I have a sterling tray that looks great on the handles and the edges, but the smooth flat part is fairly scratched up from usage (before I got it, I’ve tried to not add any more!). I’m just wondering if there’s some way to reduce the appearance of so many scratches as it takes away from the reflectiveness of a silver coffee/tea set I place on it. So far I’ve only used very unabrasive polish (Blitz, and Herman’s), as I don’t want to damage it any further.
Light to moderate scratching on silver tray
To convert scratches into a smooth surface there are 2 options: fill up the scratches or remove the surface down to the depth of the scratches. Filling is not especially practical and removing silver will damage the rest of the surface. A mildly abrasive polish may smooth the edges of the cracks and make it more acceptable for your purposes. My advice would be to go slowly and carefully and stop before you do too much - or to accept that the scratches are part of the tray’s history.
Phil
Thanks, Phil. I’ve often wondered whether it would make any sense (and if it’s even possible) to have just the inside of the tray plated with more silver, since there’s no engraving or anything in that area. Would it even out the scratches or anything doing that? I wouldn’t mind the tray being slightly thicker anyway.
Replating would require the surface to be smoothed down anyway; otherwise some evidence of the scratches would show through because the plating thickness will not be thick enough to hide imperfections. So that may not be a viable option.
Thank you, I think you’re right. I’ll see how it goes and may just live with it as-is.
–Ron
Hello lemec,
Can you please supply us with large, high-definition images of the tray’s bottom? I can then advise the best method to bring back the piece to displayable condition, providing the material is thick enough. Many thanks!