Shining Sterling Silver the Free & Easy Way
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I read about this back in the 1960’s, in Popular Mechanics magazine. My father had a subscription. In the article they mentioned using ash to polish plastics, Watch crystals, etc.
And yes, I’ve been using it for years to polish silver on my pipes.
And yes, I’ve been using it for years to polish silver on my pipes.
On another note, I keep a lot of my pipes in original boxes in a closet. Many will darken over the period of about a year or more. Acid in the paper…?
I smear a thin film of Vaseline on the silver to mitigate that.
Another interesting tidbit. Smearing ash on one side of a sugar cube and pacing the ashy side up and touching a match to it will light on fire.
I smear a thin film of Vaseline on the silver to mitigate that.
Another interesting tidbit. Smearing ash on one side of a sugar cube and pacing the ashy side up and touching a match to it will light on fire.
Ash and water, isn't that lye? People used it to degrease their hands after cleaning their horses, it's quite aggressive stuff.
It worked. Just wet my pinky, dipped it in the bowl and rubbed it.
But can be used thousands of times without the need of washing ash off of your fingers.
it will polish chrome as well,used it on my motorcycle exhaust in the pastI wonder what else I can use my dumped ashtray for.....
First a foremost, I benefit in no way from what people use to polish their pipe bands with. I do not even make money off of the jeweler's cloths. However, the jeweler's cloths do not use a low PH compound to remove the tarnish. They actually polish off the tarnish, leaving a polished surface. Ash may be better, if it doesn't actually remove the silver in the alloy, given that it is not actually abrading the surface also. I can't say what ash would be better; however, just feeling the ash in your fingers doesn't tell you whether it has no grit in there, because our senses at that microbic level just can't detect it.
However, one of the other benefits of a jeweler's cloth is that it also polishes the stem. Also, the outside of the cloth (depending on what brand it is) leaves either a microcrystalline wax on the surface or a patina inhibitor. The patina inhibitor has an unusual smell to it, which is how you'd tell the difference. But, both will prevent future tarnish, but also oils from your skin in holding the band can do this as well.
Otherwise, I am rather neutral on what someone uses. However, if someone uses a paste or solvent based cleaner, like those sold in big box stores, they are removing layers of silver that could lead to a thinning of the band, that could jeopardize the integrity.
That all said, despite popular notions, I did not invent gold... I merely perfect it's use, ha ha.
However, one of the other benefits of a jeweler's cloth is that it also polishes the stem. Also, the outside of the cloth (depending on what brand it is) leaves either a microcrystalline wax on the surface or a patina inhibitor. The patina inhibitor has an unusual smell to it, which is how you'd tell the difference. But, both will prevent future tarnish, but also oils from your skin in holding the band can do this as well.
Otherwise, I am rather neutral on what someone uses. However, if someone uses a paste or solvent based cleaner, like those sold in big box stores, they are removing layers of silver that could lead to a thinning of the band, that could jeopardize the integrity.
That all said, despite popular notions, I did not invent gold... I merely perfect it's use, ha ha.
Most ash is very alkaline (high pH) when mixed with water. But there may be more to it than that.
Either side of the PH spectrum can make an ion release its bond. For pickle at the bench for dissolving flux off of welded and soldered work, I can buy a low of high PH and it works just the same.
For connoisseurs of esoterica*, I nominate this as a classic for all time.
* Not to be confused with the vile weed w/same name.
Aren’t we all? In the words of Bing Crosby ‘Tap Dat Ash!’ Think it was Bing Crosby who said that or was it Kanye West? Always getting those two mixed up.
Sodium carbonate is, so is sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), but soda will also remove tarnish. It’s all in how you use it. Anything that would release the ion would also be an oxidizer, but it’s how you use it. If you laid the pipe down over the ash, yeh, the band would break down. But, here he is just rubbing it with the ash, and removing it.
I have to keep my sonic cleaner covered in the studio, because the fluid that cleans the metals, as vapor in the air would make my tools all rust.