# Is it possible to replate silver with liquid silver solution?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-replate-silver-with-liquid-silver-solution/491025>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 27, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-replate-silver-with-liquid-silver-solution/491025 "2009-03-27T19:47:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-replate-silver-with-liquid-silver-solution/491025/1 "2009-03-27T19:47:55Z")

</div>

My silver plated faucet turned pink when my SO used Brasso to clean it. I’m guessing the abrasive wore off the silver and revealed the brass. I came across this alleged silver replating solution:

[http://www.metalbrite.net/page/228960203](http://www.metalbrite.net/page/228960203)

Can anyone vouch for the scientific validity of this stuff? I’m guessing there is a reason that silver is typically electroplated, but is this liquid a reasonable hack? Thanks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-replate-silver-with-liquid-silver-solution/491025/2 "2009-03-27T20:02:54Z")

</div>

[What happens when you mix silver nitrate with copper wire](http://www.finishing.com/317/90.shtml)

> [@](#):
>
> The silver nitrate is in solution and the metallic copper will dissolve to form copper nitrate; as it does so, the silver in solution will be precipitated out as metallic silver.

I’ve never used silver brite, but if conditions are right you can get a nice shiny silver covering on copper or brass objects by soaking in silver nitrate.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-replate-silver-with-liquid-silver-solution/491025/3 "2009-03-27T20:30:14Z")

</div>

You can also get a nice copper coating on almost any other metal (other than silver, gold, and a few other precious ones) in much the same way. I once left a bunch of corroded pennies in a vinegar solution overnight to clean them, and threw in a nickel, too. When next I checked it, the nickel was copper-plated.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-replate-silver-with-liquid-silver-solution/491025/4 "2009-03-27T23:04:07Z")

</div>

> [@KidCharlemagne](#):
>
> My silver plated faucet turned pink when my SO used Brasso to clean it. I’m guessing the abrasive wore off the silver and revealed the brass. I came across this alleged silver replating solution.

Your faucet almost certainly wasn’t silver plated. Nickel or crome-plated perhaps.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\
**Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-replate-silver-with-liquid-silver-solution/491025/5 "2009-04-07T16:15:11Z")

</div>

> [@samclem](#):
>
> Your faucet almost certainly wasn’t silver plated. Nickel or crome-plated perhaps.

Yes it was. And I have to say that the stuff worked like a miracle. Saved a mightly expensive faucet.