Restoring Shine to Oxidized Sterling Silver: Tips for a Brilliant Finish

Question
Hi
I am trying to polish my sterling pieces by tumbling with steel shot.  The
pieces I am tumbling have been oxidized and cleaned and now i want a shiny
finish. I have tumbled the pieces for a couple of hours and they are turning a
dirty, dull brown.   I've never had this happen before.  what do you think the
problem is?

thanks!

Answer
Greetings,

My apologies for my slow response - I've just been finishing a major ceremonial piece.

There would be several possible reasons for this.
Is the silver fully polished and cleaned prior to oxidation?
Is the oxide solution too weak or old?
Is the shot clean? Is there any liquid in there too?
Maybe you could try some different shot.

I would talk to your local supplier of tumbling solutions and see if there is a better product to use.

That's all I can offer as rarely use oxide on silver, and don't do any tumbling.

Good Luck and Cheers, P