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Matthew Episcopo New user 11 Posts |
I would like to pass along some very valuable information about rubber balls and silver plated cups. I have a set of brass Johnson cups. I had them silver plated, and they look awesome!! I wanted to use balls that were bigger and more visible than the red crochet balls that come with the cups. I saw the rubber baseballs that were a florescent yellow. I practiced with them and put them in my cups overnight. The next day, when I took the cups out to practice again, they were BLACK! I cleaned them up and, to my surprise, the silver finish had been worn away. I took the cups back to where I got them silver plated, and they told me that they see this in the shop all the time. He said that people wrap their silverware with a rubber band and this happens. He said it was because the rubber products contain sulfur and it erodes the silver plating. They re-did my cups at no charge and chalked it up to a lesson learned. I wanted to pass this information along to you, so you don’t have the same problem if you are thinking of using the rubber bounce balls with silver plated cups. Matt
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walid ahumada Special user sinaloa, mexico 892 Posts |
Hard to believe it happened in just one night, but it's good to know. Even I don't have any silver plated cups (yet).
“Magic becomes art when it has nothing to hide.” BEN OKRI quote
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BSutter Special user Sitting on a pile of 582 Posts |
Hello Matt,
Welcome to Chemistry 101. Most lessons worth learning are learned by experience. Best Regards, Bill Sutter |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Hello, Matt:
I hate to say this, but it's kind of a no-brainer. However, people do this all the time, as the plater said. At least you learned on something besides a solid silver set of Sherwoods. Another warning is to be careful of the cardboard boxes you keep silver and/or silver-plated items in. If you have those sterling silver cups from House of Magic, do not keep them in the boxes. They will tarnish. Leather bags are not a good idea for silver cups. Some leathers have high acid content.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
cfrye Special user Portland, Oregon, USA 940 Posts |
Let's turn the question around: what's the best way to store silver items? In bags and boxes made of which materials?
Curt |
Pete Biro 1933 - 2018 18558 Posts |
You can buy various size bags for keeping silverware at housewares stores.
STAY TOONED... @ www.pete-biro.com
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Gary Dayton Special user New Jersey 542 Posts |
I often see "jewelers bags" to keep silver items in. Are they really better? What makes these different than ordinary cotton bags?
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Dave V Inner circle Las Vegas, NV 4824 Posts |
I think these bags are chemically treated to resist oxidation (tarnish).
No trees were killed in the making of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
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flimnar Special user Salt Lake 577 Posts |
I appreciate the heads-up about this issue. While it is apparently common knowledge for many, it would never have occurred to me that there would be any reaction between rubber and silver. In addition, I believe it was Bill who mentioned some time ago that there is a negative reaction between copper and prolonged exposure to leather, so I have been careful to store my mini leather baseballs separately.
Flimnar
"This one goes to eleven..." Nigel Tufnel
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Here's the deal on silver and rubber:
Most latex rubber is vulcanized. This is a process that uses sulfur and heat to set the latex so it doesn't melt under further heating. It's the process that Charles Goodyear discovered by accident in 1844. Sulfur is the absolute enemy of silver, as far as tarnishing is concerned. An ordinary sock is a great thing to store a set of silver cups in. Even better are the silverware bags that you can buy at department stores and some home centers. They are made of a specially treated flannel. You can order them from http://nancysilver.com/storage/wraps/wraps.htm . The same place is a source of the special flannel that is used to make the flap bags. Some acids are also detrimental to silver.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Craig Peterson New user Utah 89 Posts |
You should keep in mind that tarnish will happen in any environment, whether you supply high sulfur concentrations or not (though high sulfur content will make tarnish all too easy). Tarnish is a reaction between hydrogen sulfide and silver to form silver sulfide. Oxygen is not a player. There are some environments that will increase the rate of reaction for the tarnish. Tarnish will happen in salty environments, as well as any environment that contains a high mineral content. Also, acidic environments will also speed the reaction. That is because these are all electrolytes, and electrolytes are the killer. They are what allows the reaction to proceed.
So, be sure to wipe your cups after a practice. The sweat from your hands is loaded with electrolytes. Also, water allows these electrolytes to do even more damage, so you want to keep them as dry as possible. That said, you also have to accept that any plating job is going to tarnish and wear over time. It is just a matter of making it last as long as possible. |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Silver oxide is a different color than silver sulfide. It's also a different color than silver chloride. All of these are forms of tarnish. Which one you have depends entirely upon your environment.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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