Best way of removing rust from silver or other

There used to be a two-step contact cleaner from Cramolin. Don't know if it's still available, but it came in two small bottles, one red and one blue. It was wonderful for removing oxidation and laying down a thin layer of contact enhancement film that prevents further oxidation. You use it sparingly so the bottles last a long time. I'm still using the stuff I bought 10 years ago...

I use a Dremel rotary tool with a carbon steel wire wheel. DO NOT use a stainless steel wire wheel, it is too stiff and will leave scratch marks. I then follow up with SuperContact or similar contact cleaner. This process works great with AC plug prongs also.

Silver tarnish (oxide) doesn't affect the electrical properties of the metal at all. So, not to worry in that regard.

Ed

Thanks Ed!

Agree with Ed. Did a quick search on the internet and turned this up:

CuO (copper oxide) has a magnetic susceptibility of +267 while AgO (silver oxide) has a magnetic susceptibility of -19. 

By way of comparison, the magnetic susceptibility of FeO (ferric oxide, (rust) is 293.  

The much higher magnetic susceptibility of CuO means the skin depth will be *very* thin, and net skin resistivity very high.  Meanwhile, the negative value for AgO means that the skin depth will be greater than anticipated.

As with steel versus copper we have to look beyond DC resistance to find out which material is better suited.  It turns out that oxidized copper is almost as bad as oxidized steel That is why silver plating is often suggested for conductors.  

Although the conductivity of silver is only 6% better than copper, when each surface is compared in an oxidized state, silver is a far superior conductor than copper.

Short answer, if you like the sound of copper, keep it free of oxidation. My own suggestion to polish and renew either material is Flitz polish from Germany. The best Flitz is called Polier and second best is Flitz metal polish.