Care Advice

- EPNS Cutlery

For over 70 years, Newbridge Silverware has been designing and crafting quality cutlery at its manufacturing facility in Newbridge, Co. Kildare.

Set-up in 1934, to bolster the local economy, Newbridge Cutlery quickly earned a valuable reputation for design, quality and craftsmanship and soon took pride of place as the cutlery brand in Irish homes.

The passage of over 7 decades has seen little change. Today, craftsmen each with a lifetime's experience continue to fashion the finest materials with the same skills and loving care.

The Newbridge Silverware range of EPNS cutlery is silver-plated to last a lifetime- we are so confident in the quality of this product that we have placed a 55 year guarantee on it.

Newbridge Silverware EPNS Cutlery
- For the connoisseur of today,
an heirloom for tomorrow.

Choosing the best cutlery

Congratulations- you are now the proud owner of an exquisite piece of design and craftsmanship from Newbridge Silverware. There are a number of distinguishing features associated with Newbridge Silverware EPNS Cutlery that are outlined as follows:

The Newbridge EPNS Knife

The Newbridge knife is of superior quality and is made of two component parts.

The blade is 'hot forged' from superior grade stainless steel, as silver is too soft for this purpose
The handle is composed of 'Nickel Silver' and is silver-plated.

When choosing cutlery it is important to choose one that is comfortable to hold.

The Newbridge EPNS Spoon & Fork

The base material for the spoon and fork is 'Nickel Silver'. The following benefits are derived from Nickel Silver.

Nickel Silver allows for better adhesion of silverplate thus giving longer life.
Nickel Silver is more valuable.
Nickel Silver allows for great definition of pattern

Silver-plate

Newbridge Silverware is plated with heavy deposits of silver hence the 55 year guarantee.

Caring for your Newbridge Silverware E.P.N.S Cutlery

Silver, is a relatively soft metal that requires sympathetic handling and cleaning, by adhering to the following rules, cutlery of this quality will last for decades.

Tarnish

Your silverware may be tarnished by sulphides that are always present to some extent in the atmosphere and in many foods, green vegetables and eggs being the most potent.

Sulphides in the atmosphere originate mainly from combustion of gas, oil, coke, wood etc and from living creatures. The tips of the EPNS forks are most prone to tarnish as they are in regular contact with eggs, salt, condiments and very hot foodstuffs.

Dark spots may arise when silverware comes into contact with undissolved salt in hot solutions of certain powder detergents. Liquid bleaches should never be used and powder detergents should always be dissolved before use.

Your cutlery should be rinsed off as soon as possible after use. Allowing food to dry on the surface of the cutlery gives the salts and acids in the food more time to act and cause tarnishing.

Dishwashing Guidelines

Your Newbridge Silverware EPNS cutlery may be cleaned in the dishwasher however it is vital that you adhere to a few simple rules.

Adhere to the dishwasher manufactures/ detergent makers instructions concerning the type and quality of detergent used and the method of loading cutlery in the compartments provided.

The water temperatures should not exceed 50°C.
Do not mix stainless steel or silver plate in same dishwasher load.
Never use rubber bands when storing EPNS cutlery, they cause severe discoloration.
Do not leave the cutlery sitting in the Dishwasher for long periods of time or use a 'Rinse and Hold' Cycle.
Remove the Silver before the drying Cycle begins and hand dry the cutlery as soon as the cycle has finished.
Do not overstack the cutlery or stack it too close- the vibration will cause scratching to the suface.
Do not allow concentrated dishwashing liquid to come in contact with the cutlery as this may cause permanent staining of the surface.

Handwashing Guidelines

To keep your Silverware in good condition handwashing is the safest option.

Wash gently in warm water and a solution of washing up liquid being careful not to have the water too hot as silver is a delicate metal.
Never use a scouring pad or any other abrasive agent.
If you find some foods difficult to remove, just leave the piece soak in soapy water.
Wash silver cutlery seperatley from stainless steel as a chemical reaction may occur.
Rinse cutlery after washing and dry immedialtey. Never leave cutlery to soak and never leave cutlery damp.
Use a soft cotton dish towel to dry.
Store cutlery in an air tight container, anti tarnish roles or in the canteen box itself.

Polishing your silver-plated cutlery

It is recommended to polish your silver-plated cutlery twice per year to maintain its brilliant finish. Too much polishing can wear down the silver finish.

Between polishes, buffing with a soft dry cotton cloth will preserve its beautiful glow.

If tarnish occurs it can be removed by silver polish or silver dip.

Silver is a soft metal and it is important to use the recommended polishes/dips to keep your silverware in pristine condition.

Silver Polish

If you are using a silver polish, make sure it is a reputable brand, for example, Hegarty.

With all polishes it is vital to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Only those polishes sold specifically for silver should be used; cleaners intended for chromium plate, stainless steel etc will scratch silver.
Always apply the cleaner with a soft cloth or sponge- either of which should be thoroughly and freshly washed to eliminate any abrasive dust particles which could cause scratching.
When applying the polish , use even straight strokes to avoid scratching
Do not apply polish to the blade of the knife as it may cause corrosion.
After using polish, wash and dry cutlery thoroughly.
Use a clean, soft cloth to buff the silver.

Silver Dip

Silver dip provides a rapid, less ardous method of de-tarnishing, especially on heavily embossed designs. The following precautions must be taken:

Never leave the silver plated cutlery in the dip solution for more than 10 seconds.
Do not use dip solutions to remove very heavy tarnish. They will convert the silver sulphides to silver, but because heavy tarnish is thicker the surface of the restored silver may have a matt finish.
Dip solutions can stain even etch stainless steel knife blades. Any drops that fall onto blades should be rinsed off immediately.
Follow the manufactures guidelines completely and ensure to rinse cutlery thoroughly.
Dry and buff with soft cotton cloth.

Patina

The characteristic white 'patina' of silver which is responsible for much of its aesthetic appeal becomes more pronounced with age due to the optical effect of the multitude of very fine scratches that develop in use. On new highly polished silver, however, the few fine isolated scratches that first appear tend to be somewhat conspicuous until the white patina has fully developed.

While every effort is being made to ensure that the cutlery you have just purchased is in perfect condition, there may be some small variations in size, shape and finish as each piece of Newbridge Cutlery product is individually finished. We recommend that you inspect your cutlery before use and if you find any defects, please Contact Us

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