Featured Antique silver propelling pencils & Dip Pen Sampson Mordan & Co Cleaning tips!

These 2 propelling pencils and a dip pen have come into my possession.
The dip pen and the short one are both Mordan & Co. One is hallmarked 1914. The other is hallmarked 1825 but no makers mark I can see.
Has anyone got any tips for cleaning old silver please? @MrNate springs to mind as a silver expert but any other suggestions welcome please.
I’ve got the usual stuff of silver foam and cloth but the Mordan pens have got some very resistant black marks on them and the older one has nearly 200 years worth of the most resistant tarnish I have ever met! This one is also slightly fragile so I can’t put too much pressure on it. Thanks for any suggestions

 

Given how old, that terribly resistant tarnish is likely to be mostly gunk - hand oils, dirt, etc. If there is any way to gently clean it with soap and water first and then later apply polish, it would help.

 

I think that’s a good idea. I’ve just had a look on the V&A Museum website and they suggest starting off with white spirit or meths to take the dirt off.
I’ve located the makers mark but I suspect it may disintegrate if I’m not very careful. I think I will only get one shot at it!.

 

@KSW, would you let us know how it worked, if you try, please???

 

@Shangas

Kate, if you use the ammonia, it clears your sinuses nicely.

 

Fab Thankyou.I’ve got some of that under the sink

Will do. I’ve got some white spirit too and probably some meths so I can do a controlled experiment!

Lol, I need that!

 

Another nice find K.
I usually use 90% alcohol on gunky silver. I don't want to touch someone else's old gunk.

Most of us in northern countries need that. Why oh why did our ancestors ever come here? OK, they were pushed out of other places, and it looks so pretty in summer.

 

You are really trying to ‘tarnish’ my reputation now aren’t you
Sorry, that was really bad wasn’t it

 

One step up from Whisky K.

 

Just had a look online to see what’s available in the UK and trying to work out the difference between Surgical spirit, rubbing alcohol, isopropyl alcohol etc and come to the conclusion they are one and the same?

 

I guess so, I just order a bottle along with my groceries and it gets delivered on the doorstep. I also use it as a desinfectant (Covid), because the regular ones give me a rash.

 

Use a drop of vodka or gin.

Don't mix the meths and ammonia, or we'll see the miasma cloud from where I am!

 

And don't mix ammonia with porphyria. Even the slightest ammonia fumes can cause seizures in porphyrics, which is why I'd rather use alcohol.

 

Place the vodka or gin in a glass with orange juice. Polish the item. Drink the orange juice.

 

Sounds like a nice mornin' wake-me-up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Looks like some great recommendations coming in. I would just second that using q-tips would be the best way to apply in my opinion for a few reasons:

1. You can control the size of the space you are working on.

2. If you are concerned about wear and tear to the piece, replace your q-tip frequently.

3. If you are really concerned, consider dipping your q-tip in water first, this will dilute whatever substance you are using.

4. With a q-tip you can control the level of pressure you apply to a piece.

 

Given that everybody else has already chipped in, I'm not sure what else I can add to this.

 

Your delightful presence?
And another view of a Peranakan buckle.

 

Qtip=cotton bud.