Removing paint from nickel front sight.
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ACORN
Member
Brake cleaner, nail polish remover, or lacquer thinner.
All are safe for nickel correct?
Don't know about the above but I think that I read that Hoppe's 9 can cause nickle to turn milky. You might consider a hair dryer or heat gun gently with a brass brush.
I've used acetone (nail polish remover) and it works well with no effect on the nickel.
The thing you want to avoid with nickel is ammonia.
Acetone, lacquer thinner, paint thinner, naptha, or just about any other solvent should be just fine as long as there is no ammonia in it. Hoppes has ammonia in it.
Acetone, lacquer thinner, paint thinner, naptha, or just about any other solvent should be just fine as long as there is no ammonia in it. Hoppes has ammonia in it.
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Another vote for acetone
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I have used Mineral Spirits and Zippo lighter Fluid with no ill affects.
OLDSTER
Member
Agree with others; nail polish remover--take it easy. And don't use gun solvents; some will harm the nickel.
Pisgah
Member
Two facts that are constantly reported in this and other forums, yet are absolutely false:
1. Just being in the same room with a gun, WD-40 can ruin it forever, coating it in rock-hard shellac and rotting the wood;
And, 2. S&W nickle plating is as delicate as the inner flesh of a virgin's thighs, and virtually anything, especially gun oils and cleaners, will ruin it.
Both of these assertions are bona fide hogwash. WD-40 is an excellent water-displacement agent, a pretty fair rust preventive, and a lousy lubricant, but used properly it will do absolutely no harm to a gun. S&W nickle plating is not and has NEVER been plated over copper, and soaking it in Hoppe's No. 9 for a lifetime will not hurt it.
You will get superb collector information on this forum. You can get some valuable practical info, too -- but a lot of it is pure, one-million-times-repeated hokum, too...
1. Just being in the same room with a gun, WD-40 can ruin it forever, coating it in rock-hard shellac and rotting the wood;
And, 2. S&W nickle plating is as delicate as the inner flesh of a virgin's thighs, and virtually anything, especially gun oils and cleaners, will ruin it.
Both of these assertions are bona fide hogwash. WD-40 is an excellent water-displacement agent, a pretty fair rust preventive, and a lousy lubricant, but used properly it will do absolutely no harm to a gun. S&W nickle plating is not and has NEVER been plated over copper, and soaking it in Hoppe's No. 9 for a lifetime will not hurt it.
You will get superb collector information on this forum. You can get some valuable practical info, too -- but a lot of it is pure, one-million-times-repeated hokum, too...
Acetone....every time does the trick!
Check out my Model 36-1 Nickel that came to me with red paint on the front sight. I didn't like it, so quick swab (cotton swab..wife has a zillion in a jar on her vanity), with acetone (available anywhere), let it soak about 15 minutes...wipe off (old T shirt remnant)...bingo..........looks like factory because it IS factory.
I have done this many, many times...I put white paint (Testors Model car paint) on the front sights of Nylon 66 to help the youngsters learn correct sight picture, also on Colt Systema (Argentine) 45 auto, other revos and semi's. Come time to sell or trade..15 minutes and back to factory finish..easy peasy.
2 pics show how it came to me...3 show after acetone.
Check out my Model 36-1 Nickel that came to me with red paint on the front sight. I didn't like it, so quick swab (cotton swab..wife has a zillion in a jar on her vanity), with acetone (available anywhere), let it soak about 15 minutes...wipe off (old T shirt remnant)...bingo..........looks like factory because it IS factory.
I have done this many, many times...I put white paint (Testors Model car paint) on the front sights of Nylon 66 to help the youngsters learn correct sight picture, also on Colt Systema (Argentine) 45 auto, other revos and semi's. Come time to sell or trade..15 minutes and back to factory finish..easy peasy.
2 pics show how it came to me...3 show after acetone.
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Those two points ought to be a required read, followed by a written exam with a score of 100% being the only passing score before joining any firearms forum. Way too many myths out there, many originating from the gunshop commandos who sell firearms and related products.
I'll have to somewhat disagree with Pisgah's statement about "soaking it in Hoppe's No. 9 for a lifetime will not hurt it". The fact is that Hoppe's No. 9 is a solvent, not a lubricant. If you clean your revolver with No. 9 and then put it away thinking that it's been lubricated, you're badly mistaken. I have several revolvers, and a 1911, that I cleaned with No. 9 after shooting and put away in the safe. A few months later, I found that none of them would function properly- extractors were sticky or frozen, cylinders would not freely rotate, and the 1911 slide was literally stuck. Turns out that Hoppe's No. 9 (possibly a new formula?) will solidify when it dries and leaves a nasty, sticky residue. The problem was quickly fixed by cleaning the firearms with some CLP- but it was a lesson learned. No. 9 is a great solvent, but definitely not a lubricant. Back to the original question- I agree with using acetone or mineral spirits to remove any residual paint.
I will confess my first nickel was a 29-3.And I use to use Windex on it to shine it up and remove left over oil film off of it. I was only 23ys old and didn't know any better. That guns finish was never damaged by the ammonia in the Windex. Thought I'd share.
IronSkillet
Member
....after bulk was removed with acetone used toothpicks to clean out the ridges nicely.
Second the motion...
...Ben
