Silver Repair & Restoration
It doesn't matter if your treasures are silverplate or sterling silver, my goal is to do the best work possible. Repair and restoration of your sterling silver and silverplate require extensive metalworking experience and handcrafting skills.
Most silver is not designed to be repaired. Years of use, accidents or even neglect present unique challenges, but I can usually greatly improve the overall appearance. The goal might be to repair the object so that you can enjoy its character and family history.
Contact me for an estimate. Read customer thank you notes and reviews here.
Questions about silver? Look at the Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Baby cups often arrive crushed, dented, with broken handles or years of tarnish. It doesn't matter whether the handle has fallen off or it has lots of dents, I will do the best I can to restore your baby cup for future generations. Sentimental value is not replaceable.
Handles and feet for silverplate dishes, trays, etc. frequently break off, as they are not well attached to begin with. The handles or feet can be reattached without damaging the silver plate. The better the condition of the plating, the better the overall appearance after polishing.
Silver candlesticks and candelabras are vulnerable to broken arms and stems. The arms extend to the sides and are especially fragile right where they attach to the main column. Many candlesticks are also filled with pitch (sometimes labels as "cement reinforced") which starts to break with age. The height of the candlesticks puts a lot of stress on the base, where the silver may begin to wrinkle. Take great care when you polish not to pull or twist…but if your candlestick or candelabra breaks, I can repair it.
Teapots and coffeepots are possibly the most frequent silver repair. Common problems include hinge repair, insulator repair, dents, and broken spouts.
Sterling silver dresser sets include brushes, mirrors, combs, and many different accessories including powder jars with sterling silver lids, button hooks, nail buffs, and files. All can be polished, repaired, and restored depending on your budget.
View examples of repairs of brushes, combs, and mirrors from dresser sets HERE.
Removing the greasy soot from silver after a fire should be done quickly, as the acidic soot eats into the metal surface. The fire also causes dark black to brown oxidation which is hard to remove by hand.
CLICK HERE for more examples of fire damage restoration and repair.
The most common flatware repair is garbage disposal damage, but I also replace old knife blades, solder broken spoons, and polish. When a family heirloom fork or spoon breaks in two, this can be soldered back together with an attractive patch to reinforce the repair (as shown in the above photo.)
Flower vases usually present unique challenges, with a wide top and a narrow area near the base. This is where they usually break. I can repair your flower vase to preserve its unique form and the memories it contains.
The hinges on silverplate coffeepots and teapots are not very strong and commonly break. Click on the image to see more hinge repairs. The silverplate teapot and coffeepot shown in the photo above arrived with dents and broken hinges.
View more examples of hinge repair on coffeepots, teapots, and silver objects.
Repairs, restoration and polishing of Judaica objects include Kiddush cups, Menorahs and Shabbat Candlesticks.
I frequently repair liturgical objects for local churches, usually doing the work in just a few days so the object is ready for the next service on Sunday.
Removing dents from sterling silver and silver plate requires a great deal of skill and patience. I do my best to remove the damage by carefully rubbing out the dents, taking time and care to do no harm. Even silver crushed and bent can be restored to a more presentable appearance. It takes time, strength, and specialized tools to take out even the smallest dents, working carefully and slowly to avoid further damage.
Silver jewelry is a challenge to repair. It is not uncommon that the repair cost exceeds the amount of the original purchase. Contact me so we can explore the problems and solutions for repairing your silver jewelry. The photo above shows a repair I did to a stunning necklace made of silver links by Mexican silversmith Hector Aguilar.
I do repair and restoration on silverplate objects. Some repairs on silverplate can be done without damaging the silver plating. If the silverplating is worn or damaged, I can take your silver to a local plater that I work with, and arrange for new silver plating to completely restore your silverplate heirloom.
Be prepared, silver plating is very expensive in the 21st century. Silver plating baths are cyanide-based. Every drop of water and every rag is treated as hazardous waste. In addition, silver plating is all handwork. Polishing and plating each object is one-of-a-kind hand work done the old-fashioned way. There is no automation in the repair and restoration business.
Restoration of antique and vintage sterling silver picture frames is a multi-step custom process involving replacing old, deteriorating fabric, preserving and repairing the original hardware, and polishing the sterling silver. I can also repair dents and damage.
Antique and vintage trophies are fabricated from a wide variety of materials including lead, white metal, and sterling silver. Very often trophies are silverplated, gold plated, or brass plated. My goal for the repair is to restore the sentimental value of these objects without any further damage or greater expense than necessary.
Occasionally, I get to work on a rare or unusual object of sterling silver, silverplate, or other metal. These repairs and restorations usually require me to use all my problem-solving and metalworking skills to address unique challenges.
REINVENT YOUR SILVER FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Cigarette Cases can make elegant business card holders for the 20th century, but that is only one idea. Click here to see other ideas.