[Boatanchors] Boatanchors Digest, Vol 98, Issue 5

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Wilhite" <w5jo at brightok.net>
To: <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 8:24 AM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Boatanchors Digest, Vol 98, Issue 
5


> What do you do to eliminate the stink?  Gad it is awful.
>
> Jim/W5JO
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
>
>>I have had good results soaking them in TarnX.  Just make 
>>sure you
>>rinse
>> them thoroughly with HOT water to remove all residue.

    Again, TarnX contains phosphoric acid, other products, 
particularly Zud and Barkeeper's Friend (they seem to be 
identical) have oxalic acid. I find the oxalic acid cleaners 
produce less hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg) odor and are a 
bit gentler.  You form a paste of the stuff and apply it 
with a toothbrush. Polishing, if needed can be done with any 
scouring powder.
    I don't know any simple way of telling silver oxide from 
silver sulfide. both are visually black but the oxide is 
nearly as conductive as pure silver and the sulfide not very 
conductive.  Either are possible because both peroxides and 
sulfides are plentiful in most urban air.
    This is exactly the same reason that black-and-white 
photographs become degraded, the silver of which the image 
is composed, is attacked by these pollutants and become 
either silver oxide or silver sulfide. The sulfide usually 
results in yellowing or browning of the image while the 
oxide often migrates to the surface to form a mirror-like 
deposit. There are methods to recover the image but they are 
really not applicable to silver-plated objects.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com