the silver for a long time.  Silverware in the past was often gilded (gold plated/Vermeil), to protect the silver from turning black when in contact with acidic and sulfur containing compounds foods such as eggs, salt, tomatoes, etc.  Brief food exposure is normally not a problem.
• Rotate the use of your silverware so that it will all age gracefully. This means if you have a set for 12 and use 6, next time use the bottom six. 
• Use caution when using steak knives with your silver and do not let the steak knives "cut" into the soft sterling fork tines or bowls.  Nasty gashes will result.
• Use and enjoy your silverware >>> be very careful when using cocktail or seafood forks as they can bend if jabbed forcefully into crab or lobster shells .  Silver is soft and will bend!!!  
• For crab and other shellfish, we use silver plate cocktail forks which are much stronger.  Ice cream forks and spoons should only be used with soft or softened ice cream!! 
• For  silver repair, knife blades (always ask what blades will be used), or restoration, we recommend Michele’s  1 800 332-4693  Ted Philip or  Bea  805 Crystal Mtn Dr Austin TX 78733, CGPRO@Aol.com, in Louisville KY, restore@silversmithing.com in Providence Rhode Island, Jeans Silversmiths 212 575-0723  16 W 45th NYC 10036, and others.  Also, Vroman's Silver Shop 442-A  Fleetwood Pl   Glendora CA 91740    800 824-5174 Vrosilver@aol.com  is an expert on all kinds or silver repair and restoration. 
• Silver Chests should be aired out for a day or so and brushed about once every 6-8 months.  Just remove the silver and let the box breathe. Rose petals will give the inside of the chest a pleasant smell.
• For straightening bent or misaligned tines, such as on forks, best to take another fork and insert the four tines in between the bent tines of the second fork and forcibly, but gently work/pull out until the tines are realigned.
• EZ-EST #1951 Instant Silver Cleaner sold in 10oz. jars and 1-gallon containers.   Athena International     110 Mark Circle Box 398    Gardnerville NV 89410   800 272-87603   www.athenainternational.com  
  http://www.athenabrands.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=5&idproduct=79
   

  Speed Dip
  Our Products: E-Z-Est
  SKU: 1951 Net Weight 10 oz. Jar or Gallon Sizes This instant silver cleaner removes tarnish from sterling silver and silver-plate without rubbing. May be used over and over again – economical Safe for sterling, silver-plate, duralite, gold and copper Price: $3.25

   

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