OT: How the heck do you clean this?

[Kansas]

My youngest son has decided to relapse back to his drug habit. After his case worker intervened I now have a baggie full of family spoons that have cooked on dope on top and serious carbon deposits on the bottom.  We can't eat soup with a fork, so how can I clean these?  I've tried the dish washer, organic orange stuff, lysol spray, Formula 409, scotchbrite, and even prayer but nothing has cleansed the yech.  I'm probably not the only guy that has had to deal with this ugly reality so thought if anybody could offer a tip I'd really appreciate it.  New silverware again just really isn't in the budget and I am philosophically opposed to eating with plastic ware.

[HDRDR]

Kick some ASS and talk about it later good luck!

[Showdog75]

If I wouldn't smoke it I wouldn't eat it either , throw that stuff away and get some new silverware .

[Riverside Joe]

A vice (workbench mounted type), semi-chrome polish, a buffers wheel or drumel tool and refer to post #2 and #3------RJ

[86fxwg]

Post 1

[Dennis The Menace]

Kansas, sorry to hear about your son getting back on the stuff.  I recall you have had some hard times in dealing with his problems and the drugs over the past few years.  I hope and pray it gets better for you and your family.

I wonder if taking a toorch and heating them to nearly red would burn most of the crap off.  After that, maybe some time on the buffer wheel.  Its all I can come up with, if the chemical stuff wont work.  They will always have discolor, but at least they are sterile, so to speak.

menace

[slo-poke 03]

maybe that stuff they have for cleaning the burnt crud off of BBQ grills might work, spray it on wait a while and scrub off with a scotch pad or such.

[cowboy]

Sorry to here about your son trouble ( it was my Daughter here) there a guy in CC tX that makes a polish I can't find his card so No web address but it's gords polish , I found him at a local swap meet years back & have used it about everthing metel just do a google search he in corpus christy TX (sp) good luck

[oldhippie765]

carbon build up? soak in (simple green)

[Lovetoride007]

Easy off oven cleaner is worth a try.

[kik]

What about that stuff they used to advertise on TV where you just dipped the silverware in and it cleaned it. Anyone know the stuff I'm talking about? If not that then maybe try some muriatic acid. It actually cleans metal pretty good.

[Lew]

Oven cleaner or soak in Red Devil lye and water mix.  Kind of a concentrated oven cleaner.  If that doesn't do it throw them at him.... 

[Lew]

I'd advise against muriatic acid as it doesn't rinse out of metal well and will continue to leach out for some time.

[04fatty]

Go hit a garage sale or two this weekend. Get you some nice ones dirt cheap.

[Rsh2Jgmnt]

Electrolytic Method For Cleaning Silver

In a large glass baking dish, put in foil, shiny side up. Add one tablespoon salt and one tablespoon of baking soda. Add enough boiling water to cover.

Put each piece of silver in separately. DO NOT STACK. The tarnish collects on the foil (and any silver that's sticking out of the water) Remove pieces with tongs after 5 minutes and buff.

[codyshop]

Do you know anyone who reloads ammo and has a case tumbler?  Ray

[Bakon]

Your kidding right? If not, never use them again. very bad stuff in the residue that labs wear gloves to even test. Dont touch that to your mouth.

[verson22]

steel wool, don't ask how I know.

[GaryD]

Tarnex is the stuff they advertise on TV. Just dip it into the stuff. I don't think it will remove heat related discolorasion.
Are they realy silver or stainless steel? If it was me, I'd buy new ones.

[Flat Dog]

Donate them to the local addicts-you are in posession. Dump the crap ASAP before some cop nazi pops you for eating soup with a dope spoon. (That was said tongue in cheek)

Once that crap is embedded in the metal, it can be released by heat in small quantities. I don't think you want to be eating a little meth, smack, whatever.

BTW-I'm really sorry to hear about your son's setback-I'm sure it must be danged difficult for all involved. I've been sober for many years, and know I am always just 1 drink away from a drunk-even harder for a smack addict or a tweaker from what I understand. Hell, I thought I was going to go postal just quitting cigarettes after a heart attack.

[RVN73]

send um to the chrome shop

[Kansas]

Thanks for the ideas, concern, and humor.  Having a kid like mine is a burden I wouldn't wish on anybody. Anyway I think I'll opt for the oven cleaner method on the spoons next and see how that goes.  Some of these spoons are from Grandma's sunday silver set, and some are just stainless steel everyday stuff.  This is our third set of silverware over the last several years and I am going to do my best to avoid replacing them yet again. You start out with sixteen tea spoons and sixteen tablespoons and one day when you empty the dishwasher there are only six spoons in the drawer.  Great.  Brian is using again.

[No Problem]

throw them away the drugs can make you sick high or worse (h i v) please throw them out  been there ,done that long time ago went through it again with daughter  about 10 years ago   be safe @ strong

[Rags722]

Kansas,
First off, sorry for your kids problems.  Personally, I would not bother even trying to get them clean.  Why take the risk, and worse yet, why put a reminder in front of your kid every time he sits down at the dinner table.  Seems to me that would be like putting a cigarette on the table in front of an ex-smoker.

Your choice how you handle it, and every situation is different, but I'd toss 'em and buy new or tell the kid he owes me a set of silverware.

As many times as I've quit smoking and gone back in a few years I'd like to wish you luck, but you probably already know you have a real long road with a lot of bumps in front of you.  Might be best to invest in CHEAP silverware.

I know I told both of my kids growing up there were two things I would not permit, and drugs was one of them.  Any violation of either rule would result in a total cut off from the family.  Well, kid #2 broke rule number 2 and I tossed her out on her ass and didn't speak to her for several years ( but I knew mom was keeping in touch).  Her name was not allowed to be spoken in the house, she was not allowed to call our number or anything.  If wife wanted to talk to her she had to leave the house and use a pay phone as I wanted NOTHING that showed a link to her.  Well, after a few years of that, she decided maybe old dad was right, and told the "friend" she was hanging with the relationship was over.  Just as I projected, he beat the crap out of her when he realized his meal ticket was going away.  I left her on the "banned" list for another year to show her there is a cost for breaking the rules, but she did get her life squared away.  Sometimes tough love works.  Oh, the mutt that beat her had a real bad accident one night and will never be attractive to young girls again.  Could be your kids dealer needs an accident too. 

[texaskatfish]

Kansas DAYUM - kneemail is out for your youngun to 'find' the bottom before it finds him / her!!

Rags I can SO totally relate...................