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Removing Coating on Bronze Flatware (cont'd)




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I carefully washed my inherited Dirilyte flatware and stored it in anti-tarnish cloth - DON'T DO IT...I pulled it out to use maybe 6 months later and it was all RUINED or at least it looked ruined. I sent it all in to be replated...Very Expensive.

Pam S [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Austin, Texas
2006


I did not know what metal "Dirigold" was, so I tried a product called Mr. Metal [affil links] (which works for a variety of metals.) Mr Metal claims that you don't have to rub or buff - wrong! It took some "elbow grease" but the brilliant shine was worth it! The pieces are beautiful! Just for the record, I was polishing holloware, not flatware.

Elisabeth H [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Williamsport, Pennsylvania
2006


The man who suggests Brasso [on eBay or Amazon] and #0000 steel wool [on eBay or Amazon] and a soft cloth for the cleaning and shining of Dirigold is using common sense; most likely gained while in the military in the pre-volunteer era where Brasso [on eBay or Amazon] was a component of how one spent free time. It does require a lot of rubbing and enlisting the services of a "young fool" as suggested by another contributor is a good idea. Better yet is having a youngster, either son or daughter, perform the task. You can think about things when polishing flatware [just like when ironing] and there is practically nothing we do where such a satisfactory and reasonably short outcome is within our control.

Ken L [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
heir - Newport Beach California
2006



Eve M stated to try white vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon] and salt with tin foil in the bottom of a loaf pan. It did not produce the shine I desired, so I polished each piece with Brasso. It turned out beautiful and shiny. It took about an hour to polish 6 place settings while watching a movie.

Alice

Alice Ray-Overstreet
- Lakeland, Florida
2007



Dremel Kit
on
Amazon

(affil links)

I purchased my first place setting in the mid 1960's, it originally was very expensive. I regret buying it with the Bonded Protective coating as those pieces have that lacquer coating that cannot be polished over, but needs to be removed before you can bring back that original beautiful gold color and luster. Over the years I've found many pieces at swap meets, etc. and I've tried every trick in the book to clean and polish. I have come to the conclusion that a small investment in a Dremel [on eBay or Amazon] or similar roto-tool is the best and easiest way to clean and polish. I use a little Wenol [adv: Wenol on eBay or Amazon] metal polish (Simichrome [on eBay or Amazon] is similar) on a felt buffing wheel and years of tarnish comes right off. It takes time, but no hard rubbing; the tool does it all.

Carole A. Walton
- Lake Elsinore, California
April 12, 2008



To all the Dirilyte owners. Information on the Dirigold/Dirilyte Company can be found on many websites.
My great-grandfather and grandfather worked with Carl Molin at the Dirigold/Dirilyte Company in Kokomo, IN. My father
was the general manager until the 1980's. Treat the Dirilyte carefully and it will last forever. If I tried to
remove the bp the way others have mentioned my dad would roll over in his grave.

Dirilyte was used in the White House until Nixon was president. It sold in the finest jewelry stores, etc. The flatware always had the dirigold/Dirilyte stamp. Holloware (trivets, compotes, etc) were sold to other companies and were identified by the letter "G". Today it can be found in lots of antique shops, etc.Most people are not aware of Dirilyte and the fact that at one time it sold for more than silver.

Mary Boodt
- Indianapolis, Indiana
April 14, 2008



Question for Mary B -

I have some pieces with the BP and they are tarnished. Do you know how to clean those?

Linda Bonnel
- Novato, California
July 27, 2008



TO: Karen K - Minneapolis, MN
IN ANSWER TO WHERE TO GET THE DIRILYTE POLISH [adv: Dirilyte polish on eBay] , YOU CAN EMAIL DEB HARRINGTON AT: djh@handindustries.com . THAT'S THE COMPANY IN WARSAW, IN THAT HAS TAKEN OVER THE SALE OF DIRILYTE POLISH [adv: Dirilyte polish on eBay] . I JUST ORDERED THE POLISH LAST WEEK, HAVEN'T YET REC'D IT, BUT EXPECT TO SOMETIME THIS WEEK. DEB WAS VERY HELPFUL, GIVING VARIOUS METHODS OF PMT.

janie eilers
JANIE EILERS
- MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota
September 2, 2008



I am recipent of my aunt's Dirigold small goblets she rec'd as wedding present (probably 1920s). I keep them in an armoire (fitted as a bar). Use them for after dinner drinks i.e. Baileys, B&B, etc. Every once in a while I just use Wright's Copper Cream [on eBay or Amazon]. So easy.

Wynne Gensey
- Twin Falls, Idaho
October 22, 2008


I purchased my service for 12 set of Dorling tableware in 1956. At the time I lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It does need polishing about twice a year if used regularly for company. Never put it in the dishwasher! I was a new bride, my husband was in the US Army in Korea. The $195.00 that I paid was for table ware, 4 holloware pieces and serving pieces. It is still lovely and worth the work of polishing.

