Not sure I want to , but if I do............

rdnzl

rdnzl

Joined
Aug 16, 2000
Messages
1,220
I'm not sure I would want to try and remove the inevitable tarnish that is starting to appear on my Kothimoda. It is just beginning to show signs of tarnish on the flat surfaces. It sort of makes it seem "alive" because it is changing it's appearance right before my eyes.

I do not want to keep it in a sealed case. It is hanging on my wall.

But.....if I was to try and remove the tarnish, what would be a good plan? It would seem that most of the commercial silver polish products might damage the leather. They also state that rinsing is required.

What do you guys think?

 
You can get a silver polishing cloth containing jeweler's rouge, designed to clean sterling flatware, at any good jewelry store. It won't come in contact with the leather and won't leave a residue in the crevices like pastes. It's not necessary to clean all the silver, just the higher areas. The contrast with the darker oxidized crevices will emphasize and accent the detail.
 
:
I use a silver & gold polishing cloth from Walmart. It is 2 pieces of cloth sewn together in the center with a grey cloth on the outside and a white one underneath.
The white cloth is for getting the tarnish off, takes a bit of rubbing, but silver (any metal) does anyway.
The grey cloth is for the final polishing.
These cloths work Very Well and sell for about $3.00.
They will leave No Residue on your silverwork and won't harm the leather underneath the silver.
They also work on other metals like brass as well.
If you have cloth or anything light colored under the metal it will need protection as the oxides from the metal will stain.
However and Most Importantly they leave no residue that will rub off on expensive and sometimes very old pieces of regalia.
All the ndns I know use this cloth for keeping their silverwork and regalia shining brightly.
The cloths get very dirty in appearance but keep on working year after year. Barb and me have had 2 cloths for several years since we're often both polishing something at the last minute to get ready for a powwow.




------------------
>>>>---¥vsa---->®

"Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other."

~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Dalai Lama ~~~~~~~
 
Use Flitz metal polish to clean it, then use a good quality car wax to seal it.

Tom
 
If it's at the stage I think it is, just take a soft cloth or chamois and rub it a little. It'll look great with the recessed areas dark and with the high points clean but not too shiny. You can easily polish silver so shiny it looks like chrome.
frown.gif
That's not what you want ... you want it to look like silver ... silver only looks like silver when there's a bit of oxidation -- not enough to make it look tarnished, just enough to make it look like silver.

If you do overpolish it it'll return to looking like silver again in a while. If I've interpreted your description wrong and it's more tarnished than I think, then you'll rub and rub without polish and it'll still look tarnished and you'll soon get tired of that and say Cougar's an idiot and go get some silver polish ... but if I've guessed right I think it'll only take a minute or two of rubbing with a soft cloth and it'll look perfect. You can do that frequently if you want ... it's a good excuse for fondling your Kothimoda....
smile.gif


-Cougar :{)

I'm not fondling it -- I'm polishing it!
 
Cougar,

I tried your method and it works pretty darn well! Brings out some highlights and accentuates the designs.
 
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