One of the latest inventions for removing the tarnish from metal articles, particularly silver and silver plate and gold. is a set of two zinc pans, one with a perforated bottom placed inside the other. The silver is laid in the pan, covered with boiling water to which salt and soda have been added, allowed to stand several minutes, or, if very black, boiled 5 minutes, removed from the water and rinsed thoroughly. All tarnish disappears as if by magic. The silver has a frosted appearance which comes bright with very little rubbing.

Silver-Clean Pan (Price $2.00)

If one does not care to invest in such a device as the above, about the same results may be accomplished by boiling the silver in a granite pan with pieces of zinc in the water and with salt and soda added in the proportion of 1 tablespoonful salt and 1 tablespoonful cooking soda to each quart of water. Or an old aluminum dish may be used.

The action is an electro chemical one. The soda in the presence of silver acts on the zinc or aluminum slightly, producing a little hydrogen, which changes the oxides and sulphides of silver, which make the tarnish, back into silver, so that even silver-plate is not harmed.