Shiny Things

A couple of years ago I wrote about warm things.  I also like shiny things, and over the years I've acquired a few items of sliver plate.  I also have a pair of sterling candlesticks, although the silver is foil-thin over a plaster base.  Unhappily, keeping shiny things shiny takes a fair amount of work.  Lacking a butler to polish the family silver, I'm afraid I haven't done a very good job of that.

A few weeks ago a friend gave me a pair of lacquered brass candlesticks.  They're nice, old, and well-made.  However, the years had not been good to the lacquer.  I couldn't just put them away somewhere because my friend is over for dinner frequently, and she gave me a couple of candles, too.  I am clearly expected to use these at Emory Cottage, and besides, they're nice!  The situation was desperate; I resolved to do work.  Here's what I did...

The first task was to remove the lacquer.  A few minutes with Google and I found that I needed to boil the candlesticks for 15 minutes in a solution of one tablespoon of baking soda per quart of water and then rinse with hot water.  That worked, and also removed the wax that had built up in the hollow core of the candlesticks over the years.  (But cleaning the pot afterwards was a challenge.)  If you do this yourself, please remember that the candlesticks you're rinsing with hot water have just been boiled for 15 minutes and are hot as blazes.  I used tongs.

The next step is to clean with acetone.  You get acetone at the hardware store.  Use an open-weave cloth (I used a disposable surgical towel) and do this outside.  Acetone is volatile and vaporizes easily.  It's also very flammable.  No smoking, fire, flames, sparks, etc.

Next, polish with Brasso and more open-weave cloth.  This step is hard work because the little dark spots where the lacquer had flaked off years ago take substantial polishing.  When there are no more dark spots and everything is shiny, rinse with water and dry.

You're still not done.  The last step is to polish with a Blitz cloth and then with the piece of flannel that's packaged with the Blitz cloth.  You get the Blitz cloth at an Army-Navy store or uniform shop.  It's a soft cloth that's been pretreated with an oily polish.  There are several flavors.  You want the brass polishing cloth.  Polish with the treated cloth, then with the dry cloth.  The surface will be slightly oily even after you've used the dry cloth. 

After you've completed the two-step Blitz cloth polish, you're done.  The difference will amaze you.  I wish I'd done these one at a time so I could have shown before and after pictures.

Of course, you've taken off the lacquer, so the brass will tarnish with time.  Maintenance involves using the Blitz cloth about once a month and your brass stays shiny forever.

Having shined up the candlesticks, I was inspired to take better care of my other  shiny things.  I've been using Wright's Silver Cream since the beginning of time.  I decided to try something new: 3M Tarnishield.  The idea is that it polishes the silver, but also leaves a coating that resists tarnish.  I can't tell about the latter yet, but it does an outstanding job of polishing.  I've cleaned up many, but not all, of my shiny things.

While checking around for polishes and such, I discovered anti-tarnish strips.  These are paper strips which have a chemical coating that binds the sulfur molecules that cause tarnish.  I've popped one into the chest that holds the silver plate flatware.  We shall see whether it stays shiny.  I also bought a Blitz silver cloth.  This one isn't oily like the brass polish, but it did a fine job on the flatware.

Now that everything is shiny again, it's time for a nap!