Nickel Revolvers

ninemm · February 11, 2010, 11:26 PM

Question:

What are the best cleaning agents and lubricating agents for use on nickel finishes?

Thanks in advane for the information.

Niner4Tango · February 12, 2010, 01:32 AM

My understanding is to stay away from anything that cuts copper: Hoppes #9, Kleenbore No. 10 are not good. The idea is the steel is first plated with a copper alloy (called a flash or strike), then the nickel is plated over that. (I should really research this more). If the copper cutting solvent gets under the nickel via cracks or scratches it will attack the copper layer and cause the plating to weaken and flake off.

Anyway, the conventional wisdom is that CLP or Rem Oil cleans well enough and will not weaken the plating. Don't soak the gun with anything, clean it then dry it off.

I also use plastic brushes, not bronze, to reduce abrasion at the muzzle, but really don't know if they are actually less abrasive or not.

I have a nickel 586 that is my desk-drawer queen. Always loaded and ready to go, but shot very little. I have a nickel Bodyguard that has been treated a little less carefully and it still looks good, so it isn't like they're super fragile, either.

Bill DeShivs · February 12, 2010, 03:24 AM

Modern nickel plated guns are not underplated with copper.
"Bumper chrome" plating jobs use a copper underplate.

Niner4Tango · February 12, 2010, 12:23 PM

Thanks Bill, for the clarification, I was unsure about this myself.

What about solvents for modern guns? Is this conventional wisdom of no copper cutting solvents still valid?

BruceM · February 12, 2010, 12:36 PM

"My understanding is to stay away from anything that cuts copper: Hoppes #9, Kleenbore No. 10 are not good."

Actually, what you don't want to use is a solvent containing ammonia. Copper has nothing to do with it.

Bruce

41mag10mm · February 12, 2010, 12:50 PM

I've owned a S&W 586 for 20 years and it looks as good today is it did then. I've used several popular bore cleaners over the years such as Hoppe's #9 and have not had any problem with the nickel finish. I've had it all over the cylinder while cleaning powder residue off. I normally just wipe it off without using anything other than a soft cloth.

I'm not sure about this but believe that using an oily coating after cleaning may actually trap unevaporated solvent in the pores of the metal and create a problem. I discussed polishing chrome with a metalurgist several years ago when talking about how to care for chrome on my Harley. He suggested to not use anything that would fill in the microscopic voids in the finish as that's were pitting gets a foothold. Makes sense and my chrome looks great. I don't know if it applies to nickel but it seems to make sense.

Niner4Tango · February 12, 2010, 02:22 PM

No ammonia in Breakfree CLP: http://www.tompkins-co.org/msds/m2291.pdf

Or Rem Oil: http://www.remington.com/~/media/Fil...il-Liquid.ashx

Been reading a little. The old style "decorative" plating is nickel over a copper flash. This would be susceptible to the failure above. Electroless plating does not have the copper flash - but ammonia can bond to the nickel and stain it. Don't know when electroless replaced the old style...

This also makes me think we should be concerned with the type of polishes we might use: Flitz, Mother's Mag polish, Blue Magic etc. all have either ammonia or another strong caustic chemical in them.

I don't have a lot of references on this, though, so...thoughts?

41mag10mm · February 12, 2010, 02:43 PM

Simichrome - excellent polish and does not leave a residue.

Bill DeShivs · February 12, 2010, 03:10 PM

Ammonia will etch steel if left on it long enough. If you just use common sense, and don't soak your nickeled gun in cleaners, you'll be fine. Use the cleaners, wipe down, then oil.

longranger · February 12, 2010, 03:49 PM

I just avoid nickel guns,never liked them, most of them will eventually flake the nickel away unless it is a safe queen that does not get shot much.Nickel is not nearly as durable as blue or S.S.

BigJimP · February 12, 2010, 04:11 PM

I have a number of older S&W revolvers - and a fair number of them in Nickel....( model 19's, 27's and 29's )...

I've used Break Free - as a lube for a long time / and no issues.

