Advice on Removing Tarnish From Silver Cantle

[CMcG]

<snip>
So, if you want bright metal, and do not have an old item whose patina will be lost, or whose monitary value you treasure, or that might some day be sold to somebody who will pay for that patina, by all means use polishing compounds and chemicals.

I am familiar with patina however, aren't tarnish and patina two different things?
<snip>

Silver tarnishes and you have to polish it. I think it's that simple. <snip>

My cantle has quite a lot of detail embossed on it and I like the way it looks with peaks shiny and valleys dark. That is to say, I leave the "patina" in the furrows, which gives a nice relief. I think tarnished silver looks unkempt and Dram is wise to want to give it a cleaning.

My sporran is fifty years old (from my dad's youth) and gets polished once a decade or so with a non-toxic, non-abrasive, anti-oxidant paste and a soft cloth. Still looks good! To each their own, but I prefer polished silver.

[Slag101]

For all my reproduction civil war brass I use a product called Blue Magic. You can get it at any good auto parts store. It isn't as harsh as brasso, and works twice as well. However, be mindful not to get it on anything not made of metal, i.e. leather, fur, wood, etc.