Polishing question, what am I doing wrong?

[monniepyne]

Hi everyone,

I have made some silver earrings, small reticulated discs and I am having an issue with polishing. I have polished the earrings but within a day or 2 the surface starts to get cloudy and needs repolishing. After polishing I have been washing the earrings with washing up liquid, is there something I am missing or something that could be causing this to happen? The whole surface is not going cloudy straight away it's starts in small areas or recesses. Any help would be appreciated I don't want to send them off to someone and for them to be tarnished before they arrive.

[Dennis]

Silver does tarnish of course, depending on polutants around in the air. Sometimes it's perfumes and cosmetics and sometimes Kitchens and cooking.
It can be retarded by storing your pieces in a closed box, or bag, with anti-tarnish tags.
You can also use Argentium silver which is much slower to discolour.

However reticulation, favoured by many, does destroy, the pristine alloy supplied, increases the surface area, and makes it much less resistant.
The only way out is to accept it, or tarnish it deliberately.
Recently here we discussed oxidation/patination, using various agents, including anti dandruff shampoo, containing selenium sulphide. Dennis.

[CJ57]

I’m not sure why it would tarnish in a day even with contaminants in the air, I’ve had trays of work sit about for a week or 2 with a duster over them without tarnish. Cloudy doesn’t sound like tarnish but maybe in certain lights it’s patches of firestain if it’s not all over. A photo would be helpful to see what’s happening

[CJ57]

It depends how thick the layer is, it can often be a greying. Try a bit of wet and dry on the cloudy area or a bristle brush with tripoli as it’s reticulated and see if there is a change. You don’t say what you’re using to polish with

[monniepyne]

I’m not sure why it would tarnish in a day even with contaminants in the air, I’ve had trays of work sit about for a week or 2 with a duster over them without tarnish. Cloudy doesn’t sound like tarnish but maybe in certain lights it’s patches of firestain if it’s not all over. A photo would be helpful to see what’s happening

Hi Caroline,

I have tried to take a picture but I can't seem to catch it on my camera.

I don't think it's firestain, in my experience firestrain has been a dark stain. But this misty/cloudy thing is like the metal is becoming dull/matte/whiteish in colour again in areas, like before it is polished. I have also tried a polishing cloth on it but with in a couple of days it started again, even when boxed.

I'm gonna try to polish and wash them again in soap, maybe something from my hands has gonna on them.

[china]

Not being condescending but you are rinsing the detergent off and the drying the pieces, some detergents will stain I have had it happen

[mizgeorge]

what sort of washing up liquid are you using? Anything other than the very plainest (pure soap) is likely to contain bleach, sanitising or oxidising agents, and these will definitely react with silver - it can be as bad as getting in a swimming pool wearing silver jewellery.

[CJ57]

In the jewellery dept we used industrial washing liquid without any problems and I use the coop cheapest and have never had this. We’ve seen the complaint a lot on the forum after being in an ultrasonic and the various salts used though.

[monniepyne]

I'm pretty sure I rinsed them off the before, I definitely have this time.

I am using Ecover washing up liquid, just what I have in the kitchen.

I don't use an ultrasonic so I don't think it's that.
Thanks for all the tips I will keep you updated.

[josef1]

11946


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