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 ARCHIVED TOPIC: Best way to polish gold banjos


Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/399154

caloscalzo - Posted - 08/31/2024:  08:54:35


How do you who own a gold plated banjo polish the gold without removing it?

Realbluegrassfan - Posted - 08/31/2024:  09:09:10


Most would leave it alone. A well known builder once told me that if you have to clean the gold plating use Windex.

Old Hickory - Posted - 08/31/2024:  09:48:22


Windex has ammonia, which should only be used on gold plate in very dilute form. Maybe Windex is already diluted. Or maybe you should add more water.



I'd use one of the non-ammonia glass cleaners. Or very dilute dish detergent and a lightly damp soft cloth.

steve davis - Posted - 08/31/2024:  10:29:15


And don't put on sun screen,hand lotion or bug spray when handling your banjo.

rmcdow - Posted - 08/31/2024:  12:38:53


Gold typically does not need to be polishing, as it does not tarnish. It can, over time, acquire a patina, which looks a bit on the red side of the spectrum, but this takes years. What accumulates on the gold plating is dust and other material. It can stick pretty solidly to the metal, and if you are not taking the banjo apart, it is not as easy to restore the gold to it's original form as it would be if it is taken apart.

The best thing I have found to use is a dilute mild detergent, like unscented dish soap. When I ran a gold plating shop, I had a hot detergent dip that cleaned up gold very well. Use a soft cotton cloth and gently rub the gold.

If there are spots, or areas that you can get to after taking apart the banjo, there is a jeweler's polishing cloth that I have found very useful when used with care. It has red rouge embedded on the inside of the cloth (it's a two layer cloth). The red rouge is a burnishing agent, and if used with care, first washing the metal with detergent to remove any dust or material that might be abrasive, it will burnish the surface of the gold and give it that original shine that it had when plated. As long as you do not rub the plating excessively, this is a safe method to bring that shine back. If there are spots that show up during the use of the red rouge cloth, don't try to remove them with the cloth, but instead, try washing them off with mild detergent in water and a soft cotton cloth. The rouge cloth won't remove them, and extensive rubbing with the cloth can start to remove some of the plating.

Keep in mind that there are different thicknesses of gold plating that is applied to banjos, and it is important to be careful when trying to restore the original reflective shine and color. The minimum thickness that can be called gold plating is about 25 millionths of an inch thick. It will take about 4 - 5 strokes of 400 grit sandpaper to remove it, so care needs to be taken with this thickness. Anything below that is really a gold wash, and you should not attempt to polish it at all. To get the best plating on metal parts, a nickel coat is followed by 100 millionths of an inch of gold. Thicknesses above 100 millionths of an inch can be achieved by multiple platings, but are typically applied using the methods to apply gold vermeil, which I have not seen on a banjo.

HSmith - Posted - 09/01/2024:  00:12:49


Hi
I have a gold-plated Osborne Chief. Having read all the dire warnings on this site advising that gold plating be treated with extreme care, I very seldom polish mine. The gold finish doesn't tarnish like nickel, and I find it best to just dust it lightly with a clean, soft cotton cloth occasionally. It seems all polishing compounds are to a degree abrasive, and since the plating on a banjo is very thin, even careful use of any polish brings a risk of damage.
In order to prevent potential problems with the finish, I always keep the banjo in the case when not being played. When I'm playing it, I try to avoid skin contact with the gold-plated parts.
I've owned my Chief for nearly ten years, and in my experience a gold-plated banjo can be played and enjoyed like any other. Provided you treat it with care, it will remain a thing of beauty for many years.

caloscalzo - Posted - 09/02/2024:  04:28:53


Thank you guys for all the very helpful responses. 

 



I too have an Osborne Chief. Got it in September 2015, so it's going on 9 years old. So now I can with confidence clean it up a bit!



Again. Thanks. 

Craig

heavy5 - Posted - 09/02/2024:  07:13:13


Keep your hands off the metal ,

Handle it w/ the back of tail piece (yes I know that's metal) & around the heel to the 5th peg of the neck .
It's easy to avoid touching the metal if u really don't want it to look tarnished .
Remove the armrest & cover it w/ Saran wrap -- neatly & tight .

greenbriar - Posted - 09/12/2024:  06:54:56


Antiques roadshow did an assessment on a Granada that a customer brought to show.
They said saliva works very well and does not affect the gold plating. I’m not sure if spitting on a soft paintbrush would be better than a soft cloth.

steve davis - Posted - 09/14/2024:  05:40:54


They also said the best way to clean a dirty oil painting is to use saliva and a q-tip.

banjowannabe - Posted - 09/14/2024:  05:58:18


I've cleaned a painting using saliva - not as effective as professional jobs I've seen. I don't think I'd clean my gold-plate banjo that way. I just use a soft oil paint brush on it. If you try the saliva method don't be drinking beer or eating sugary snacks. It can drop your mouth pH to 5.5 and then you're giving your banjo an acid bath.

steve davis - Posted - 09/14/2024:  08:41:06


Saliva with other stuff in it isn't saliva.
I have no problem taking advice from the gallery owners that speak on Antiques Roadshow.

JackGrave - Posted - 09/17/2024:  12:12:37


I would use jeweller's cloth and or very fine chalk powder (slightly moistened) on toilet paper. If its very diry just use diluted hand soap. Definately nothing with ammonia. Jack

trackers - Posted - 09/17/2024:  18:40:45


I just purchased a Gold Star GF300. I took it down to put a new head and setup on it this week and used the cheap Dollar General windex clone windows cleaner and a soft paper towels. It worked quite well and really cleaned up nice. Just wipe easy and no need to scrub it.

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