posted on November 7, 2000 08:25:40 AM new
OK, I thought that old metal antiques were more valuable if they had their original "patina"--which I would take to mean that you never polish them. Now last night on the Antiques Road Show I heard a guy say that if it's silver--you keep it polished. Are there any guidelines as to what should be kept polished and what shouldn't?
Also, I've heard people mention in auctions that the antique metal item they had up for sale needed cleaning--but not to "dip" it. Are they talking about Tarnex? If not, what do they mean? ---and what's wrong with "dipping" it?
posted on November 7, 2000 08:31:04 AM new
cybercat,
There are certain metals where the patina looks good. Silver is not one of them.
Dipping, using something like Tarnex, is not good for silver. It takes a wee bit of silver off (that's how it cleans so fast) with each "dipping". Given enough time, you can ruin your good silver.
A lightly damn cloth rag & some high quality silver polish is the only way to go, other than spending way more bucks to take it to a professional.
To REALLY clean silver, you'll need to add q-tips to your list. Perfect for getting into the tight swirls & decorative areas.
posted on November 7, 2000 09:42:20 AM new
Saw an Antiques Road Show one time where they talked about an old hammered bronze? urn. The owner didn't know how, but it had been cleaned. The guy appraised it for about $200.00. He said that if it hadn't been cleaned it would have been worth over $10,000.00.
I guess the moral of the story is, if you clean it, don't admit it!
