Things You'll Need
Gloves
Long-sleeve shirt
Face mask
Eye protection
Orbital sander
600-grit sanding pads
One way to strip silver plating off copper object is to use nitric acid, which when mixed with the right metal alloys, can give off nitrogen dioxide, which can become deadly. Therefore, only experienced chemists should try to remove plating from metal with the use of chemicals. If you must strip the silver plating from your copper objects, however, you can do so by using a slightly more labor-intensive method.
Step 1
Put on a pair of work gloves and wear a long-sleeve shirt to protect yourself from the silver dust. In addition, protect your lungs with a face mask and wear eye protection.
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Step 2
Place a 600-grit sanding pad onto your orbital sander and then place the sander on a medium speed setting.
Step 3
Place the edge of the sanding pad against the surface of your silver plated copper and then rotate the sander in a circular motion. As the sanding pad sands the silver off, the object will start to turn brown in color. This is the copper showing through.
Step 4
Move the sander across the surface of the object until it is a uniform brown color.
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