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Silver plating is VERY thin and easily removed if the wrong polish is used, polished too hard, or too often.
The common factory practice with silver plating and polished brass is to spray on a coat of gloss lacquer to prevent tarnish and limit wearing plated items.
If you look at old brass items you'll often see the lacquer coming off and tarnished brass showing in a ratty, spotty look.
Same thing happens with silver plate.
The usual method of dealing with it is to use lacquer thinner to remove the lacquer coating then use a very mild silver polish to gently restore the shine.
I recommend using a silver polish rated for use with plated silver. Use GENTLY.
I don't recommend most metal polishes like Brass-O, MASS, or even Flitz. All these are abrasive and will remove a layer of the already thin plating.
After gently polishing, wipe the surface with clean lacquer thinner to clean it of all polish or oily contamination, wipe gently with a microfiber cloth to remove any residue, then spray on a fresh lacquer coating.
Most hardware stores sell spray cans of lacquer specifically for coating brass and plated finishes.
The common factory practice with silver plating and polished brass is to spray on a coat of gloss lacquer to prevent tarnish and limit wearing plated items.
If you look at old brass items you'll often see the lacquer coming off and tarnished brass showing in a ratty, spotty look.
Same thing happens with silver plate.
The usual method of dealing with it is to use lacquer thinner to remove the lacquer coating then use a very mild silver polish to gently restore the shine.
I recommend using a silver polish rated for use with plated silver. Use GENTLY.
I don't recommend most metal polishes like Brass-O, MASS, or even Flitz. All these are abrasive and will remove a layer of the already thin plating.
After gently polishing, wipe the surface with clean lacquer thinner to clean it of all polish or oily contamination, wipe gently with a microfiber cloth to remove any residue, then spray on a fresh lacquer coating.
Most hardware stores sell spray cans of lacquer specifically for coating brass and plated finishes.
