I’ve read that flitz is a great polish to use for nickel. Is it necessary to completely disassemble it to polish it ? Do you only hand polish or use a dremmel ? How do you reach the places where you can’t get you fingers ? If you do use a dremmel which attachment do you recommend ? What should I clean it with prior to polish ? Should it soak in something for cleaning ? Should I just have a professional do it and what price should I expect to pay ? I don’t want to risk damaging the gun it’s somewhat valuable. Sorry for the long list of questions any help would be greatly appreciated.
-
ODT Gun Show & Swap Meet - May 4, 2024! - Click here for info
Polishing Colt nickel
- Thread starter mad_22_07
- Start date
Don't use Hoppe's or any similar bore solvent; it will damage the plating. If you're polishing it you probably don't need to clean it first anyway. I've had good results with Simichrome Polish, a soft cloth, and hand polishing with a lot of patience. I would not use a Dremel or other power tool on an old Colt. Too much risk of removing too much plating.
The pictures look like the gun has scratches and flaking that probably won't be easy to fix but you can make it look better than it does now. If it's a factory nickeled Diamondback it's a fairly scarce gun and it would be a shame to damage it.
The pictures look like the gun has scratches and flaking that probably won't be easy to fix but you can make it look better than it does now. If it's a factory nickeled Diamondback it's a fairly scarce gun and it would be a shame to damage it.
Hi Mad, Flitz and Simichome work well to bring back the shine to a nickel plated revolver. Use a small amount on a clean lint-free cloth. Work in a small area and wipe off the polish with a clean part of your cloth. Start under the grips to get the hang of it. Light pressure, very light pressure, is all that's required. These pastes are very mildly abrasive; let the paste do the work, not your elbow grease. I would remove the cylinder from the frame. You're gonna want to get all the carbon off the cylinder face and it's easier to do that if it's in your hand. No dremel. I use something like a popsicle stick wrapped in the cloth or a long cotton swab where I've applied the paste to the tip for the hard-to-reach areas.
Don't even start polishing if you're pressed for time. Whatever speed you begin polishing, you'll slow by half once you get the hang of it. Wipe the entire gun/cylinder with a clean cloth while you watch television or while you're still during the day. You will see more black tarnish, or whatever the residue is called, coming up for a couple of weeks even after you've put the polish away. You can then put a wax on it to protect it. Renaissance wax is what I use. Learned that from far better polishers on here than I.
Start slow, don't be in a hurry, and you'll see the finish come up beautifully. If you do have spider cracks and such in the finish, this will do nothing really for that. But it will brighten the areas where the finish is intact.
Hope this helps! Go slow, light pressure. Go slow, light pressure.
Don't even start polishing if you're pressed for time. Whatever speed you begin polishing, you'll slow by half once you get the hang of it. Wipe the entire gun/cylinder with a clean cloth while you watch television or while you're still during the day. You will see more black tarnish, or whatever the residue is called, coming up for a couple of weeks even after you've put the polish away. You can then put a wax on it to protect it. Renaissance wax is what I use. Learned that from far better polishers on here than I.
Start slow, don't be in a hurry, and you'll see the finish come up beautifully. If you do have spider cracks and such in the finish, this will do nothing really for that. But it will brighten the areas where the finish is intact.
Hope this helps! Go slow, light pressure. Go slow, light pressure.
Contact
SchmittZoid
If he still has some of his polishing cloths for sale..Great stuff to polish with.
SchmittZoid
If he still has some of his polishing cloths for sale..Great stuff to polish with.Thanks for all the advice I’ll post some pictures as soon as I get some semichrome and start the process and thanks for the warnings about how delicate the finish is I wouldn’t have known and probably damaged it.
I've used Zoid's cloths on nickel and blued finishes without issue and they do a great job removing burned on carbon fouling on the face of the cylinder or anywhere on a firearm, for that matter. However, Zoid's self imposed exile from ODT and other forums persists. I doubt he'll respond to a pm but you can try so long as you don't get your hopes up. This packaging looks like the cloths Zoid sold but he sold at 3/$10: https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Purp...47e31&pd_rd_wg=ac0RE&pd_rd_i=B012BJVJ7K&psc=1 I've not used these cloths from the Amazon seller so if you try them, be careful. Caveat emptor - let the buyer beware - applies.Contact
That fouling can be tough to clear away but as noted above, do not use any cleaner that dissolves copper. Guns are copper plated before they are nickel plated to help the nickel adhere to the steel's surface. Hoppe's #9 dissolves copper fouling in the bore of a gun and that's why it has remained popular all these years. It will dissolve the copper on your revolver if there is any way for it to reach the copper base and the nickel will flake off. Read the bottle carefully. There may be others to avoid. Again, try anything that says it's safe for electroplated metals on the frame underneath where the grips fit and wipe it off without delay.
I hate that I feel like I need to say this to you, Mad, and anyone who pulls up this thread over time. These techniques and the exact products I mention worked for me. I was careful and worked slowly. I have no reason to believe you cannot achieve similar results and while there is a small margin for error, you do have to exercise caution and attention to detail.
Good Luck! In for pics as you work through the process! If you have more questions, post them up! We'll all help as we can.
