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how do I remove enamel from silver?

I have a silver ring with traces of enamel

I am not sure whether you want to remove the stains or tarnish from the ring or you really want to remove the enamel from the ring

If these asre stains or tarnish please read the following lines to remove them.

If it is enamel which you want to remove then you may try cycles of firing the ring and polishing it or breaking the enamel by suddenly cooling the hot ring into chilled watrer which results in breaking the enamel into fragments which can be easily removed,

If you want to try doing some experimentation with your rings enamel then refer to pages 153-155 from the book mentioned in the link. It is a very good book on the art of enamaling the jewellary.

All the best.

If you already own silver jewelry then knowing how to remove the tarnish from your jewelry, such as silver rings, might be important. For those who might have old silver pendants or some other piece of silver from their family history, knowing how to clean it safely is vital.

John Burgess, New Zealand
Silver tarnish removal using aluminium and washing soda

If you already own silver jewelry then knowing how to remove the tarnish from your jewelry, such as silver rings, might be important. For those who might have old silver pendants or some other piece of silver from their family history safely cleaning it up is vital.

G’day; there appears to be a little confusion about how this works, so here I go again !

There are two reasons for Sterling silver turning a dark colour; tarnishing and oxidation. Silver oxide is white and is a bit difficult to make – pure (fine) silver does not oxidize easily. Sterling silver, however, contains copper which does oxidize – but only when heated above 648.8 deg C. This oxide of copper will dissolve in an acid like sodium bisulphate pickle.

Both sterling and fine silver tarnish due to black silver sulphide forming on the surface.

The sulphur comes from the atmosphere and is caused mostly by a gas called hydrogen sulphide which comes from vehicle exhausts and from chimney stacks. (Yes, and even some from people) The formation of tarnish is therefore worse in an industrial area. This tarnish can also be removed with the use of pickle, but only if it is not very far advanced.

A number of natural foods contain the element sulphur. These include eggs, onions, spring onions, garlic, cabbage, broccoli etc. Some of these foods hold the sulphur in a loose grip and it loves to combine with hydrogen to form hydrogen sulphide; the gas which gives rotten egg the foul smell.

It is also H2S and more complicated sulphur compounds called mercaptans which provide part of the delightful odour of sewage and rotting organic materials like flesh. Manufacturers even put mercaptans in natural gas and propane so that if there is a leak, it is quickly noticed and dealt with. Perspiration and natural body oils also contain sulphur compounds. Bacteria love these things and the result will help liberate the unpleasant smelling compounds.

The atmosphere in any city contains hydrogen sulphide from vehicle exhaust and industry so that silver will always tarnish more rapidly in a city. So it is normally sulphur in the immediate atmosphere of silver that produces silver suphide, which is black, and so accounts for tarnished silver when shelled eggs are handled and onions peeled, etc.

Metal sulphides also give off hydrogen sulphide in the presence of acids and also by bacterial decomposition. Many varieties of bacteria get a living from converting sulphur compounds to sulphates, and others convert sulphur to sulphides. Which is why so many metal ores exist as sulphides. Enough?

One way of removing tarnish is to dissolve some washing soda (NOT bicarbonate) in hot water in a small bowl, then put a piece of aluminium foil in the solution, and the foil will immediately bubble and fizz as it reacts with the alkaline liquid and starts to dissolve.

Those tiny bubbles are of newly formed hydrogen gas which has an electrical charge. When a piece of sterling or fine silver is added so it touches the foil, the charged hydrogen is attracted to the silver sulphide deposit and reacts with the sulphur component, forming a minute amount of hydrogen sulphide gas which goes into the atmosphere at the liquid surface – hydrogen sulphide does not dissolve in hot water at all well.

Thus the silver recovers its colour – but it will lose some of its brightness and will need a wash in clean water and a little repolishing. The aluminium foil will disappear – but as the chemistry of that reaction is a bit complicated you will excuse me for not trying to bore you with it or trying to ‘blind you with science.’

and further: G’day; Now I’ve come all over academic (Shame, shame!!) The word ORGANIC has had it’s original meaning considerably changed in the last half century. If applied to a material it used to mean that the material was the product of some life process, and the word INORGANIC was applied to anything that was not the result of a life process.

Thus all vegetables, plants and animals are organic in origin. Thus to talk about , say, ‘organic lettuces’ is nonsense – or course they are organic. Inorganic lettuces don’t exist. So if you take a lettuce seed and grow it in a fertilizer made of minerals (nitrates, sulphates, iron, cobalt, selenium etc) that lettuce is still organic. So it was grown with inorganic fertilizers instead of life produced ones (like manure, compost, etc), but it is still organic.

Lets consider a material used by jewellers; ‘Liver of Sulphur’ (potassium poly sulphide) is inorganic; made from potassium and sulphur. ‘Lime sulphur’ (calcium poly sulphide is made by heating lime with sulphur. So it is an inorganic blackening agent for silver and copper.

You want an organic agent? Well, stew your silver or copper with onions, or garlic, and the organically produced sulphur compounds in these once-living plants will blacken the metals. And by the way, whilst I’m being academic, the silver or copper is not oxidized to blacken it; the metals are sulphided!!

