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Regaining the tarnish on a silver(metal related<g>) ring

My lovely bride has an 'inexpensive' silver ring that she _really_
likes and wears most of the time. It came with a lovely "tarnish"
that gives it some character. She has had the ring re-pronged twice
and each time it has come back nicely cleaned and shiny. The tarnish
comes back but takes quite a while.
Is there an "easy", "quick" way to renew the tarnish?
rgentry at oz dot net
Reply to
Bob Gentry
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Yes, boil an electrolyte solution of salt and soda, put a clump of aluminum foil into the boilig electrolyte, then lower the ring in it.
I forgot if it needs to touch the electrolyte or not.
Works great.
i
Reply to
Ignoramus15278
Normally it is done with a chemical called liver of sulfur (potassium polysulfide). The jeweler who did the retipping probably has some.
It is very stinky and you can get it through a jewelry supply or sculpture supply company. You can get a reasonable color with cold bluing solution but it doesn't get a solid black color. In a pinch you can paint it. Or you can ignore it because it will oxidize on it's own in a few weeks.
Paul K. Dickman
Reply to
Paul K. Dickman
No. Iggy. That will remove the tarnish. He wants to get it back. Paul K. Dickman
Reply to
Paul K. Dickman
Ignoramus15278 fired this volley in news:av2dnTCrZotpk2fSnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
No, Ig. That REMOVES the silver sulfide, which is the brownish tarnish.
Exposure to H2S (hydrogen sulfide) will rapidly tarnish silver.
Although it's a bit stinky to do, one can create it easily by allowing a hen's egg to go blinky, then dipping the ring in the yolk.
LLoyd
Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh
"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" fired this volley in news:XnsA08AC2CD1BED0lloydspmindspringcom@216.168.3.70:
Other active sulfur compounds can also work.
Many craft shops will carry "liver of sulfur", which is the potassium polysulfide mentioned in another response here.
It works _really_ fast on clean metal, so you might end up having lovey wearing OFF the tarnish, instead of increasing it slowly.
LLoyd
Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh
...
Really don't even need to let it get that bad--egg yolk is pretty good at it as is---which is why as a kid had to polish the forks so frequently--farm breakfast consisted of eggs 'n bacon/ham every day...and since Dad liked over medium, that's what we had! But Mom thought the silver should be shiny and kids were her method of choice of seeing that it was. :)
--
Reply to
dpb
stick the ring in a plastic bag with a slice of onion, doesn't have to be in contact with it.
Reply to
Mouse
Mouse fired this volley in news:jtd5o4$lo9$1@dont- email.me:
Oh, Yeah! I forgot methyl mercaptan is a sulfide!
You could also just fill a baggie with cooking gas, and put the ring in.
LLoyd
Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh
Sorry., I misread his question.
i
Reply to
Ignoramus15278
First thing I thought, is that you should tell the store people not to polish, that you like the tarnish.
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
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My lovely bride has an 'inexpensive' silver ring that she _really_ likes and wears most of the time. It came with a lovely "tarnish" that gives it some character. She has had the ring re-pronged twice and each time it has come back nicely cleaned and shiny. The tarnish comes back but takes quite a while. Is there an "easy", "quick" way to renew the tarnish? rgentry at oz dot net
Reply to
Stormin Mormon
According to my food chemistry books the sulfur is in the whites, not the yolks. Eric
Reply to
etpm
///
I thought there was roughly equivalent by %...what I was thinking of is the ferrous sulfide dark that forms sometimes around the yolk if one hardboils an egg...but the cooking it's the white that releases some H2S which then indirectly reacts w/ the Fe in the yolk??? But the H2S is gaseous so it's mostly gone in the morning egg cooked out of the shell, I presume...
Anyway, simply cooked egg will tarnish silver pretty effectively even w/o the wait for getting really nasty was the only thing I was trying to point out.
It's amazing how complex the actual food chemistry is that we never think of...
Reply to
dpb
We're in the process of trying the onion and the egg options and will post an up-date shortly.
Lloyd, a question. We have used both propane and natural gas for cooking. Is one of these what you refer to as 'cooking gas'?
Bob rgentry at oz dot net
Reply to
Bob Gentry
Bob Gentry fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Ordinarily both have methyl mercaptan added as an "indicator", so you can smell it.
Both gasses are odorless, otherwise.
LLoyd
Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh
Thanks! Will try that next.
Bob rgentry at oz dot net
Reply to
Bob Gentry
I seemed to have missed the start of this thread. The traditional material for tarnishing silver is "livers of sulfur", which is available from jewelery & art supply places. I got some at a Dick Blick art store a few years back.
Doug White
Reply to
Doug White

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