Safe Nickel polish?

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aalmcc4

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Is FLITZ liquid polish safe for my nickel plated M19? Will it scratch it? I want to make sure whatever I use won't make the nickel flake or stain.

I know not to use Hoppes to clean it.

Should I generally stay away from anything that has ammonia in it?

Thanks guys.
 
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I use Flitz and Simichrome on nickel plated knife bolster will no issue.

Can't speak to gun use.
 
Flitz, Simichrome, and Maas are all good for nickel polishing, but be careful with the amount of rubbing and the pressure as it is possible to leave minute scratches or rub areas. Also, change your cloth area often as the polish will pick up particles of dirt that can scratch as well.
 
Alot of people use Flitz and with good results. Their website lists 'nickel' as one of the finishes that it can be used on.
But then at the bottom they print this:
"Note: Not for use on electroplated finishes."
Kind of puzzeling..

Anything that polishes is abrasive no matter how fine it is. It is possible with enough work and contact to wear the finish down.
I used simichrome to buff up newly plated nickel pieces when I used to plate small parts.

There's some automotive polishes that are used too by others. Can't remember the names but someone will chime in with the info.

Stay away from anything w/ammonia in it. They will cloud most nickel finishes,,but take some time and contact to do it though.
Cold use liquid nickel stripping solutions are ammonia based in most instances.
 
Mothers Billet polish (available at auto stores) is the mildest polish I have found. Good chemical cleaning and very, very fine abrasives. It does not leave swirl marks on nickel silver or jewelers bronze, even under a 10X loupe. That, a light touch and microfiber cloths should work for you.
 
If you are just beautying up your piece give Johnson's Paste Wax a try.

Shined up my Nickel 19 right nice - also helps keep fingerprints down.
 
The low cost way is mentioned which is Johnsons for wax as it does a fantastic job and so does Renaissance wax which is more expensive but a can lasts a long time. Renaissance wax is used by museums on guns, furniture, etc because of its neutral PH.
 
Mother's California Gold, carnauba car wax is one of the best & longest lasting car waxes that I've found. One can goes a long way.

Josh P
 
Polishes and Protects against:
Rust, Fingerprints, Waterstains, Powder Residue, Tree Sap, Blood, Salt Deposits, Lime Deposits, and more..."

Must be used by a lot of tequila drinkers......:)
 
I'm pretty sure Mothers mag Polish is more abrasive then Flitz guys. When I polished up my M&P357 barrel I tried both and Mothers worked faster (to me faster=more abrasive) Be careful!
 
Your hand pressure on the cloth will cause more wear than the Flitz . It has no abrasive and will not even harm factory blue . It is about the only product I would use on a nickel piece . I use it on my Martin guitars and Rolex watches too .
 
Flitz certainly does contain abrasives, just like all metal polishes.

That's what a metal polish is: An abrasive in a liquid or paste base.
Some are finer abrasives than others, but Flitz can and will remove bluing and even nickel if over-used or used too hard.

I knew at least one 1911 Match pistol builder who used Flitz as the final step in lapping slides and frames together.
 
Flitz

My humble personal opinion is that a lot of people confuse the Flitz wax with the polish?
 
borntoraisehogs said:
Fllitz Frequently Asked Questions, FAQ's

Flitz has no acids or abrasives. (This makes it extremely safe to use on hundreds of surfaces without damage.)
Click to expand...

They are either intentionally lying or, they don't actually know what is in thier own product...

Flitz MSDS Sheets

From thier own MSDS fact sheet for the paste:

Aluminum Oxide 20<40% That would be greater than 20% and less than 40% of the same material sandpaper is made of, it may be very fine grit, but, there is damned sure abrasive in there..thats why it works. You will never remove scratches with a chemical treatment.

From a practical standpoint, I KNOW its abrasive. I've taken scratches out of lots of metals with it. Since you can't fill in the scratches, the surrounding metal is being removed. Feel free to take a rag and scrub at the blueing for a few minutes. You will get down to bare steel pretty quickly with Flitz. Any plating for that matter too.
 
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borntoraisehogs said:
Flitz has no acids or abrasives. (This makes it extremely safe to use on hundreds of surfaces without damage.)
Click to expand...

You just keep believing that and rub a blued gun with little too much pressure and watch the bluing come off!
If you doubt it has abrasives, rub a little between your index finger and your thumb. You can feel the grit.
 
Last edited:
Any one who can't either consider or ignore my use experience and knowledge of a product , can take their own fingers and Flitz or any other substance and put them where ever they want .
 
markush said:
I'm pretty sure Mothers mag Polish is more abrasive then Flitz guys. When I polished up my M&P357 barrel I tried both and Mothers worked faster (to me faster=more abrasive) Be careful!
Click to expand...

Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish is at least as abrasive as Flitz. However, Mother Billet polish is exceptionally mild and much less abrasive...Its also about three times more expensive.
 
For polishing & protecting(not scratch removal or anything else), my preference is Renaissance Wax. Its expensive, 2 oz. about 25$, but a little goes a long way. Google this stuff folks, it is absolutely the best. If it's good enough for museam curators, its good enough for me!
My $.02 worth,
Tom
 
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