Your Questions About Gardening

GardenersCardiff answers:

“Bittersweet” by Madonna. This poem was written in the 13th century by the persian poet Rumi, who was a sufi poet (from Sufism) and a dervish. This poem is a mystical poem, which means that the man’s soul and his God are portrayed as the Lover and the Beloved. The lover (his soul) is in constant pain for not being able to be with the Beloved (God). The Lover remembers the time before he was born when he and his God were one (a very sensual and romantic idea about the union of a man and his god). This was a characteristic of the islamic sufi poetry, which later was adopted by some Christian mystic poets like st. John of The Cross.
The mystic poetry was developed in Sufism (the mystical-esoteric side of Islam). They were not only poets but also dancers. The traditional sufi dance is called “ecstatic dance” or “remembering”, in that dance the dervishes close their eyes and start to spin on their feet all around themselves and the room, they fall into a deep trance in which they actually have dreams (there’s a scientific explanation for this, which really happens). When they stop spinning and they wake up they bring back memories of being united with God in the garden of Eden, both of them alone having each other and being surrounded by wine and wild flowers in the beginning of existence. It’s very beautiful, and the poem and this song is about that.
Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8cG5DUKeus
or: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HotcX8vtfWs
lyrics: http://www.arabesques-editions.com/calls/html/audio/file2117804.html

Rumi have lots of beautiful poems like this. Madonna also used Sufism as the theme of her song and video “Bedtime Story” in which she’s inducted into a state of unconsciousness and dreams about the spinning dervishes and other Islamic imagery like the moon and the water.

St. John of The Cross also has another mystic poem (Living Flame of Love) that Madonna used for her video Like a Prayer (an original mystical poem by her) in which she’s dancing in front of burning crosses symbolizing the passion that a person can have for God and the longing of the union between them. Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSVbwwsLPqw

Another poem made into a song by Madonna is “If You forget Me”, written by Pablo Neruda, and used in the movie “Il postino”.
Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OpVBUsRXMs
another version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4wgS4KNF9Y&feature=related
lyrics: http://www.mad-eyes.net/disco/misc/iyfm.htm

Note: you must be wondering why Islamic and Christian poets such as Rumi and St. John of The Cross share mystical poetry. Mystical Poetry was created by sufi muslims to enchant Allah, when they invaded Spain they brought they poets with them. Some Christian poets felt very compelled by this odes to God and started to write christian mystical poetry. St. John of the Cross and st. Teresa of Avila were the best.

Then, leaving Madonna aside, the singer Loreena McKennit took the poem “The Dark Night of The Soul” by St. John of The Cross (the most well known Christian mystic poet who also portrayed the soul and God as the Lover and the Beloved) and made it into a song. This poem is about a man (even thou is sang by a woman) who waits until the house is in peace in the deepest hour of the night to escape into the woods and be reunited with his Beloved (God) who is waiting for his lover in a place where no one else can come. The symbolism used in this poem is very smart, the house in rest symbolized the hour in which our senses are slept, so our soul is more free to scape the physical influences and be united with God beyond this physical world in a spiritual eden-like garden. Again in this poem the man is longing to one with God as a lover would be longing to be one with is beloved.
Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcVaEA0009Q
peom: http://www.lyricsmania.com/the_dark_night_of_the_soul_lyrics_loreena_mckennitt.html

GardenersCardiff answers:

I like this quote and thought of it when I read your question…

To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child or a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition, to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

GardenersCardiff answers:

Hi Silver,here are a few ideas You can consider.

Silver Will tarnish eventually when exposed to air and airborne elements.

Coating it with various substances is only way to slow that down.

Your particular application—a windchime which clangs into itself–is a big consideration of what might work best.

………………………………………………………
For starters,,,
WD-40,,,the blue spray cans of all-purpose oil will do a remarkable job at extending the time between polishings.

You can just it down with the spray can,,,and let it “drip dry”.
It IS an oil,,,so it’ll cause Dust ,etc to stick.
But WD-40 semi-drys in a day or 2 and becomes way less sticky.
It’s NOT as bad as it sounds.

