A topic for recording information regarding the Fisher Silversmiths Inc. of Providence, Rhode Island and Jersey City, New Jersey, and were successors to the M. Fred Hirsch Co.
If you have any details of the above company, advertisements, examples of their work, etc., anything that you are willing to share, then here's the place to post it.
Are you annoyed by the nuisance of having to polish your sterling silver frequently? Or does the fact that such ware tarnishes so quickly keep you from buying more, or using what you own more often? If the answer to these queries is in the affirmative, we may have good news for you.
According to an item in Union Carbide’s magazine Chemical Progress, its Silicones Division has developed a simple surface treatment for sterling silver which completely prevents tarnishing. Articles so treated over four years ago are said to have remained entirely free from tarnish, although used repeatedly, washed in automatic dishwashers, and subjected to salt, vinegar, coffee, and various foodstuffs which normally discolor silver.
The microscopically thin film produced by the treatment adheres so tenaciously to silver that there is some speculation a chemical bond may be formed. However, in spite of this excellent adhesion, the treatment is not recommended for flatware, such as knives, forks and spoons, because of the excessive amount of abrasive wear which they meet in normal service. But for silver hollow ware—vases, bowls, trays, candle sticks, and the like—it is the answer to the home keeper’s dream. Such ware can now be handled like regular china, and stored unwrapped. Any errant fingerprints may be readily removed by wiping lightly with a soft cloth
The material for the treatment is available to all silver manufacturers, with shipments being made from the Long Reach, West Va., plant of the Silicones Division. In applying the finish, low pressure sprays or dipping equipment are customarily used.
The first company to offer hollow ware treated with U.C.C.’s new treatment was Fisher Silversmiths, Inc. They apply the name Siloxy finish to the silver so processed.
An interesting development of this non-tarnish spray, which is now in the nearly-completed stage, is an aerosol packaged variety. As soon as final tests are completed, it is planned to release these sprayit-yourself units to the general public. Then it will be possible for “Joe” to polish “Mabel’s” tarnished hollow silver ware for the last time, spray it carefully, and in about fifteen minutes they can start using it just like china!
“Joe” can also quit worrying about any new golf cups, medals, or other bric-a-brac which he might have been hesitant about winning because of the extra shining up that they would soon require. Now, instead he can really concentrate on polishing up his short game and long putts, and let the trophies fall where they will. No more alibis...!
The 1951 revealed that Essex County has the nation's third highest buying income per family. The Essex average was $7.718, topped only by $9,402 in Westchester County $7.791 and in Nassau County, both New York. Newark's department stores handled about one-half of all department store business in New Jersey. Considerably more would be spent in Newark stores if middle-income families could find suitable houses within the city. This point is brought out by the experience of Fisher Silversmiths, which bought a plant in Newark in 1953 after renting space in Jersey City for 20 years. The average wage about $70 a week. So far as the company knows, none of the 90 employes has moved to Newark although a house nearer to the plant would save time and money. Because Newark doesn’t offer good houses to the $70-a-week worker, the $300,000 Fisher payroll is spent in other communities.
Source: Construction Report - Newark Housing Authority - 1956
The Union Carbide Corporation has developed a long-lasting finish for silver hollow ware that prevents tarnish and eliminates the need for polishing. This finish is less than one ten-thousandth of an inch thick and invisible. Yet, says, Union Carbide, it is so good that a silver tea service treated nearly four years ago is still as sparkling as the day when the silicone finish was applied. The coating is so tough that silver treated with it can be washed repeatedly, even in automatic dishwashers, without fear of removing the finish. It also resists stains from beverages, and the most spicy and acid foods.
While the new finish is initially applied only at the factory to new hollow ware, an aerosol dispenser form is being readied for home use to enable the housewife to apply it to her own sterling or plated silver.
Fisher Silversmiths, Inc., has adopted the silicone finish, which it calls “Siloxy,” for part of its new line of trays, bowls, and other hollow ware. Treated silver will cost slightly more than untreated silver because of the special equipment needed in the plants. Its value, however, is that Silicone-treated hollow ware need not go into hiding under protective bags. It can be left in the open and used regularly, and can go for years without polishing. The new finish is a recent development in the field of chemistry, and is a new application of organo functional silicones introduced commercially by Union Carbide in 1956. A team of chemists has been working on the silver finish since that time.
Source: The Christian Science Monitor - 12th October 1960