Darlene Hyndman
- Stuart, Florida
November 25, 2008


Has anyone tried using an electric wheel buffer? I'm going to try it, seems it would be easier on the hands and quicker too, than brillo pad torture.

Catherine Werner
- North East, Maryland
December 21, 2008



I purchased 2 sets of bronze ware in Thailand in approx. 1965. It has been stored in a
shed in Miami Florida for about 30 years. Needless to say it has turned green etc.
The pieces have wooded handles which look ok.
What can we use to clean and restore this flatware to service?

Tom Pritchard
hobbyist - Cape Coral,, Florida
February 24, 2009


My parents handed down their collection of Dirilyte to me and thought they were doing me a favor by wrapping each piece in plastic wrap! Now the wrap is melted on. Some will peel off, but some is stuck. Any suggestions to getting it off without damaging the finish?

Sue woodman
- south berwick, Maine
March 29, 2009


Because Dirilyte is solid brass, you can use a sharp knife to carefully get under the plastic wrap and peel or even scrape lightly to remove the plastic. Putting the pieces in the freezer first for an hour or two may help the process too. (Any scrapes will polish out by a professional polishing firm.)

R. C. Fischbach
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
May 14, 2009


I also had dirilyte that had coating. I used paste type paint remover gel [on eBay or Amazon] . I tried it on one piece first, it dissolved the coating in a couple minutes. I had rubber gloves on wiped it off and washed it. A quick polish with Brasso or the Dirilyte polish [adv: Dirilyte polish on eBay] makes it almost like new.

Marti Hause
- Vista California
December 24, 2009



Someone used the term nickel bronze. I do hope this was an assumption and not a fact. Some here are allergic to nickel. Does this flatware contain nickel? Normally bronze contains copper, tin and zinc.

Also mentioned was Thai nickel bronze. Does this contain nickel?

I clean the lacquer of copper pots with a solution of ammonia [on eBay or Amazon], baking soda [on eBay or Amazon] , salt and a squeezed lemon. Soak it for an hour or so and it comes right off. The I clean them with Wright's Copper Cream [on eBay or Amazon]. It is pretty easy. All of this turmoil is needless.

Tom Green
- Apopka, Florida
February 20, 2010


I made the tragic mistake of putting my Dirilyte I inherited in the dishwasher. It has spots on that I have tried to buff out, but it still has black on it. What's my next step?

Marcia Salerno
- Westmont, Illinois
May 13, 2010



When I inherited my Grandmothers Dirilyte back in the 1960's a chemist told me it was listed in his "book" as an anodized aluminum with a bit of bronze in it. Has anyone else out there heard this?

Gail Renneker
- Cleves, Ohio, USA
May 28, 2010


For the salt shaker that the top would not come off: I sprayed WD-40 [adv: item on eBay or Amazon] into the crack between body and lid and let this sit for a while. I even poured some into the salt holes into the shaker to swirl around at where the top meets the body. When I came back about 15 minutes later, I picked it up and tried again to unscrew it - the shaker slipped out of my hands and fell onto a tile floor. Good news: it wasn't dented and the lid came off easily. Its worth a try because if you can't unscrew it to fill it, what good is it. I would imagine the liquid wrench would work also but the hard hitting the floor or some other way to tap the shaker at the corroded area should help.

Diana Young
- Sun City Center, Florida, USA
September 2, 2010



Q. I just bought a 12 place setting, 20 pieces per setting of Dirigold Regal, about 255 pieces. It is probably from the 1930's. I've tried polishing with the Dirilyte polish. It just does not shine up very well. Also, after 10 pieces my hand is killing me. Does anyone know if I could purchase some kind of power buffer and some jewelers rouge [on eBay or Amazon] to really polish it up? If so, what kind of buffer and what kind of rouge? Thank you for time.

Linda Noble
- Midvale, Utah, United States
December 30, 2013


A. Hi Linda. Please review the earlier postings, particularly the one from Carole W of April 12, 2008 -- it sounds perfect for you. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
December 2013


thumbs up signI have a large AB DIRIGOLD place setting that was recently passed on to me, and I am in the process of cleaning the individual pieces. This set could have been brought from Sweden in the 1920s, which makes it quite old? There is a good chance that the set was never used considering the condition of the individual pieces.

Engraved on one spoon is "Good Templar Park Swedish Day". The set may have been picked up in America. There is a salt and pepper shaker with the set. The salt shaker will not open which is something I will be working on. My hands are getting quite a workout and I am using a lot of Brasso.

Dennis Helm
- MACHESNEY PARK
February 15, 2016



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