If your Item becomes “Too Dusty”,,,,A quick rinse with Mild soapy water,,,then a Fresh Water Rinse will release the Dust.
About as quick & easy as I just Typed that out.
Let it Drip Dry somewhat,,,or just shake the water off,,,
and Re-Apply more WD-40

PROS & CONS:
The Dust
And having to Re-Do it occassionaly.

BUT,,,The Silver will Remain Bright,,,and you wont have to actually Polish It.
*The Time between Cleanings SHOULD Be Longer,,but that depends on Environmental Conditions.
*The Clean-Up Time is very quick and simple—-Hanging outdoors you could spray it off with garden hose to remove any dust & then spray more WD 40

So it Should Be Longer Lasting,,,and Lots quicker & easier to maintain….and it will Not Tarnish,,it’ll stay Bright very long time

……………………………………………………………..
Coatings like Laquer,,Polyurethane,or Linseed Oil are probably best considered “Semi-Permanent”

They Will last a long time,and are easy to apply.

The Downside is that anywhere it happens to get nicked or chipped WILL Corrode/Tarnish.
Because it’s GOTTA be CLEAN before apply so the Item is Totally unprotected once finish is injured.

If you use a HEAVY Coating to make the finish more durable,,,
The Silver begins to get a sort of “Plastic Look”.
And it Does cut down on Light Reflection/Sparkle.

If you ever need to Fully Re-Coat it,,,
It’s gotta be Stripped just like Paint from old furniture.
It takes an effort and some harsh chemicals.
It could easily last a Year,or More.

But no free lunch,,,the “payback” for that durabilty and No maintenance comes when it’s time to Re-Finish.

…………………………………………………………………………
Waxes/Greases:

Things like Spray-On Furniture WAX or Oil,, Pledge,etc will extend time before tarnishing

Polymer Based Car Waxes:
—the “Once a Year” kind of waxes.
They prevent tarnishing for a long time,but take an effort to use.

Vaseline:
wiped on,then wiped off will stop the tarnish,,
But it can stick a Lot of Dust anywhere the vaseline is not thoroughly wiped off.

…………………………….
Traditional Silver Polishes:

You probably have “SEEN ON TV!!!” the Liquid Dip in a bottle called TARN-X.
It actually works fairly well.
But it doesn’t last very long,,,especially when exposed to the elements.
And Eventually it forms a sort of whitish powder that must be Polished off by Rubbing.

Good silver polishes for Jewelry,Tableware,Fine Art Items,etc are “SHOW CLASS” Polishes.
The Cleanness..(is there such a word? Oh well,,we got one now 🙂 and the Brilliance of the finish they produce is Their Goal.
And the Protection they provide is very good for Those sort of applications.
But again,,,the Conditions of constant Outdoor Weather is NOT what Fine Polishes were for.

Their durability for Your Windchimes would have to be rated at Less Than “Medium”
Their Results are about what You have Now.

A Product called “NEVER DULL” Cleans and shines nearly as well as Fine Polishes,,,,but it’s much more Durable and Lots easier to use.

It’s like a big wad of cotton stuffed into a can,,,and soaked with the cleaner.
To Use it,,,you pinch off a hunch and use it like a swab to rub the metal.
It gets black & smeary as it cleans….
Then you use a soft clean cloth to Final Wipe the metal.
It works Fast and well,,,,but Hand Rubbing Is required,,,and again to “Final Polish”

Nevr-Dull is quite durable.
I’ve used it for Decades on Polished Aluminum,Brass,etc on Cars,Boats,Motorcycles.
That’s a HARSH environment due to the Heat of the Machines,,,and the Weather they are used in.
Normally it’s a FREQUENT & On-Going “routine maintenance” thing to keep a Bike/Car,etc REALLY Clean & Shiny & NICE.

But it’s FAR Too Tedious to do it 100% Throughly,,Overall the whole Machine.
So the “High Spots” certain items/areas get the Cleaning/Polishing attention.
And Much goes Untouched for a Very extended time.

Here’s the point I wanna make about that…..
The Constant Care areas stay looking New & Fresh Polished,,
But the Neglected Areas stay Reasonably Nice,,,some spots go 1~2 Years without and attention.
The Aluminum will DULL,,,it’ll grey down from a sparkling silvery shine.
But it DONT Corrode

The Never Dull slows down the Aluminum tarnish Drastically.
I would GUESS that it would at least Triple the time between polishing.
And when needed ,,,I think it’s faster and easier than using any Silver Polish.

