Daily Wire Tip: Prevent Tarnish on Copper and Nickel Silver

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip

Question:

This is not a question just a tip I use, maybe you can try it and share it.

For practice recycled copper wire or for nickel silver wire, clean the wire, then polish it with Nu Finish car polish. This is a polymer, not a wax, and lasts a long time. This makes the wire bright and shiny. I’ve used this on copper that was then left out for a year and had no corrosion show up.

I clean the copper wire by soaking in half water/half white vinegar, then dry it and polish it. I just wipe the nickel silver wire down and then polish it.

-Diane in Hanover, Pennsylvania

Answer:

Although it not usual for me to post tips from folks as a question, I have to say that I really appreciate your experience and wanted to share it with everyone. Thanks so much, Diane!!

If any of our readers have other tips for preventing and removing tarnish, feel free to leave them in the comments below!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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86 Comments

1. 

   Coral Blandin

   October 14, 2014 at 11:46 am

   Thank you, Diane, for this tip, and everyone who commented as well. I recently started experimenting with copper in stamped pieces and got very frustrated, because every time I wore the pendant I had made, I carefully put it away and then would have to clean it before I could wear it again. This really put me off working with copper, even though I love the color of it. I will try this on the piece I made, and maybe I’ll fall in love with it again . Thanks everyone.
2. 

   Arlen

   July 1, 2015 at 5:24 pm

   I use a brass bristled brush with hand cleaner soaps or kitchen liquid soap to clean severely tarnished copper.
3. 

   Alonso Zangari

   August 19, 2016 at 7:05 am

   that’s good, thanks for sharing,.. I think this is great blog