Featured Silver tarnish protection, any ideas?

Does anyone have any ideas on how to protect displayed silver from tarnish?
Some of my kerises have silver parts, and after centuries of polishing the wear is starting to show.
There is Renaissance wax, I don't know what that does to silver, but it attracts dust. I have looked at Paraloid B72, an artificial resin, what are your thoughts?

Here are two of the victims, the wooden hilt with the silver and gold winged horse (Madura) has natural wear to the black lacquer, no problem, but the wear is worse around one of the wings, abrasion due to polishing. I only use a cloth on that one, but the damage has already been done by previous owners.
The poor birdman hilt (North Java) is made of silver on a resin base, he is slowly losing two of his fingers. As you can see, I've stopped polishing that one.



Help!! And thank you for looking.

 

Hi, if your silver is in a cabinet you can use camphor blocks or balls (moth balls) it will slow the tarnishing process down.
Also found this online https://www.kernowcraft.com/product...MIouOk-Pjg1gIVRLHtCh2whQdeEAYYASABEgILU_D_BwE

Ultrasonic cleaners are also kinder to jewellery but can be expensive.

 

Hi Annpan, thanks for the info.
They are all over the house, over 200 kerises, most of them with some silver. They range in size from fingerlength to ca 60 cm / 24". Many of them have silver oversheaths, which are 25-30 cm, ca 10-12". Camphor blocks or mothballs are not an option for me, chemical sensitivity due to porphyria.
I have an ultrasonic cleaner, but only for small items.
The anti tarnish strips are great, but only if you store something in a box or a bag. I store most of my silver jewellery in plastic ziploc bags, which also helps against tarnishing.

 

Hi Any Jewelry, I'd have a try with WD40 silicon spray all over, let dry and buff.
It won't stick nor trap dust and protect too the wood or leather parts.
I don't have it on hand for the moment, if I had, I'd try on a bright silver piece before puting it in a sealed bag with pieces of warm hard boiled egg without the yolk. If it is really protective, silver won't tarnish during the 15 minutes of exposure it usually take to oxidise

 

While attending an estate sale, I saw some silver pieces displayed on a wall in shadow boxes that had been lined with anti tarnish cloth. The presentation was beautiful. I couldn't tell you if it actually worked. At the very least, I would think that it slowed down tarnishing.

 

Ditto, me too, me also...........I cut a piece of pacific cloth to fit the bottom of a little display table to display baby cups and flatware and it has slowed down "maintenance" remarkably..................I buy it by the yard from The Vermont Country Store, but I am sure it is available elsewhere. I buy the brown coloured (NOT the bright blue) so it blends with my rather, ahem, eclectic decor...............

 

Good to know Mansons. It's sold on ebay by the yard. I looked it up after that estate sale. Average price was about $12.99 per yard. I have two small vintage display cabinets with glass doors that need to be refurbished. I thought about lining those. If I could only find the time.

 

Thanks everyone.
@kyratango , I'll look into the WD40 silicon spray. I know it is used on car parts as well, maybe someone has tried it on silver and left a review somewhere.
@daveydempsey , vacuum sealing our home will also help against air pollution and dust, great. I've seen those contraptions on Masterchef, now finding one that is big enough for the house.....
Mill Cove and Mansons, I'll definitely look into that. Could be an option for some of the kerises, but especially interesting for displaying some of my ethnic jewellery, another tarnishing problem.

 

Just as an aside, I first cut a piece of thin but very rigid pasteboard or cardboard just a smidgen smaller than the surface I want to cover, cover it with the pacific cloth, mitering the corners and taping it to the underside (with packing tape of course!) and then just lay it in the cabinet. For lining the sides and back of the cabinet I do the same but use earthquake wax or that sticky stuff they sell for mounting posters on the wall to mount it, so as to make it removable and so it does not damage the inside of the cabinet.

 

Thank you Mansons.

 

Some of my sterling tarnishes....and some almost not at all.
I've always though the difference is in the quality of the metal, and the way it was heated during the artistic process.

 

I've done the same as Mansons when I wanted to line something. Much easier to glue or staple the cloth to card board. Then staple, rubber cement or double stick tape it into what ever you are lining.

 

It is probably the chemical composition.

These old keris parts are usually around 800 silver, sterling doesn't seem to tarnish as easily.

 

I have my sterling silverware that my parents gave me just before we got married 50 years ago.....granted we don't use it very often, but we've NEVER had to polish it......all of it shiny as ever.....it's in it's own chest, and it HAS to be lined with that cloth you all are talking about!!! God Bless that cloth ..... !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I have my folks ( Indian head marked..) sterling flatware , from 1950, in a big box...that hasn't been used in ....25...30 years.......it doesn't seem to tarnish..!

 

Sulphur oxides in the air are the main tarnish agent, with no coal fires and no factories nearby, silver things around the house just do not seem to tarnish notably. Polishing the family silver is more of an annual thing than a weekly chore nowadays.
I have no idea on tarnish prevention as it does not seem to be a problem.

 

We use "jewelers rouge" on silver pocket watch cases when polishing and it seems to prevent the tarnish from returning nicely. We often get watches back for minor repairs that we restored years ago and they still look great with no effort from their owners. The method of application would probably rule it out for your items though.

 

Hi,
If they are in a closed cabinet you can use soft white chalk like you used in school.
I find my antique silver does not tarnish but the newer stuff tarnishes quickly. My silver is open to the air but I do not mind polishing silver. My antique stuff does not tarnish I still do not understand why?
greg

 

There are great options listed above - but I would be wary of using WD40 on fine pieces. Remember humid air and heat hasten tarnishing.
Line drawers and even the shelf of a display cabinet with anti-tarnish silvercloth. You can buy it online by the yard easily and in so many different colors (brown, blue, black, gray). OR you can buy ready-made bags/holders.
I cannot use moth balls either but use those little silica packets that you find in purchased shoe boxes, leather, etc, They work great in cabinets/drawers/trunks. You can even purchase them - but the local shoe store has freely given me a box full since they dispose of them.
The more silver is handled/used the less chance of tarnish buildup.
Don't use rubber bands to hold piece together (they contain sulphur.) If you put items in plastic bags make sure they are clean and COMPLETELY dry - add a piece of chalk or silica packets to absorb the moisture.
There are paint on lacquer type products for permanent protection - but I have yet to see a renowned collector/museum support this. It could also devalue a piece.