But,,it’s ONLY “just another Silver Polish”,,,you must use it on an on-going basis to maintain the shine.

I Hope I have NOT made a sales pitch for it by saying so much.
It’s an Unusual Product and Many folks are not familiar with it.
It’s an “Intermediate Polish” for Silver.
You give up some Brilliance in the Shine,,in exchange for better durabilty,,,,and a little easier to use.

Http://www.nevr-dull.com/

…………………………………………………………
Electroplating:

This is Probably outa the question because of the EXPENSE.
Plating has always been expensive.
The Last 5~7 years all Precious Metals have SKYROCKETED in Price,,,,
I’d hate to know what Plating Prices have done.

Rhodium Plating on Silver is as close to “Perfect/Permanent/No Maintenance” as you can get.
Rhodium is from the Platinum Family of Metals,,,it’s almost as “Silver” as Hi Polished Sterling.
It’s relatively Extremely Hard,,,and almost Corrosion Proof.

Big part of PLATING cost is Preparation>>>Cleaning Polishing,etc..
In that respect,,,,you can take a “Budget Approach” because You already have an Acceptibly “Ready-to-Plate Finish”

AND,,you can go with a minimum coating thickness.

I have No Idea what the Cost would be these days even for a Bargain Basement plating job.
But the price WILL be High.
It’s NOT a $20~30 type operation,,,,Easily more like a $100++ deal

Whether that sorta price range is WORTH it,,,all depends on YOU.

You may have ONE Special Favorite Chime You’d like to do???

Or,,,If you make them to Sell,,,,
Perhaps you could Offer Plating as an OPTION?

Do-It-Yourself Plating is NOT for Everybody,,,
But many people Do.
Lots of Educational Info about it,and Kits and Supplies are readily available.
It’s Expensive to get Started.
But a person Interested in doing so can produce a little extra income And do plating on their own items at a Big discount .
There’s a surprising market for small-item plating

Less Expensive Plating Metals are White Gold,,and Nickel.
Even Chrome.

I realize the Idea of Electroplating is EXTREME,,and WAY beyond the scope of your question.

I’m Not Recommending it,,,or Any of the others,,,just offering info you can consider.

And as far-Out as Plating is,,,,,

It IS “End of Story” and closes the book on how to keep Silver Nice,,,,
Starting at
> Easiest/Cheapest WD-40 Spray,,,
>to various Polishes
>and Coatings
>and Last ,,plating

You have a Really Neat and Unique Item,,,but it’s Very Unconventional.
Most Folks just don’t leave their Silver hanging around outside in the Yard,,,LOL.

Conventional Silver Polishes are simply NOT made to serve in such duty.

So ya gotta Extend your Creativity and Think Unconventional.

Consider your Material’s Characteristics.
What it’s faced with in it’s application.
What are the EFFECTS of that.
And,,What will Best serve the Unsual & Special Needs.

Me personally,,,I’d try the WD-40 FIRST.
It would Surprise me if that’s NOT Plenty Good enough.

My 2nd Choice,,,
I’d stick with a Spray Can—but a Clear Polyurethane Coating.
It’s Cheap,Easy,and Durable

After that,,You’re right back at Polishing again.
Never Dull will Probaly Last Longer than most “Polishes”
And in many ways is easier and faster.
It’s more of an “Industrial Grade” product than a “Fine Silverware&Jewelry Grade” thing.
Cheap to try,,and may be of some help cutting down of your work.

Car Wax???
Liquid Floor Wax??
That stuff’s TUFF,,and it Does “Seal Metal”,,thus block air>prevent corrosion

Experiment and see what works best for You.
Just no tellin’ what’ll be satisfactory till you try it.

Oooh,,,
You can make some TEST pieces from any scraps you may have.
Try several different “treatments”
Put the lil’ pieces in an Egg Carton and label each one.
Let them sit a few days,,,then dip them in Vinegar.
Put ’em back in your “Test Rack”,,and set it outside.
Let them Stay there,,,
check them weekly to see what’s working and what ain’t.

(Punch some drain holes so it don’t hold water,rainwater,etc.)

Good Luck