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Engraved silver plated 1866
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wolfbait
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July 29, 2024 - 10:42 pm
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A factory engraved, silver plated 1866 has the silver very darkened, almost black in spots.  Would you clean the silver plating?

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1873man
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July 29, 2024 - 11:04 pm
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You don’t want to clean or polish silver plated guns since its thin and you will eventually wear through it. Anybody that knows silver knows it turns dark. They make some kind of treated paper that keeps silver from tarnishing if sealed in a bag with it. I get metal gaskets for high temps that are silver plated and it has that paper in the bag. I don’t know how it would work with guns with wood.

Bob

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wolfbait
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July 30, 2024 - 2:11 pm
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The gun has never been polished. It would be a one time polish, then left and protected. I would never polish a brass gun, but silver is unattractive when blackened.

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Maverick
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July 30, 2024 - 3:00 pm
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If I were going to polish it, I’d do it all by handle only. If it has any flaking to it whatsoever, I’d leave it well enough alone. Whatever silver cleaner you use, don’t get it near any wood or other metal parts that is not silver plated. 

All that said most collectors will probably want an untouched / uncleaned gun. 

Sincerely,

Maverick

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1873man
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July 30, 2024 - 4:12 pm
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You asked for advice and my advice is not to.

Bob

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Bert H.
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July 30, 2024 - 4:16 pm
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1873man said
You asked for advice and my advice is not to.

Bob

I 2nd that motion!!  Trying to clean old silver plating is a sure recipe for disaster & disappointment.

Bert

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Tedk
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July 30, 2024 - 4:27 pm
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wolfbait said
The gun has never been polished. It would be a one time polish, then left and protected. I would never polish a brass gun, but silver is unattractive when blackened.

  

+3
Blackened silver would not be unattractive to a collector

“If you can’t convince them, confuse them”

President Harry S. Truman

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cj57
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July 30, 2024 - 5:36 pm
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I would not polish it either, like old silver coins, leave the patina alone! A cleaned or polished coin is a killer!

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Chuck
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July 30, 2024 - 9:52 pm
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I love unpolished silver way better than any other plating.

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wolfbait
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July 30, 2024 - 10:10 pm
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Thanks. I agree, but blackened silver is not like patinaed brass. It hides the engraving, and, unlike patinaed brass, blackened silver looks like neglect.

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steve004
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July 30, 2024 - 11:41 pm
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Who’s the rifle for?  If it’s for your own enjoyment, you own it, and you can do as you wish.  If you plan to sell it, the advice you’ve already received here tells you everything you need to know.  

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cj57
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July 30, 2024 - 11:54 pm
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How about posting some pics? So we can see  how bad it looks

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wolfbait
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July 31, 2024 - 1:53 am
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Chuck said
I love unpolished silver way better than any other plating.

  

I agree when the silver is toned. When the silver has turned black that is different.

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TR
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July 31, 2024 - 2:17 am
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 I have a nice engraved, signed, and silver trim. It is a survivor, uncleaned, (not polished) and it will stay that way as long as I own it. When you clean yours my value goes up and yours go down. The Henry and 1866 models values are based on uncleaned, original brass. T/R 

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Bert H.
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July 31, 2024 - 2:32 am
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wolfbait said
Thanks. I agree, but blackened silver is not like patinaed brass. It hides the engraving, and, unlike patinaed brass, blackened silver looks like neglect.

  

Actually, it is the same.  All silver will oxidize and turn black due to regular (normal) exposure… it has nothing to do with being neglected.

It is your rifle, so do whatever you want to it… but if you do try cleaning the silver plating to make it “shiny” again, you will cause a substantial value loss.

Bert

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TXGunNut
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July 31, 2024 - 5:05 am
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Bert H. said

wolfbait said

Thanks. I agree, but blackened silver is not like patinaed brass. It hides the engraving, and, unlike patinaed brass, blackened silver looks like neglect.

  

Actually, it is the same.  All silver will oxidize and turn black due to regular (normal) exposure… it has nothing to do with being neglected.

It is your rifle, so do whatever you want to it… but if you do try cleaning the silver plating to make it “shiny” again, you will cause a substantial value loss.

Bert

  

My concern is that blackened silver is oxidation. Does that oxidation constitute deterioration? If so can it be stabilized to prevent further damage? I understand it is different from the silver flatware and glassware my ancestors have entrusted me with. Our duty is to preserve, should we stop the oxidation or let it proceed?

 

Mike

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Bert H.
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July 31, 2024 - 5:18 am
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Mike,

The silver oxidation process essentially ceases (becomes stable) once the black oxide forms.  In a sense, it is similar to the bluing/browning process.  Once it is  formed, it seals the raw silver and prevents further oxidation just as bluing stops further oxidation of the steel in a neutral environment.

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mrcvs
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July 31, 2024 - 1:08 pm
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Bert H. said
Mike,

The silver oxidation process essentially ceases (becomes stable) once the black oxide forms.  In a sense, it is similar to the bluing/browning process.  Once it is  formed, it seals the raw silver and prevents further oxidation just as bluing stops further oxidation of the steel in a neutral environment.

Bert  

Absolutely!  There is silver that has been tarnished for centuries.  If polished, there is ZERO deterioration.

The WORST thing the OP could do would be to polish his firearm.  Leave it alone!

Nany of you may recall silver plated silverware that has been polished too much, leading to the exposure of copper beneath.  This will be the OPs end result—exposure of the layer beneath, possibly—plus the loss of original oxidation, which is priceless!

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wolfbait
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August 1, 2024 - 4:19 am
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I made the mistake of saying silver plated, the 1866 being discussed is actually solid silver.

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Bert H.
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August 1, 2024 - 4:29 am
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wolfbait said
I made the mistake of saying silver plated, the 1866 being discussed is actually solid silver.

  

It is extremely unlikely that is actually solid silver.  If it truly is a solid silver receiver frame versus silver plated gunmetal (bronze), it would be a “one-of-a-kind” and worth a fortune!  Polishing it would be the absolutely biggest mistake you could ever make with an antique firearm!!

Bert

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