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Something I have been want to try on my silver was toilet bowl cleaner...Read that some where, be nice to have some silver colored silver with less work involved.
Kmart and Walmart carry connoisseurs silver jewelry cleaner . Its a liquid dip type cleaner. Cost about $6.00. I use it to clean rings it does good and I finish it up with a good silver polish.
Any kind of cleaner make sure you use baking soda in water afterword to stop the corrosion. Might try some sort of liquid silver cleaner.... CLR might work as well. Bleach will turn it a wierd color.
I tried the baking soda, foil and hot water on a ring and thought it didn't work. But the instant I hit it with a polish cloth, it shined up instantly with no effort. Try it again and make sure the water is boiling.
Butane lighter or small butane torch. Hot enough to melt/vaporize the black crap but not hot enough to melt the silver.... a little polish after and good as new
"Silver is stable in pure air and water, but tarnishes when it is exposed to air or water containing ozone or hydrogen sulfide, the latter forming a black layer of silver sulfide which can be cleaned off with dilute hydrochloric acid."
This is lucky because hydrochloric (muriatic) acid is the easiest to obtain. A gallon jug can be purchased from Lowes or Home Despot for a few dollars and will last for years. Keep it in a well ventilated place well away from any metals that you don't want to be rusted/corroded as the fumes seem to find their way out of the jug even when it is closed tightly and will form crystals on the outside of the container. You can rinse these off periodically to keep things tidy.
A 5-10% solution should work pretty good but it doesn't hurt to experiment a bit to see how weak of a solution will still do the job. Since it will be around 30% HCl as purchased you should dilute with water somewhere in the ballpark of 2:1 to 5:1 (at least). Always add acid to water - not the other way around, as the sudden generation of heat could cause a steam burp and splash you. Wear eye protection! Avoid breathing the fumes as these are really nasty but casual skin contact is no big deal - just rinse off under the faucet. (Human stomach acid also contains HCl - just not as much.) Keep baking soda handy in case of a spill. Unused solution can either be saved in a capped container for next time or neutralized with baking soda or drain opener and washed down the sink.
A quick dip should be enough to remove all the grey/black coating, followed by a good rinse in clean water.
I use my tumbler. I throw them in with my clad. If you want shiner just add a couple 40%silver half dollars1966-1970. Just use aquarium gravel and some dish soap. Works like a charm
