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Green bubbling from silver plated brass cane handle
Quickstart:
Most silver plating is done from cyanide-based silver plating solutions. Some plating shops occasionally suffer a defect called "cyanide bleedout" which causes dark colored staining of the workpiece. Naturally, some consumers bouncing around the web pick up a fear that poisonous cyanide is bleeding out from their silver plated articles, but it's not actually a realistic cause for concern.
Q. Hello. I have a green bubbling liquid bubbling up from where brass is exposed from a silver plated cane handle.
How do I stop it?
Kenneth CaslisCollector - Henderson Nevada
August 1, 2025
A. Hi Kenneth.
I see that you also posted this question against a thread about "cyanide bleedout". First off, there is no concern about cyanide in this instance. Yes, cyanide is widely used in silver plating, and it is a poisonous & toxic material at the time of plating. But it was rinsed off, and is highly biodegradable and all traces gone years ago even if there was any, which there almost surely wasn't (silver plated flatware is plated the same way). There is probably more cyanide in a lima bean than in your cane handle.
There apparently was poor adhesion of the plating in that area, it blistered, and the plating got knocked off. Green corrosion of copper alloys like brass is not unusual, especially with several factors going against you -- the silver is cathodic to the brass and there is a lot of silver surface area promoting galvanic corrosion on a small brass area, and water (maybe sweaty water) got drawn into the capillary area between the brass and the slightly lifted plating in that area.
The best you can do at this point, short of having it replated, is to try to rinse it with a hose or preferably a Waterpik ⇨
Then a final rinse in DI or distilled water (or just use distilled water in your Waterpik). Then allow it to thoroughly dry out in the sun. Finally, carefully paint the bare area with at least two coats, maybe more, of the closest color silver paint you can find.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
(Ted is available for instant or longterm help)
Thank you so much Ted. This collectible cane was a holy grail I had been looking for over 20 years, and now that I have it I was afraid it would be too toxic to keep. Again thank you sir and I will do exactly as you suggest.
Silver Cane Handles
on eBay
(affil link)
Ken Caslis [returning]
Collector - Nevada
August 5, 2025
A. Hi again; you're certainly welcome.
One thing I forgot in trying to cover the whole subject is that getting good paint adhesion onto brass can sometimes be difficult. The first coat should actually be a primer made for aluminum & galvanized surfaces ⇨
to improve the chances for good adhesion.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
(Ted is available for instant or longterm help)
Perfect! Thanks again!
Collector - Nevada
August 5, 2025
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