Check Ebay for Enamel Silver products.

Rare chinese antique silver enamel frog ring 1800s $285.00

Rare chinese antique silver enamel tiger claw pendant 1800s $265.00

Rare chinese antique silver enamel flower butterfly pendant 1800s $185.00

Rare chinese antique silver enamel phoenix hairpin 1800s $268.00

Chinese Silver Enamel Dog Puppy $245.00

Estate Early Chinese Gold On Silver Enamel Moonstone Jeweled Clip Earrings $29.99

Early 20C Chinese Silver Enamel Bracelet Bangle Mk $299.00

Chinese Chirography Silver Enamel Bracelet Bangle Marked $299.00

Chinese Silver Enamel Stone Bowl with Elephant Marked $499.00

Chinese Silver Enamel Rattan Stack Bracelet Bangle $245.00

Old Chinese Silver Enamel Pendant Brooch Pin $345.00

Chinese Filigree Silver Jade Enamel Jewel Pagoda Box Mk $1,750.00

Chinese Filigree Gilt Silver Enamel Bead Box Pagoda Mk $2,999.00

Antique Chinese Silver Enamel Box Jade Jadeite Bangle Coral Turquoise Inlay $2,000.00

Rare chinese antique silver enamel hairpins 1800s $210.00

Rare chinese antique silver enamel peach hairpin 1800s $45.00

Rare chinese antique silver enamel bat hairpin 1800s $135.00

GREAT CHINESE SILVER MESH AND ENAMEL ROOSTER DRAGON $1,350.00

MAGNIFICENT CHINESE GILT SILVER MESH ENAMEL PERCHING BIRD $1,350.00

Exquisite Pair Antique Chinese Silver Enamel Earrings $239.90

Another great place to shop for Enamel Silver products is Amazon. They have more than just books!

Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ $229.99 The selectable convection heat helps make this oven smarter than ever%2E One major problem when roasting or baking in a compact electric oven is evenly distributing heat where needed for consistent food coverage%2E…

Lodge Logic 5-Quart Double Dutch Oven and Casserole with Skillet Cover $34.97 Every cook’s dream: a 5-qt. Dutch oven with a lid that easily converts to a 10.25-inch skillet. A natural for preparing countless recipes, the Double Dutch will quickly become your favorite piece of cookware…..

Le Creuset Replacement Knobs Spruce up the look of your Le Creuset cookware with a new 1.75″ Small Phenolic Knob. The traditional phenolic knob stays cool during stovetop use and is oven safe to 375 F. Designed for Le Creuset products 8.66″ or smaller, but will fit all sizes. Includes assembly screw….

Precious Metal Clay Silver in No Time (Advanced Volume 1) Glass Enamel and Dicbroic Glass Instruction by Linda Bernstein…

Krylon 7700 1/2-Ounce Appliance Touch Up Paint Tubes, White $3.92 Krylon k07700000; 2oz [PRICE is per EACH]…

Krylon 1000 Premium Metallic Spray Paint, Gold $3.73 Crafter’s metallic spray is safe for most surfaces, even styrofoam or plastic….

Krylon KSCP902 Short Cuts Paint Pen, .33-Ounce, Chrome $3.15 Krylon SCP-902 Short Cuts Hobby/Craft Paint Pens, Chrome These smooth flowing paint pens are a creative favorite for high-quality color on any surface. Krylon SCP-902 Short Cuts Hobby/Craft Paint Pens, Chrome Features: Chrome 1/3 oz Chiseled tip draws both thick and thin lines Coordinates with Short Cuts rosol and Brush On Paints Acid-free/Archival safe Dry to Touch: 30 minutes Dry to Handle: 3 ho…

Chinese Healthy Balls #40555 (Blue with Phoenix Bird and Dragon) $2.70 Enameled blue metal exercise balls to rotate in your hand for coordination and also to hit the pressure points on your hand that correlate to your major organs in your body. Instructions included. The enameled metal balls are 1 1/2 inches in diameter and come boxed in a set of 2. One of the balls has a Chinese Phoenix Bird on it and the other has a Dragon on a beautiful enameled blue background. …

MAAS 1.1lb Can Silver Brass Copper Metal Polish Cleaner $22.95 MAAS is a powerful “wipe on, wipe off” formula instantly removes years of residue, rust, tarnish and oxidation from all metals, Plexiglas, fiberglass, enamel, resin, plastic, glass and more. MAAS applies a brilliant, rich reflective lustre. Superstrong anti-tarnish corrosion inhibitor provides long-lasting protection. Kitchen…MAAS leaves a highly polished lustre on stainless steel sinks and the …

Rhinestone Silver Wedding Tiara Bridal Headband 215 $69.95 Penelope Pearl Headband features a bouquet of soft white enamel flowers, lustrous faux pearl clusters, and sparkling rhinestones. The ornamented portion of this headband measures 9 inches long and 1/2 an inch tall. Perfect for the bride, bridesmaid, or flower girl. Pin loops are located at each end to allow you to secure the headband easily in your hair with bobby pins. This headband coordinates w…

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