After studying several manuals and buying the basic tools (and a flute that aparently wasn`t loved at all) I decided to start practicing flute repair. This is really exciting
I`ll be replacing pads, corks, felts and springs, and doing all the adjustments that these procedures involve.
I hope is ok to vent my doubts in the forum.
Here`s the first one: do you know any silver polish that is appropriate for silver plating?

Thanks for the info, I didn`t wanted to blow it just in the cleaning process (that would have been extremly embarassing).
About the springs, they are in a dreadful state: half of them broken and all rusted. I bought a special pliers, and a couple of punches. I hope is enough.
Anyway, thanks

I always use Hagertys polish and it works great. It also has R-22 which is a tarnish preventative and it really does work. I put it on one my flutes last year and it has not tarnished since.

http://www.hagerty-polish.com/index.php/cPath/1_14000

So, problems don`t take much time to appear... one of those frikin spring stumps is stuck. It appears to be bronze. The others were no trouble, but this one (low C) just don`t want to come out.
Any advise?
I`m done for today. Tomorrow I`ll go check on those polishes. Thanks for the support.

juan_jose
I would not use a silver polish from a grocery store. Some types/brands may be OK but the store may have the cream stuff that has fairly coarse abrasives in it. This polish leaves small micro scratches that are clearly visible to the eye. It also clogs up the mechanism and ruins the pads if the instrument is assembled. This type of polish is really very good for removing greasy finger prints, dirt, tarnish, silver plating and things like that.
-But not good for the flute.

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

Hi. I bought the one that you recomended, Kara. Thanks.
Micron, I didn`t get the link. I found a lot of bodyboard stuff, but I couldn`t find anything flute related, or polish related.
Now I`m going to continue the battle against the stubborn stump.