Where Can I Buy Colloidal Silver Near Me

Photo by Lizzie Himmel

Everybody must ask you this question first: What's the best polish?

Hagerty Silver Foam. It's not too abrasive, and it's water-soluble. For really bad black tarnish, Simichrome Polish. It's made in Germany. It costs more, but it's very good, and it's good for nickel, chrome, and brass, too. But it's not water-soluble. Make sure you get it out of the crevices. Use a toothbrush, otherwise it cakes on and is hard to remove. And don't use dips, they take off all the patina. If you take out all the black, you can't see the pattern. We see a lot of cases where someone took off too much patina, even the wonderful matte surface on Tiffany bronze pieces—when you make those shiny, it can destroy the value. We do have chemicals to put back or match patina, even on the lead for glass lampshades, and we can protect patina on bronze with a hot-wax finish.

Next I bet you're going to tell me never to put my silver in the dishwasher.

I don't recommend it. Especially if you're washing stainless in the machine too—that discolors silver. Knives aren't dishwash-able anyway because the handles are full of pitch, the material that binds it to the silver, which softens in the heat. And you should always rinse off your silver right after the meal; some salty foods, and coffee and tea, will discolor it.

How should I store different kinds of metal?

Hagerty and other companies sell anti-tarnish cloth bags for silver. Chrome and nickel rarely tarnish, and you can store brass anywhere dark, in sealable plastic bags you squeeze the air out of. If air and sun don't get to a piece, it won't tarnish. Just don't use plastic wrap—it sticks on very hard. And don't use rubber bands either, they stain silver. Any contact with rubber can be dangerous for silver.

Do you get many surprises here?

All the time. I've seen sterling silver, 925, plated over for some reason—maybe because there was a repair to hide, or somebody thought it needed to be resilvered when really it was only tarnished. The plating can bubble when we work on it. People cut corners, they destroy beautiful things. The worst is when soft solder is used, in lead or tin, instead of silver solder. I have to take off 100 percent of the soft solder, or else when I start the repair and apply heat, the silver around it will literally vanish. You'd end up with a big gaping hole. And I don't like to work on very thin pieces. They usually show wrinkles in the end. Sometimes a weighted base that people think is solid silver is a thin sheet on wood or pitch that could melt in hot water.

So what do you like to work on?

Quality pieces I can do justice to. But I'll treat anything, even if it has value to you only because it was your grandmother's. •

Paul Karner, Metal Restorer, Restoration & Design Studio, 212-517-9742; www.restorationdesignstudio.com.

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Where Can I Buy Colloidal Silver Near Me

Source: https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/cleaning-tips/a73/maintenance-silver-care-1206/

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