Cleaning delicate silver

[applesandpears33]

We have been given a silver model boat by a relative. It was bought abroad and is marked "silver". The relative hadn't been able to clean it and it was pretty black when we received it. I've tried cleaning it up with Goddard's silver foam but some bits are small and fiddly and I can't rub them too hard as the metal is very thin and I don't want to damage it. It is also difficult to get in to clean everywhere as the sails overlap. Is there anything that'd be easier to clean it with? I'd wondered about one of those electronic cleaners but it might not fit in and it is on a plastic or wooden stand which I'd be worried about damaging. The electronic cleaners are also quite expensive so I wouldn't want to buy one unless I knew it was going to work.

I use baking soda and hot water in a tin foil lined bowl to clean my silver plated tea set. There are lots of videos on YouTube that explain how.

Baby toothbrush? After you’ve finished the big areas, snip off a few hairs so there’s just a spike and get into the fiddly bits.

Or just dip the whole thing into a container of jewellery cleaner (depending on how big the item is)

Have you tried cotton buds, for the fiddly bits? Or small bits of cotton wool wrapped around a skewer. But you're right not to rub too hard, it's very easy to remove a thin layer of silver. Plus don't reclean too often as this will have the same effect.

Yeah I was going to say v soft toothbrush too

Can you remove the silver from the stand?
How big is the model? Would it fit into a washing up bowl?

You can buy sachets of silver cleaner which are designed to be placed in the base of a plastic bowl. Silver items placed in contact with the foil surface of the sachet, hot water poured into the bowl to cover the silver.
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0073EE7EG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

I had some success cleaning large solid silver candlesticks this way.

I'd read online that coca cola can clean silver so I tried balancing the boat in it overnight with the stand clear of the liquid. It did nothing. Today I've tried the baking soda trick four times and each time I can see an improvement. I'll try it again tomorrow when I've got time.

Baking soda, boiking water and and tinfoil is great. And as it's electrolysis, a cool science experiment to show any younglings in your vicinity.