FAQ topic? I sure need help w/ satin silver tarnish!

[Steve Inman]

Okay, I'm trying out a satin silver 56J at present. It's quite a nice horn, but as the seller informed me, "thar's tarnish in them thar hills --er teeny lil' dimples!"

I've gone thru 1/2 bottle of Hagarty's spray on polish, and it seems to keep looking worse instead of better. Either it's tarnishing faster than I can clean it, or there's a bunch of tarnish to remove.

I KNOW I've read some good threads in the old TubeNet on how to effectively remove tarnish, but I can't seem to figure out a way to search and find them.

Either we need a repeat-summary of these old threads, or else I need someone to help me find the already-posted information.

Your assistance is very much appreciated,

[Doug@GT]

Try this:

http://www.chisham.com/tips/bbs/sep2002 ... 08434.html

[Dan Schultz]

Okay, I'm trying out a satin silver 56J at present. It's quite a nice horn, but as the seller informed me, "thar's tarnish in them thar hills --er teeny lil' dimples!"

Yeh... with that sandblast finish before the silver plating... a satin silver horn seems to have TWICE the surface area as a smooth finish. Dan Oberloh's suggestion to use baking soda works very well. Then... once you have the horn clean you need to keep it in a case. I have three BIG satin silver horns (including a Martin 'mammoth' sousa) and when I'm not using them, I keep them wrapped in plastic bags. If you think it's fun now, just wait 'til winter... especially if you have a vent-free gas log or fireplace. One of the by-products of a natural gas flame is sulfur... the MAJOR tarnish factor of silver. I don't like the upkeep of satin silver, but it's sooooo purty!

[Dean E]

Okay, I'm trying out a satin silver 56J at present. It's quite a nice horn, but as the seller informed me, "thar's tarnish in them thar hills --er teeny lil' dimples!"

I've gone thru 1/2 bottle of Hagarty's spray on polish, and it seems to keep looking worse instead of better. Either it's tarnishing faster than I can clean it, or there's a bunch of tarnish to remove.

First, remove the valves and put the horn on a rubber mat in the bathtub.

For black tarnish, I use a 50-50 mix of liquid dishwashing detergent and Wright's Silver Cream. Apply to the satin silver with a soft sponge and rub for a few minutes. For the tight places, use a firm-bristle toothbrush or auto detailer's nylon/plastic-bristle brush. When the black tarnish is gone, rinse the polish off and clean the tub.

Hagerty Silversmiths' spray polish is amazing for light polishing and long-term protection, but pricey--and the cans' spray valves clog.

For weekly, routine touchup, I use spray lemon Pledge and an old t-shirt. The Pledge leaves a very thin, petroleum-based, protective layer against sulphur and other airborne chemicals that will attack and tarnish the silver.

[Dan Schultz]

I feel your pain. .....

Your new avatar is FABULOUS! I knew it was you all the time!

[Doug@GT]

For weekly, routine touchup, I use spray lemon Pledge and an old t-shirt. The Pledge leaves a very thin, petroleum-based, protective layer against sulphur and other airborne chemicals that will attack and tarnish the silver.

I polished* my Getzen (silver) back in February. Had it looking great. Then I remembered reading someone say to use pledge.

Well,

()It works great on laquered brass, but,

()I tarnished my silver like nobody's business. Within 2 days.

Is it different with satin? I'd suggest trying this in an inconspicuous area and giving it a few weeks before going anywhere near the main body of the horn.

Doug "bad pledge times with silver"

*Hagerty's. In the blue spray can.

[Steve Inman]

Thanks for all the great suggestions and the links to previous articles. I've gotten pretty good results this evening with a bottle of Hagerty's polish -- the thick red sludge stuff. I was using the large blue spray bottle, but it didn't seem like I was making any headway.

As I'm still taking this tuba for a test drive, I'll pause with my present results until it's actually mine. Meanwhile, I've purchased a pair of white cotton gloves and I plan to either wear black slacks or older jeans when playing / performing.

It was good to hear that the tarnish washes out of clothes (I hope white dockers end up white again!) -- I know it washes off hands!

Thanks,

[Dean E]

For weekly, routine touchup, I use spray lemon Pledge and an old t-shirt. The Pledge leaves a very thin, petroleum-based, protective layer against sulphur and other airborne chemicals that will attack and tarnish the silver.

. . . Pledge . . . . tarnished my silver like nobody's business. Within 2 days.

Sorry to hear about the bad experience. However, I've been using lemon Pledge for over a year on satin silver with no tarnishing. Every time I apply the Pledge, a small amount of tarnish is lifted from the silver surface, turning my wiping cloth black. Better the cloth gets black than my white shirts.

[MaryAnn]

It was good to hear that the tarnish washes out of clothes (I hope white dockers end up white again!) -- I know it washes off hands!

Thanks,

heh, this is part of "nerd behavior"....wearing white clothes to work on stuff!! (the fact that I have Engineer Genes results in the same behavior...I wear my favorite T shirts to paint the bathroom or polish my horn....urk)

Mary Ann