Sterling Silver Cleaner
I have come across a product for removing light scratches on acrylic watch lenses and I thought I would share this with you, it really does work and is inexpensive.
As an amateur Pocket Watch enthusiast I have used it on some of my collection of Smiths and Ingersoll pocket watches etc with great effect, it is easy to use and only takes a few minutes. Polywatch has been on the market for many years now and does what it is supposed to do.
All I do to use the product is to remove any dust or grit on the watch crystal surface and squeeze a little of the Polywatch on to the lens, with a cotton wool ball rub in for say 5 minutes, when rubbing the lens it does not matter if you use circles or straight lines as long as you use a firm pressure. The Polywatch will not scratch the surface as other abrasives might. You will find when rubbing in, it becomes harder to move the cotton wool ball across the surface, this is because Polywatch works in a way which seems to remove the top surface of the acrylic lens and therefore it removes the light scratches. For that extra special finish you may have to repeat the procedure, I have not needed to do this as the first application is usually enough.
On some older plastic glasses when using the product, I have noticed a certain smell, this is because, the old plastic lens reacts to the Polywatch and you can end up with a lens which is a lot worse than when you started, (it should only be used on newish lenses).
All is not lost, a product called Autosol comes to the rescue, this is a metal polish which I have used on older plastic glasses with good effect. Now be careful this could scratch the lens when used with too much pressure. This is what I do, rub a small amount in, very gently, keep rubbing until it seems to go smooth. It could take several applications, it would be worth it for the appearance of your watch.
Polywatch is very good on the newer pocket watch and wrist watch lens. Use Autosol as a backup for the older plastic lenses, of course Autosol being a metal cleaner, will also shine your metal watch cases.
[http://www.pocketwatchuk.com]
How does one clean sterling silver & genuine gemstone jewelry?
When shopping for jewelry cleaner the silver cleaner states not to be used on gemstones. Help!
STAY AWAY from sterling ‘dip’ cleaners…they contain forms of ‘battery acid’…all it is really doing is dissolving the top layer of the sterling-removing the tarnish and dirt. But it does NOT ‘shine’ the jewelry…there is no dip made that will do that. Bringing back the high polish HAS to be done with physical effort-like a tumbler, polishing wheel, or polishing cloth.
Some gemstones (turquoise, rhodalite, lapis lazuli, pearls, coral, etc.) are SOFT stones…and any dip is going to literally eat the soft parts of the stone. Polish wheels can burn the soft stones, even reshape them.
Here’s what I recommended for 30 years….
if you wouldn’t put it on your FACE, don’t put it on your JEWELRY!
Head & Shoulders shampoo…with a toothbrush-will clean ANY jewelry, and actually restores shine to sterling if it isn’t ‘worn down’.
Toothpaste-for really dirty rings, bracelets filled with crud…use a toothpaste, rinse with warm water.
Dish detergent-just a couple drops on a toothbrush…good fast cleaner.
For diamond rings-ammonia! Windex works great-because the diamond needs to be ‘squeeky clean’ to reflect light.
3-M makes a cream polish/cleaner called Tarni-Shield. Excellent stuff, and there is another product found in some grocery stores- Wright’s Silver polish.
IF your sterling silver is clean but dull and gray looking-then it has lost the high polish finish that makes it bright. ONLY a jeweler can restore this-by using a tumbler or hand polishing with a wheel. NOT something you can do at home. Silver is a SOFT metal-it will NOT hold a shine like gold does. If you have silver that stays bright and shiny, but it is a ‘chrome’ like finish-then it has been rhodium plated…and that unfortunately, has ruined the sterling. Once rhodium plated, and that wears off-it can never be brought to a genuine sterling polish. To plate it, the sterling had to be first plated with nickel steel!
And many, many people react to nickel as an allergic reaction.
Shine Brite Silver Dip jewelry Cleaner
