Flakey Nickel Finish

[Bloodhound]

So I have been looking at, drooling over and buying S&W revolvers for a few years now. I have purchased and sold a few Nickel finish guns, but normally I avoid them, because I have seen many with the plating in poor shape, or starting to flake or discolor.

But now I find that I had a friend that passed away and I have been given a Nickel finish Model 19 and the finish is starting to flake and peel. Is there a way to fix this...can the nickel be stripped and the gun blued or ???

This is going to be a gun that I will keep for the memories, and sentimental value, but I know he wanted to have it fixed, but never got around to a solution...so maybe I could finish the project...

Any thoughts are welcome

PS...I don't have the gun in hand yet, it is being held for me till I can get back to that side of the state


Thanks
Scott

 

[lihpster]

Yes, the nickel can be stripped and the gun blued. I'm sure someone will respond with recommendations for where to send it.
My condolences on the loss of your friend.

 

[Bloodhound]

Thank you

I failed to mention that I don't know if this is a factory Nickle or an aftermarket finish. I have only seen the gun once and it was brief, as in "...hey look at the new project gun I picked up..."

 

[lihpster]

Thank you

I failed to mention that I don't know if this is a factory Nickle or an aftermarket finish. I have only seen the gun once and it was brief, as in "...hey look at the new project gun I picked up..."

Either way the work is the same. I forgot to mention that after the nickel is stripped, any finish can be applied. Nickel again, blue, hard chrome, whatever you like.

 

[dfariswheel]

If you want to change from nickel to blued, that's going to be a problem.
I don't know of a good refinisher service that offers nickel stripping and quality bluing, so you'd have to send the gun to one service to have the nickel stripped, and then to another service for bluing.

If you want to stay with nickel or change to hard chrome there are several good services that can do that.

The bluing is the problem because the people who can do quality polishing and not botch it up are counted on one hand with fingers left over.
The number of people who can turn a nice revolver into a bar of soap looking botch job are plentiful.

One possibility is S&W themselves. Depending on how old the gun is they may be able to do the job in-house.

 

[Alk8944]

There is no way to "fix" Nickel plating if it is peeling. To re-finish the gun the Nickel must be stripped, either chemically of electrically.

It is impossible to plate Nickel over Nickel, it simply will not work! If the item being plated is even lifted out of the plating solution during the process it must be re-stripped and started all over, it will not continue to plate if returned to the tank.

Ford Custom Gun Refinishing in Crystal River, Florida is a very good source of either bluing or Nickel plating. Here is a link to their web site: Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing | Crystal River, FL

 

[murphydog]

Condolences on your friend's passing also.

Once you have the gun in hand, please feel free to post photos, especially of the left lower side of the grip frame with the stocks removed, looking for a stamped letter N, indicating it was a factory nickel finish. If originality is important to you that may guide further refinishing decisions.

Unless very old or not treated nicely, I've seen relatively few factory nickel guns flake their plating off - not impossible though.

 

[chief38]

Unless I am unaware of new laws, Nickeled guns can be refinished. There are a few reputable company's offering this service. I have no idea what the current costs for refinishing and shipping would be, but I'd venture a guess at between $300 - $350 bucks for a proper job. Freight extra,

 

[stansdds]

Damaged or failing plated finishes cannot be repaired, they have to be completely stripped and the firearm refinished. There are usually a few tells regarding S&W factory nickel finishes. If there is an "N" stamped into the back of the cylinder, sometimes it is beneath the extractor star and/or an "N" stamped into the lower left side of the grip frame, it's a factory nickel finish. No "N", then it's likely an aftermarket finish. If you see copper between the steel and nickel, it's an aftermarket finish. If the hammer and trigger are plated, it's an aftermarket finish.

 

[Bloodhound]

Thank you all for the info. I would like to get it back to the nickel finish, as that is what I think Lou had in mind when he bought it. It will be a labor of love and so I will take my time and have it done right, most likely by S&W if they will do it.

Again thank you all for your info. I'll post pics and updates.

 

[stansdds]

As far as I know, S&W no longer offers nickel as a finish or refinish option. The chemicals used in electroless nickel plating are not particularly EPA friendly. Plus, to get that perfectly polished nickel finish first requires the steel to be perfectly polished. I don't know that S&W's current crop of employees have that level of skill.

 

[murphydog]

Correct, the factory no longer does nickel refinishing.

And I recall nickel guns were actually less brightly polished than blued.

 

[austintexas]

nickle

Depending where the nickel is peeling, I have had good luck with guns I didn't want to put a lot of money in. If the finish was worn or peeling where the steel underneath was showing what I've done was using Flitz and A LOT of elbow grease and polished the steel showing. It will start to look a lot like Nickel. The dark steel will start to shine the more you polish it, and the more like nickel It will start to look like. After that keep the polished parts oiled.
SWCA 892

 

[dfariswheel]

Ford's of Florida no longer has a good reputation for bluing.
A few years ago they hired new people and the quality has fallen rather badly.
They do seem to still have a good rep for plating, just not for anything requiring much polishing of steel.

For quality nickel plating I'd only trust these........

https://apwcogan.com/

Firearm Plating -Mahovsky's Metalife

Expert Engraving Services for Your Products - Baron Engraving

Cogan and Mahovsky also offer top quality hard chrome.

 

[Bloodhound]

UPDATE

I appreciated all your info and knowledge!

My friends son-in-law found out that the family was giving this gun to me and he was not pleased... The end of this tail is that he is getting the Model 19 and he will or will not deal with the flaking finish. My friend's son asked if I would like one of Lou's other guns, but I decided that since they had all been spoken for by family, that I didn't need to deprive one of them. They should be in the care of his family. I hope the son-in-law figures out a way to restore the model 19 and honor his father-in-law.

Again, thank you all for your information. I will keep it in mind as I continue my S&W journey.

Scott