I just can't like a nickel plated gun with a failing finish. Has anyone buffed off or otherwise removed a nickel finish?

I suspect that could be a tedious job.

And if so, how did it turn out and did you re-blue?

Thanks.

Nickle can be removed, but it is not a do it yourself home project to get it done right. It will cost you in the vicinity of $400 to $500 to have a nickle finish stripped, the gun re-polished, and a new finish applied.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

The best bet would be to take it to a plating company and have them strip it.

Some deal with guns some dont.

You may have to disassemble before your bring it to them.


Pete

I would be thinking remove only, since I really don't care for a bright shiny finish, and the gun is a bit of a beater, leading to the removal idea.

Perhaps if the nickel isnt flaking or breached the nickel can be blued ?

Nickel will blue unlike SS ...Just not sure of its durability or if blueing salts react with nickel in any way ...

Didnt Colt offer a blued nickel finish ?
Has anyone successfully blued a nickel gun ?

Beater gun?
Have it Cerakoted.
They sand blast it first which, while it wouldn't remove all the nickel, it would prep the surface for the new coating.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

I would sent it back to the guys who can do it right. S&W??

Redo it in that world famous Smith & WESSON NICKEL FINISH. When the nickel finish is no longer offered it will be worth a lot of_$$$.

Keep it real, keep it original to what it once was, by giving it back it's full glory.

If you don't want to go this route test the brownells aluma-Hyde II rattle cans. I wash the area with alcohol, heat the area to be painted and shoot it. I've touched up the muzzle worn areas of the gray park finish on the military rifles to the point you couldn't tell it was painted or touched up. It's a don't ask, don't tell thing if I ever sold it, because it looked that perfect. I would still tell them if I sold it.

I agree. I stripped a nickel trigger guard on a rifle once with a homemade reverse electroplating rig, but it ended up pitting the metal as well as removing the plating.

Metaloy will strip the nickel finish for $75, BUT ONLY if you are having them refinisish the gun in Metaloy hard-chrome ($315) or Tacticote ($250). Other finishes do not adhere well, long-term, over nickel.

The gun just won't warrant $$ to refinish.

Can nickel be buffed off with a wire wheel?

Sounds like a lot of work though.

I don't think a wire wheel would take off ALL the nickel. You could get off the peeling scabby stuff and the blackened steel where it failed.

If I wanted to salvage a gun in bad nickel, I would turn it over to a local Cerecoater who would media blast it first. This would remove the peel and roughen the tight plating so the coating would stick.

I have avoided it so far. I had a gun that Bubba had buffed, burning through the nickel and exposing the copper strike. I sold it to a club member who wanted a cheap gun for some relative. I had one that had been corroded on one side but not the other. I sold it back to the guy I got it from, who had it nicely replated at some expense.

Hoppes #9 will remove nickel if you can find enough to submerge the revolver. Takes a while.

Send it back to the mother ship. Come out like it just left the factory.

Look at Mag-na-Port's web site. You would be surpriced at what they do besides Porting.

Chemical Stripping
In chemical stripping, the coating to be stripped must be oxidized from the metallic state to an ionic state. Therefore, an active ingredient in any stripper must be an oxidizing agent. Depending upon the type of stripping process (immersion or electrolytic), the oxidizing action comes from the use of selective chemistry, electric current or both.

Selectivity is required to prevent attack on the base materials while allowing complete stripping of the metallic coating. Selective stripping can be achieved in several ways:

1) If the metal to be removed is more electrochemically active than the substrate (for example, zinc on steel), then selectivity can be obtained by using various electrolytes such as inhibited hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide (caustic soda).

2) By incorporating chelating or complexing agents in the stripping solution that have a greater affinity for the metal being removed than for the base material.

3) By adding inhibitors to stripping processes to chemically or physically adsorb onto the substrate and “protect” it from the stripping action. For example, to remove a nickel deposit from copper-plated steel while leaving the copper intact, organic sulfur compounds are added to the stripping solution.

4) By using special activators to help initiate the stripping action on the plated part without damaging the substrate. This is especially important if the plating is aged or heat treated such as electroless nickel deposits on steel.

Other components found in metal stripping solutions include rate accelerators, electrolytes (for conductivity) and water.

Taken from the sight below
Stripping of Plated Finishes : Products Finishing

I may begin the project as soon as I finish the required PhD.

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Honoring the little pin