Polishing an old nickel finish

[Steve M.]

What would be the best way to clean/polish an old nickeled revolver? I am not looking to shine it up as much as I am looking to clean/spruce up the original finish. Strictly hand polish without running the risk of rounding the edges or shallowing the lettering.

 

[kwb377]

I don't know what the best way is, but I used Mother's Aluminum Polish on an old 28-2 and it worked well.

 

[flundertaker]

I also used Mothers on a pretty nasty 19 and it cleaned up well. I think it has about the least amount of abrasive material of any of the polishes out there. Flitz is also good but I think Mothers is the best, especially for nickel.

 

[JH1951]

I have used Flitz with great success. I have not tried Mothers, but reports are very good for it too.
I usually use a soft rag to apply, then a microfiber cloth to finish up. After that, a coat or two of RenWax with a microfiber.

 

[Max242]

What would be the best way to clean/polish an old nickeled revolver?

I've had great success with Flitz.

 

[Steve M.]

I also used Mothers on a pretty nasty 19 and it cleaned up well. I think it has about the least amount of abrasive material of any of the polishes out there. Flitz is also good but I think Mothers is the best, especially for nickel.

That looks like exactly what I want. Can you give me any more details on technique, etc?

 

[flundertaker]

That looks like exactly what I want. Can you give me any more details on technique, etc?

I use a piece of a cotton t shirt and just a tiny dab of the polish. Work on only a small area of the gun at a time. Light pressure. Wipe off and polish with micro fiber cloth turning often. Repeat a necessary. With light pressure you can hit the same area multiple times without any real fear of polishing thru the nickel. Having a realistic expectation of what the final product will look like is impirtant. If there's some hazing of the nickel, it'll definitely get better but it may not go away totally. Whatever you do, do not get impatient and go for anything more aggressive or even think about using any sort of power buffer. I bet I worked for 3-4 hours over the course of a couple days on that snub nose in my pics. The reward is the transformation over time with a little elbow grease. Enjoy the process, it's worth it!

 

[1blindref]

Another vote for Flitz, followed buy a coat of Renaissance wax.

 

[reyionoc]

What would be the best way to clean/polish an old nickeled revolver? I am not looking to shine it up as much as I am looking to clean/spruce up the original finish. Strictly hand polish without running the risk of rounding the edges or shallowing the lettering.

I use a jewelers cloth on mine. you can get them at Walmart in the jewelry dept..