NEED TO KNOW WHATS GOOD TO USE ON A NICKEL 12-2, REMOVED THE GRIPS, AND LOOKS MIRROR LIKE, THE REST IS A DULL MILKY COLOR, HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING AND LOST OF ELBOW GREASE TO GET THIS stuff OFF AND STILL LOOKS BAD ANY SUGGESTIONS?? IVE TRIED EVERYTHING........

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the 15 lover

Tried Mothers Mag Wheel Polish?

In my experience, once nickel has gone frosted/milky (at least on steel framed guns), it cannot be restored to original. Interested to read if anyone has a different experience.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

BLUE MAGIC, BRASSO, NEVERDULL DIDN'T FAZE IT.??? BUT HAVENT TRIED THE MOTHERS YET. BOUT TO GIVE UP.....

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the 15 lover

I vote Flitz, and a light hand.

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wanna do right-- not right now

I use Semichrome metal polish. It's very similar to Flitz but IMHO a little finer grit. Have never used Mother's but I know a lot of people use it for the same purpose. Semichrome and Flitz will restore the look but go easy.

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Dick

Mother's Mag Polish won't work miracles but it'll get rid of the milky appearance of the nickle that's still adhered. Since it couldn't get any worse, a test application of Mother's brightened up the remaining remnants of nickel on this bedraggled old M&P.

Photos taken a few years apart.

Before





After

Mother's Mag Wheel polish and/or Flitz have worked very well for me. Some milky looking nickel will not go away no matter what you do, the dynamic duo of polishes give you the best shot at clearing it up.
This 29-5 had a fair amount of milky haze and yellowed areas. An hour of careful hand polishing with Mother's and adding Ahrends grips, now it looks like this.

Hard Chrome will clear it up -- GOOD !
Blessings

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TEXAS, by GOD

Worked for me on a clouded nickel model 15-3 I got on the cheap. Just take your time and easy does it. Become one with the gun....ommmm.
John

Flitz is my go to product. Mothers Mag is not as aggressive. On a milky revolver I have brought a couple back to factory new condition. Hand work only with cotton rag/cloth. Patience. Finish up job by adding a coat of Renaissance Wax to protect it.

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

I discovered Neverdull over 30 years ago, back in my Harley days. I think their foormula has changed as I bought some several years ago and discovered that it was not nearly as effective as it used to be. I recently bought a nickel Chief in dull condition & broke out the can of Neverdull only to discover that it was all dried up. Borrowed some Nuvite (2 grades) from a friend's airplane-polishing kit & used that instead- it didn't turn out bad but could still stand some improvement. Maybe I'll get me some Mothers or Flitz and give it another go.
FWIW I looked in my old Brownells catalog, and of the products mentioned here they listed Flitz & Simichrome.

I know the concensus is Flitz, but the German Polish know as "WENOL" is magical. It is the polish that we had to use when polishing an Electron Microscope Anode since it leaves only a pattern visible only under a light microscope....so as not to effect the beam pattern on the EM. It is fantastic on chrome, and should be perfect on Nickel.

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Terry
SWCA, SWHS, IWLA, NRA

thanx for everyone's input guys. ill keep trying, ill give the flitz a go.

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the 15 lover

where would i find this hard chrome??

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the 15 lover

I agree with the Flitz. But whatever you do don't get impatient and use a dremel. The nickel finish is not that thick and you will go through it before you know it.

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Tom
NRA Pistol Inst

Hard chrome is not a polish.
Hard Chrome is a gun finish. You have the old finish stripped off and re-plated with the hard chrome.
Most hard chrome has a dull satin gray color.

When using ANY metal polish be gentle. Every time you use a metal polish you remove a thin layer of nickel. It's easy to just polish right through the thin nickel plating, so don't get carried away.
Also note as people above have said, often no amount of polish can get some cloudy areas cleaned up.
The trick is knowing when to quit while you're ahead.

That sounds like something I would try. Where is it available?

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

Motorcycle shop by me carries Wenol. Bigger tube and a few bucks cheaper than genuine Simichrome. Comes in a red or blue tube. One is finer but don't ask me which one.

Try som Chocolate Chip Coolies in the Milky part..... YUK, YUK, YUK!

Seems like the guys have given you sound advise and my .02 cents is NO MATTER WHICH POLISH YOU USE just go slowly, gently and check the finish often. Nickel plating is not that thick!! Most important IMHO is do NOT use any sort of machine on the gun like a Dremel. Use either a cotton rag or cotton cleaning patches and do it by hand. When I've done this I have completely disassembled the gun so there won't be any residue polish left inside.

Was at my local gun runner a few years ago and he had a real nice nickle pre 12 that had a milky finish to it. I asked him to put it aside for me and I would buy it on the condition I could get the milk out. He was doubtful but said okay. I drove back home got my polish and went back. He reluctantly put the gun on the counter and I proceeded to apply polish to the worst side. He and I were both amazed. GONE and I do mean gone. This works on blue guns as well and does not remove the bluing at all. I do not usually recommend anything but this is a must for fine guns.
DW
MAAS

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"NUTS"

must remember as to the "milky" (haze or oxidation) being one the surface, versus, in or under the finish, that will NOT come out.........the key wording in most all of the above is "a light hand"....many if not all that were mentioned can 'help' and do the job.never tried 'Wenol' and after all these years have settled on the Mothers,to us, the least "aggressive" ( abrasive)...finish up with a Micro fiber clothe......

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dan
NRA Benefactor,PMA

I assume you know that Hoppes cleaner will remove nickel and leave a milky finish.

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NRA Patron Member
Semper Fi

I'm going to take a slightly different position. One that I know won't be popular with everyone.

I think that it is not always wise to polish up a nickel finish; each case should be evaluated on its own merit. On a modern gun which has some scratches, smudges, etc., I doubt that anyone would object to an attempt to remove them. On the other hand, with a really nice, really old gun, one that has acquired an honest patina over the years, that aging should be preserved.

I have a beautiful old nickel 2nd Model HE (98%) that shipped in 1921. It has a lovely old smoky shade and is wearing marvelous old yellowed ivory grips. The gun came to me from one of the original members of the SWCA. Its finish was fine with him and I would no more polish the "smoky" finish away than I would try to bleach the ivory back to its original "Chiclet" white. To do so would significantly diminish the value.

Bob

I'd like to see some pictures of that jewel.

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Miss Buddies crsides & fat tom

Here it is alone and with a couple of its relatives. The wear from the holster snap on the right side is the only visible area of wear.

Bob

Could not agree more Bob.If you have an old gun with damaged finish then polish away.If you have a nice old gun with some frosting and patina,Leave it alone! Once it is polished away back to "new" it will take another fifty years plus to get that back.They are only original once and when you polish the snot out of them the "soul" of the gun is lost.I just picked up a very early Nickel Baby Chief that has some holster wear and frosting.I just went over it lightly with some Maas polish with my finger to get the crud off the top.If you sell the gun later at least the next guy gets the choice wether to polish or not.

In your case I couldn't agree more, Bob. That gun has the right look to it.

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Even older, even crankier....

I'm with Bob. I have a nickeled (originally blued) Wolf & Klar Texas Lawman gun that has scratches, scars and frosting. I wouldn't ever think of polishing out his hard earned patina.

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Randy
Provenance nerd