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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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How can I restore the black highlighting that was originally on my sterling silver flatware?
Q. I used Tarn-X to clean my Grand Baroque by Wallace flatware and the beautiful black highlights that were in the nooks and crannies of the flowers has disappeared. I would like to restore it back. can I do this myself and with what product.
Carmen Feldconsumer - Staten Island, New York
December 23, 2008
A. Try liver of sulfur solution (potassium or sodium polysulfide - 10gm/1 lit water).Kitchen salt and copper sulphate ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] solution can be used too(30 gm CuSO4 / 15 gm NaCl / 100 mll water).Can be used only on grease and oxide free surfaces! Hope it helps and good luck!
Goran Budija- Cerovski vrh Croatia
December 29, 2008
A. You will have to blacken, or at least darken the entire surface, then buff (not chemically clean) to brighten the highlights while leaving the dark color in the recesses.
A short immersion in smelly liver of sulfur
⇦this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links]
will work, followed by a buffing with something like Nevr-Dull
⇦this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links]
Never-Dull.
Or you can simply wait a few years, and the pieces will "antique" themselves from repeated tarnishing and polishing.
Jeffrey Holmes, CEF
Spartanburg, South Carolina
December 29, 2008
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