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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
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for Metal Finishing since 1989
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HOW TO POLISH DIRILYTE FLATWARE
Q. Recently, at an estate sale, I purchased a set of twelve complete place settings of Dirilyte. It is very tarnished and defies polishing. I have tried liquid and paste silver polish, copper polish and brass polish. I have tried Tarn-X, ammonia, the aluminum and baking soda routine. How does one polish Dirilyte?
Any help will be gratefully appreciated.
John K [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Edinburg, Texas
2002
A. I bought some miscellaneous pieces of Dirilyte on EBay and they too were tarnished. I went through the same process as you, all sorts of metal polish. Finally, I took a piece of the finest #0000 steel wool ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] I could buy - 12 gauge - and gently polished the pieces with the steel wool and some all-purpose metal polish. It worked. Because the Dirilyte metal is an alloy, there is not anything to rub off. No finish. And it is very hard. Be careful. Polish gently. See what happens before you proceed. All I can tell you is what I did and that it worked. I'm an amateur refurbisher, not a pro. This was a last resort and it worked. Give it a whirl, but carefully.
Peggy P [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- New York, New York
2002
A. With reference to polishing Dirilyte. There used to be a polish sold by QVC called Primo Polish. It worked well. I cannot find anywhere to purchase this. I recently purchased Simichrome ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] polish and this works.
Anne D [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Norristown, Pennsylvania
2002
A. I have a set of Dirilyte flatware. The best polish I've found is Brasso ⇨
Happy polishing,
Charlyn S [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Billings, Montana
2002
A. The Dirilyte company is still in business and is a division of Hand Industries.
Alfred (Mel) B [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Memphis, Tennessee, USA
2002
A. We recently discovered a full set that needed cleaning. I ordered the Dirilyte polish [Dirilyte polish on eBay (affil link)] directly from their website, and it cleaned beautifully and quickly.
Patti S [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Green Bay, Wisconsin
2002
A. I too purchased at an estate sale. I was able to get a beautiful finish using Nevr-Dull. Good Luck!
Rosa E [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Houston, Texas
2003
A. My husband bought an antique dessert set of old Dirigold flatware some years ago, and I used Simichrome ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] with great success--I use the flatware a lot, and only need to polish it once a few times a year--it seems to go through my dishwasher fine and tarnishes, but slowly...I adore the hardness, and feel very confident about the dishwasher as several of the pieces had been damaged [this was a huge set] by garbage disposals--with children in the house, I just put them straight into the dishwasher--the spotting is very reduced by using Wal-Mart house brand of dishwashing detergent with enzymes.....
Eva M [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Copperopolis, California, USA
2003
A. I have tried many things over the years but this works best for me. "Soft Scrub [affil links]" applied with a dry paper towel rubbed well, then rinsed in regular dish soap and clear water. Dry completely before storing.( NAYY)
A set that was realllllly in bad shape looks brand new and there are no visible scratch marks (even with a magnifying glass).
Karen H [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Ithaca, New York
2003
A. I polished my set with brasso. The trick is that you have to use a Dremel ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and the white fuzzy polishing tips. It made the process go a lot faster and a lot easier.
Rebecca S [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Whitwood, California, USA
2003
A. Your Dirilyte may be coated with a finish that it supposed to prevent tarnishing. In my case, the coating failed and the pieces started tarnishing under the coating. No surface treatment was effective. Dirilyte was still making flatware at this time (back in the '70s). I sent every piece back to them. They removed the coating. Since then, although it tarnishes easily, it also responds to polish. Barkeepers Friend ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] does a great job.
Joyce D [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Houston, Texas
2003
A source of confusion on this topic is that some people use the term "jewelers rouge" to refer to any and all buffing compounds including red-brown, white, and green; whereas other people use the term "jewelers rouge" to mean the red-brown buffing compound very specifically.
A. Buffing with white jewelers rouge, will give a beautiful finish. The original manufactures directions said wash in warm water with dish soap. I follow the Mfg's directions and only have to polish every two or three years.
J. Critchley- Clearwater, Florida
2003
A. I found that Jeweluster, available at coin stores sometimes, and intended to remove tarnish from coins, will remove surface tarnish. Also a quick dip in fresh cranberry/orange relish works wonders! There are likely several other mild acid solutions that will do the job. ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] would probably work as well as Jeweluster. Has anybody tried that ultrasound device for cleaning silver on Dirilyte yet?
Michael Z [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Bowie, Maryland, USA
2003
A. To remove the Bonded Protectorant (BP) coating on Dirilyte (nickel-bronze) flatware you can use spray-on oven cleaner ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] . (wear rubber rubber gloves ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] ) let it set about 5 min and then wash off. No rubbing needed. A second spraying may be needed.
R. Johnson- Kokomo, Indiana
2004
A. I have found that just about any chrome polish works well to remove tarnish from Dirilyte/Dirigold.
Deborah K [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Port Angeles, Washington
2004
A. I have had my Dirilyte buffed by a professional metal buffing/plating business...had the scuffy lacquer removed...easy, about a $1 per piece and it looks beautiful. Lots of polish products work on Dirilyte...it's just that you must wash and dry it promptly after use. Heck, I have even used toothpaste and very fine #0000 steel wool ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] .
Christy M [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Sacramento California
2004
A. I have tried many cleaners and polishes on my set of Dirilyte, as well as the Dirilyte polish sold by the manufacturer, and I have found the best polish to be Maas. It comes in a tube and contains jewelers rouge, and does a much better job than anything else I have tried.
Joyce L [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Rockford, Illinois, USA
2004
Q. I have a set of Empress Dirilyte pre-1950 purchased by my grandmother. It is service for 8 plus many additional serving pieces, punch ladle, tongs, butter knives and iced tea spoons.
I found it does polish beautifully using
⇦this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links]
... but is Maas better? Thanks so much.
- Parma, Michigan
September 25, 2012
A. To remove tarnish from Dirilyte flatware is difficult. I only use the polish found on their website [Dirilyte polish on eBay (affil link)] . It will take a lot of elbow grease!
Vicki Torres- El Paso Texas
April 6, 2022
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