deke46 - Posted - 06/15/2026:  17:02:00

Hi Guys,
Not sure if this is the right forum but it does concern vintage banjos so I guess you guys may have the answers. I have a couple of `30`s high end Windsor banjos with gold plated hardware but the plating is dull and seems corroded. I`m happy to accept some wear marks but is there anything I can use to brighten up the corroded plating ?

Alex Z - Posted - 06/15/2026:  19:04:37

It's not the gold that is corroding.  It is the metal or plating underneath that is corroding, and leaching up through the few molecules of gold on top. 

 

I don't have a remedy since I've never had to deal with this issue.  

 

Andy FitzGibbon - Posted - 06/15/2026:  19:33:34

I like to use a wadding polish like "Nevr-Dull" on gold, as it is non-abrasive.... mostly petroleum distillates, and a small amount of ammonia. Most gold playing is fairly thin and fragile even in the best of times.

Wadding polish won't impart a whole lot of additional shine to old gold, but it will clean off dirt and corrosion.

deke46 - Posted - 06/15/2026:  20:26:22

Thanks Andy I`ll see if it`s available in Australia, I think pole dancers may use it !

The Old Timer - Posted - 06/16/2026:  10:16:29

Don't rub too hard! Whether the polish is abrasive or not, the cloth you use to polish will wear gold away faster than you would think!

As has been stated and quoted here often "Before you polish your gold plate, say good bye to your gold plate."

Joel Hooks - Posted - 06/16/2026:  10:30:51

quote:

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Originally posted by Andy FitzGibbon

I like to use a wadding polish like "Nevr-Dull" on gold, as it is non-abrasive.... mostly petroleum distillates, and a small amount of ammonia. Most gold playing is fairly thin and fragile even in the best of times.



Wadding polish won't impart a whole lot of additional shine to old gold, but it will clean off dirt and corrosion.

---

If Never Dull is non-abrasive, why would the makers call it "mildly abrasive"?

eagleone.com/products/all-metal-polish/

The can also says, right on the side, do not use on plated metal. 

Andy FitzGibbon - Posted - 06/16/2026:  12:04:53

quote:

---

Originally posted by Joel Hooks

If Never Dull is non-abrasive, why would the makers call it "mildly abrasive"?

eagleone.com/products/all-metal-polish/

The can also says, right on the side, do not use on plated metal. 

---

The "mild abrasive" is the cotton wadding itself, I guess, as the solution contains no abrasive. I suppose that, technically, rubbing cotton on metal parts is an abrasive process.

Interesting that they caution against use on plated metal... maybe a CYA against liability for theoretical plating removal? Plating can be removed with a hand towel if you're determined enough. I have been using Nevr-Dull on plated metal (banjos and otherwise) for close to 40 years and have not had any problems.

 

Alex Z - Posted - 06/16/2026:  13:19:49

I believe it does contain aluminum oxide and calcium carbonate, dissolved in some type of petroleum distillate.

I've used it for years, for reducing tarnish on nickel and chrome plating, and it works well.  But I don't rub hard or for very long -- not actually "polishing" in the sense of scraping down scratches to get an even surface.

On gold, I myself wouldn't use anything except dishwasher soap and water to get the crud off, and very little pressure, such as from a wadded up tissue.  This works well to remove crud and the previous owner's DNA and french fry grease.  Again, that's not the gold that is corroding, but the metal underneath that is corroding and leaching up.

Alex Z - Posted - 06/16/2026:  13:21:40

The safety data sheet is showing the toxic substances, not the benign substances like the cotton.

Alex Z - Posted - 06/16/2026:  13:30:32

I think the caution for plated metal is that the plating may be only a few microns thick.  A  1/16" piece of solid metal is about 1,500 microns thick -- can rub all you want on that.  

1 millimeter = 1000 microns.

Andy FitzGibbon - Posted - 06/17/2026:  02:59:27

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alex Z

The safety data sheet is showing the toxic substances, not the benign substances like the cotton.

---

Other SD sheets I'm familiar with also mention (though usually not by name) "inert ingredients" if they are present, in addition to toxic ones. Maybe that is not universal.

I have also cleaned gold using just naptha and a cloth, which is an option if there's concern about potential abrasives. It doesn't work quite as well as Nevr-Dull, which I credited to the ammonia in Nevr-Dull dissolving tarnish of the base metal and/or underplating. 

Regardless of the method, all the cautions about working with gold are well founded, as it is often very thin. I also recommend washing the parts thoroughly afterward, particularly if anything with ammonia in it was used.