In the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, several historical silver objects have in the past been coated by Frigilene (cellulose nitrate) lacquer. A new method of lacquer removal has been developed by the museum. After immersion of the object in hot water the lacquer is removed by steam. In most cases, the lacquer is removed in large sheets of the polymer, which are blown off from the silver surface. The negative effect of the treatment and the removal, in various ways, of other lacquers has been studied. The removal of the five lacquers from the fine silver and silvered copper strips using steam shows that Frigilene can be removed effectively, whereas the other four lacquers are removed only partly or not at all. It was found that, by increasing the time of immersion in hot water beforehand, steam is even more effective for the removal of Frigilene. Treatment with acetone shows that the methacrylates Paraloid™ B-72, Paraloid™ B-67 and Plastic 70 can be removed properly, whereas the two cellulose-nitrate based lacquers, Frigilene and Zaponlack, are only partially removed. Applying steam to uncoated silver surfaces at close range (10 mm) results in the formation of a matt surface. The silvering of the copper strip is removed after 15 minutes at close range. The surface change consists of a white spot of approximately 4 mm2, surrounded by a shiny unaffected silver surface with black edges. The depth of the matt area is 42±4 m for fine silver, 39±3 m for 925/1000 silver, 30±3 m for 835/1000 silver and 17±2 m for the silver-plated copper. The formation of a matt effect depends on the silver alloy, the distance between the steam nozzle and the silver surface, the angle under which the steam is applied, the time during which the steam is applied and on the pressure of the steam. The strips were also treated with pressurized air for reasons of comparison. The surfaces of the steam-treated and air-treated silver strips were analyzed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS). -- SCMRE