Things You'll Need:
- Acetone or nail polish remover
- Plastic gloves
- Cotton swab
- Plastic scraper or knife
- Dishwashing liquid (phosphate-free and lemon-free)
- Cotton cloth
Super glue is a powerful household adhesive. Its chemical compounds bond items together permanently. If a person isn’t careful while using super glue, the substance can adhere to a wide variety of surfaces including skin and household objects. Although super glue is not made for smooth surfaces like glass or metal, sometimes the glue ends up on a sterling silver ring, bracelet or other object. Fortunately there is a way to get super glue off of sterling silver.
Get a small bottle of acetone from a drug store or hardware store. Many nail polish removers have acetone as a primary or only ingredient so this product is a good choice for removing super glue. But look for a nail polish remover that does not have lemons in it. Lemons tarnish sterling silver, according to the Society of American Siversmiths.
Open the windows in the work area to have plenty of ventilation. Acetone fumes can make some people sick.
Put on plastic gloves to protect the hands from acetone. Don’t use latex gloves. Latex is another material that tarnishes sterling silver, reports the Society of American Siversmiths.
Pour a few drops of nail polish remover onto the end of a cotton swab.
Rub the cotton swab onto the super glue to loosen the adhesive. Only touch the sterling silver that has the super glue on it. Acetone can tarnish metal.
Scrape off the loosened glue with a plastic scraper or knife. If glue remains, repeat Steps 4 and 5.
Wash the sterling silver to get rid of all traces of the glue and acetone. Use warm water and mild dishwashing liquid that is phosphate free. Also make certain the dishwashing liquid has no lemons as an ingredient. Rinse with warm water.
Dry the sterling silver object with a cotton cloth.
