That paste is also my go-to baketlite/catalin tester. A little on a cotton swab, rubbed into the catalin, causes the swab to turn yellow/brown and the rubbing emits a formaldehyde smell. (rotten milk if you've a piece of galaith). Real bakelite, brown and black, doesn't test with much short of a dremel. Not recommended. Red is iffy on a good day. But back to silver: Some idiots put a piece of aluminum foil in a basin, and then add baking soda and warm water and immerse silver. Takes of all of the tarnish, but also all of the patina and if plated all of the silver into the bargain. It works great for taking silver-plated copper back to the bare copper, but it's drestructive for anything else. One thing I noted was that David's lamp had its cord cut. That means having water around it isn't dangerous, since it would have to be rewired to be used anyway.
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Dear David Harper, Thank you for making the world a bit more polished. We all need it!
My pleasure !
Great info!! Love your smile.....makes me smile!!
Well, thank you very much
Oh thank you! I have some pieces I need to polish and was wondering if there was a more natural way to do it.
Glad I could help!
That paste is also my go-to baketlite/catalin tester. A little on a cotton swab, rubbed into the catalin, causes the swab to turn yellow/brown and the rubbing emits a formaldehyde smell. (rotten milk if you've a piece of galaith). Real bakelite, brown and black, doesn't test with much short of a dremel. Not recommended. Red is iffy on a good day. But back to silver: Some idiots put a piece of aluminum foil in a basin, and then add baking soda and warm water and immerse silver. Takes of all of the tarnish, but also all of the patina and if plated all of the silver into the bargain. It works great for taking silver-plated copper back to the bare copper, but it's drestructive for anything else. One thing I noted was that David's lamp had its cord cut. That means having water around it isn't dangerous, since it would have to be rewired to be used anyway.
Yes, the lamp needs re-wiring - I’ll get around to it eventually!
Thanks for the tip, will give it a go!
I tried the method today on a silver plate shaving stand c. 1910. It worked nicely. It is after the buff at the end that you become a believer 😂
Brilliant, great to hear
Thank you. That is fantastic. Can you use it on silverplate too? EPNS
Yes you can! but don’t rub too hard and rub the plate away
Thanks David
Thank you David!
My pleasure
great tip
Thank you. Glad you liked it
with the cost of
living crisis
every little
bit helps.
Good point and less waste too
Would this be safe to use if the silver has decorative enamelling though?
Yes, absolutely, just avoid the enamel, but don’t worry too much…make sure you wipe off any residue and I’m sure you’ll be fine
@@DavidHarperAntiques Thank you
How to polish the silver , get someone else to do it.😂 👍🏻😎
Probably a better idea!
Is genius too high a ranking?
Genius is acceptable!