I'm gonna try the mineral spirits and old tooth brush.

A dear friend of mine, more experienced with nickel pointed out that what he tries to do is improve without trying for perfection. I see his point. If you push it, you'll go to far and do damage.

Probably why I avoided nickel for years. I used to consider nickel guns too flashy for my taste, and then when I found out about the fragile nature of the finish--well that's probably why I have several now!