kevinlimse - 14-10-2004 at 20:32
I have been using the reddish brown sol./mixture Silver Polish I bought commercially to polish my violin bow. I wonder how that amazing liquid works,
removing the tarnish and protecting it from tarnish for longer periods of time. and somehow it works on non-silver metals too.
Does anyone knows what is used in making these polishes and what are the reactions involved in "polishing" silver? and why the reddish
polish turn black when used to polish the tarnished silver?
Need more info.
Hermes_Trismegistus - 14-10-2004 at 20:49
The colour of it is not enough to go on, what is in it (read label or look for MSDS online)
kevinlimse - 14-10-2004 at 21:15
I can't find it on my label, mine's Hagerty Silver Polish..
Mephisto - 15-10-2004 at 03:32
There is a very easy way to clean silver. Put the silver-things in a bowl with warm water and Al-foil. Add some soda (Na2CO3) and wait 10 minutes.
Your silver will be perfectly shining.
It works even better, if you rub the silver with Al-foil with some NaCl and water between the object and the Al-foil. I've tried it, and it
really works great. There was also a firm in Germany, which sold in the 90's simply Al-sheets and soda for much money as "magic"
silver-polish
I think, the redox-system between Ag<sup>+</sup> and Al to Ag and Al<sup>3+</sup> could be easily equalized by everybody by
oneself.
JohnWW - 15-10-2004 at 14:14
Silver tarnishes (and also gold-silver alloys with less than 33% gold) due to the formation of Ag2O or AgOH and (especially in volcanic areas where
H2S is emitted into the air) Ag2S or AgSH. Polishes for silver would therefore have to either remove this layer (a variety of amines can do this, by
complexing the Ag+), or reduce it back to Ag. In addition, the better silver polishes should also have a residual effect, coating with a substance
hindering further tarnishing.
Mr. Wizard - 15-10-2004 at 21:31
A metal plate of magnesium was also sold to help with the electrolytic reduction of silver tarnish, but Al foil is a lot cheaper. My wife also has a
small bottle of a solution that will clean her silver jewelry. I think I remember seeing thiourea written somewhere on it. It does smell of sulfur.