"Techie Guy" wrote in message
...

I guess the cloth is my best option unless someone knows a secret
formula for a dip that doesn't make the tinsel re-tarnish too quickly.
My worry is that if I clean the tinsel and then tie up some Salmon
flies with it. The tinsel will re-tarnish and detract for the look of
the finished fly within a week or so.

I appreciate that tinsel will tarnish on flies anyway but this is
usually quite a long term process of years rather than days or weeks.

I don't know any secret formulas, but there is a very cheap, easy and
effective way to remove the tarnish without using any chemicals at all. A
simple old fashioned pencil eraser will do the job nicely. Of course, there
is no way to prevent the silver from tarnishing again without providing a
barrier that will seal it against contact with air. I've never tried it
myself, but I suspect that a good automotive wax would do the trick. No
thick coating, no flexibility issues, and relatively benign, chemically.

Wolfgang