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adms
Regular Member
Joined: 18 May 2021
Posts: 25
Location: Michigan
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 Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:16 pm Post subject: Mirror buffing |
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Is there a secret to getting a good silver shine out of a heavily tarnished vintage horn? I've used Hagerty's foam to remove tarnish and buffing wheel and red rouge, to try to polish, but it never gets quite toward that mirror finish.
Has the tarnish pitted the silver plating too much to get there?
I saw somewhere that silver plating from ~100 years ago had a different surface texture than modern stuff. Could that be the issue?
Thanks to anyone with some tips on making an old horn shine. |
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lipshurt
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Joined: 24 Feb 2008
Posts: 2642
Location: vista ca
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royjohn
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 2272
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
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| Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 1:59 pm Post subject: |
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If you check Jeff Herman's website (America's foremost silver restorer) it will give you a list of the least abrasive silver polishes...not the most effective, but the least abrasive. If you use one of these and, when the tarnish comes off, the silver plate is not shiny, accept that the silver finish was likely not shiny in the first place. I have several vintage and historical horns which have this kind of finish. Silver plate is usually under 0.001" thick, so it is quite possible to polish it right off. So don't.
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royjohn
Trumpets: 1928 Holton Llewellyn Model, 1957 Holton 51LB, 2010 Custom C by Bill Jones, 2011 Custom D/Eb by Bill Jones
Flugels: 1975 Olds Superstar, 1970's Elkhardt, 1970's Getzen 4 valve
Cornet: 1970's Yamaha YCR-233S . . . and others . . . |
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JayKosta
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 24 Dec 2018
Posts: 3303
Location: Endwell NY USA
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| Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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I have an old Buescher silverplated euphonium, and the body of the instrument has a dullish satin finish, and a separate section on the bell with engraving that is a brighter mirror finish.
For cleaning and polishing, I just use a department store cloth that is made for silverplate - not a more abrasive product that would be used for solid sterling silver.
Once you have removed the surface tarnish, further polishing is likely removing silver.
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Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'. |
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MarkD
Regular Member
Joined: 24 Aug 2020
Posts: 32
Location: Phoenix, Az
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| Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2021 7:57 am Post subject: |
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| royjohn wrote: | | If you check Jeff Herman's website (America's foremost silver restorer) it will give you a list of the least abrasive silver polishes...not the most effective, but the least abrasive. If you use one of these and, when the tarnish comes off, the silver plate is not shiny, accept that the silver finish was likely not shiny in the first place. I have several vintage and historical horns which have this kind of finish. Silver plate is usually under 0.001" thick, so it is quite possible to polish it right off. So don't. |
Jeff recommends Blitz polish (among others) and they have polish and polishing cloths for maintaining silver musical instruments.
https://www.blitzinc.com/ |
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Ed Kennedy
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Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 3187
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| Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2021 9:28 am Post subject: |
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| Rouge on a buffing wheel can go right through the plating to bare metal. |
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