Storing silver

Cihat Uzun <objectconservation [at] yahoo__com> writes

>We are revising our storage. we have a lot of silver objects such as
>plates, spoons, and forks. We are searching for polyethylene. It is
>cheap and inert. Do you think is it proper for long term storage?
>What properties do we have to take into consideration while choosing
>packing materials for silver objects

I agree with Victoria and would never put metal next to
polyethylene.  I am starting to see problems with PE in association
with some materials (particularly skin materials).

I have found the use of silver cloth to work well.  This is a cotton
flannel impregnated with tiny pieces of silver. Similar principle to
the corrosion intercept that Victoria suggests.  I use silver cloth
in a controlled experiment in a wood drawer.  It has been 4 years
and the silver in the cloth hasn't tarnished, while the silver
outside the cloth tarnished in a matter of months.  (The drawer is
raw wood.) If you want the added protection of a plastic film, then
consider adding a corrosion intercept bag over the silver cloth.

I would not use cotton flannelette.  It serves little purpose when
you could get so much benefit from swapping that for the silver
cloth.

Helen Alten
Director
Northern States Conservation Center


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 23:43
                   Distributed: Tuesday, May 4, 2010
                       Message Id: cdl-23-43-007
                                  ***