I picked this up today after attending an appointment across town this morning. I had some time to kill and I found it in one of the local charity shops.
It’s an adorable little sterling silver pillbox, made in Birmingham in 1913 (or at least it was assayed in Birmingham in 1913). I think it’s just adorable. The bordering on the lid, the engraving, and the curly ‘R.W’ initials on the lid just scream the Edwardian era – a truly stylish and glamorous period of history!
Dent-Removal on Antique Silverware
The box was rather badly damaged when I got it – there were two or three nasty dings on the edge of the lid, and one very sharp dent on the side, near the bottom of the box. Fortunately, careful pressing, rolling and a modicum of hammering with a suitably-shaped, suitably-sized object managed to beat out the worst of the dents, so that it looks almost as good as new! There are a couple of microscopic dimples still there, but the end result I achieved is good enough!
Removing dents on antique silverware can be challenging, and for a number of reasons. How easily a dent can be removed generally depends on where the dent is located, and how bad it is. Generally speaking, dents on edges, corners and bases are tricky – and anything which is overly angled or curved is a real pickle!
The good news about removing dents on antique silver is that silver is a soft metal.
The bad news about removing dents on antique silver is that silver is a soft metal.
That means that dents – provided you can get a tool in there and work on it properly – are usually easy to remove, pop out and smooth over. The problem is that because silver is a soft metal, deforming it, over-pressing, cracking, or even ripping a hole right through the silver, is a real danger! Especially if the silver used is of an especially thin gauge!
I’ve removed the dents on a fair few pieces of antique silver in my time, and I’ve generally been successful. I’ve never destroyed a piece, but removing dents is something which is relative. Unless you’re a professional, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever remove the dent entirely – but it is possible to greatly lessen the impression of a dent, almost to the point of invisibility, if you work on it with patience and care.
Generally speaking, to remove dents in silver it’s not actually necessary to ‘hammer out’ a dent. More often than not, the generally accepted procedure is to ‘press out’ a dent – put something hard and of the right size and shape on the underside of the dent – and using ordinary pressure – simply smooth and force the dent out by hand. In most cases, this is sufficient to pop or smooth the dent out and improve the appearance of a piece of silverware significantly.
Only apply actual hammering or whacking if simple pressing really really doesn’t work! At any rate, the end result is extremely pleasing, and it’s the perfect little place to put my peppermints in!
Who Made It?
The maker’s mark of (D)&(F) (Deakin & Francis) was clear and easily read. Apparently they were quite prolific silversmiths, and appear to have made a wide range of items, dating back to the 1780s. According to this website, they’re still around today! All I can say is, they seem to make beautiful things, if this little pillbox is anything to go by!