I stay away from cleaners with a lot of Amonia like Barnes CR-10 / and for the most part I spray the guns liberally with a "Shooters Choice" shotgun and choke tube cleaner - and brush the bores, and wipe down the gun.

I polish all of my stainless and nickel guns with Flitz or Blue Magic .... and no effects on the finish. I'm not saying Nickel is more durable than Stainless - but it shows a lot less wear than a blued gun ....especially if the gun goes in and out of a holster once in a while. Most blued finishes are relatively soft in my experience / with the exception of something like a Wilson Combat armor tuff ...

psychohellbilly666 · February 12, 2010, 04:27 PM

Found this thread interesting as I have a beretta stampede bisley 45 lc in nickle. It doesn't get shot a lot so doesn't get cleaned a lot. I have always used the Winchester blasting spray and wonderlube rem oil on all my guns. Are these considered safe cleaners for nickel finishes?

Bill DeShivs · February 12, 2010, 06:24 PM

Almost any cleaner is safe on factory nickeled guns. Nickel is much more durable than bluing.

mssurrey · February 19, 2010, 02:05 AM

Interesting as I just purchased a nickel wheel gun. Not to highjack the thread but is it possible to actaully have a nickel gun refinished in, say, hard chrome (or another polished hard finish - I love shiny guns

)

drrpg01 · February 19, 2010, 02:29 AM

I have used MPro 7 cleaner and oil on a mint S&W 15 snub. I really like the product. This is assuming you're talking about maintaining nickel that is in nice condition already. There are other products for polishing and removing webbing and such. I would stay away from anything abrasive (ie, polish) for a maintenance program and use it only when absolutely necessary. That nickel is not durable is ridiculous. Most people who baby their nickel guns do so by choice, not because they're fragile.

Bill DeShivs · February 19, 2010, 02:54 AM

Nickel can be stripped, and the gun refinished any way you want. It just costs more to do it.

Qwiks draw · February 19, 2010, 03:17 AM

I've got a nickeled Taurus 65 with a 2.5 inch barrel, it's been cleaned too many times to count and looks as good as the day it left the factory.

No problems there.

REBEL ROUSER · February 24, 2010, 06:41 PM

I use Rem Oil or Semichrome to clean, if needed. Then, I polish with Johnson's paste floor wax. (for wood, metal, leather ) A very strong durable wax, lasts for months on end. Works flawlessly. Ace Hardware for $7.00, one can lasts for many years.

February 11, 2010, 11:26 PM	#1
ninemm Member Join Date: August 6, 2005 Posts: 95	Nickel Revolvers Question: What are the best cleaning agents and lubricating agents for use on nickel finishes? Thanks in advane for the information.

February 12, 2010, 03:24 AM	#3
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 11,109	Modern nickel plated guns are not underplated with copper. "Bumper chrome" plating jobs use a copper underplate. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

February 12, 2010, 06:24 PM	#13
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 11,109	Almost any cleaner is safe on factory nickeled guns. Nickel is much more durable than bluing. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

February 19, 2010, 02:54 AM	#16
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 11,109	Nickel can be stripped, and the gun refinished any way you want. It just costs more to do it. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

February 12, 2010, 01:32 AM	#2
Niner4Tango Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2007 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 290	My understanding is to stay away from anything that cuts copper: Hoppes #9, Kleenbore No. 10 are not good. The idea is the steel is first plated with a copper alloy (called a flash or strike), then the nickel is plated over that. (I should really research this more). If the copper cutting solvent gets under the nickel via cracks or scratches it will attack the copper layer and cause the plating to weaken and flake off. Anyway, the conventional wisdom is that CLP or Rem Oil cleans well enough and will not weaken the plating. Don't soak the gun with anything, clean it then dry it off. I also use plastic brushes, not bronze, to reduce abrasion at the muzzle, but really don't know if they are actually less abrasive or not. I have a nickel 586 that is my desk-drawer queen. Always loaded and ready to go, but shot very little. I have a nickel Bodyguard that has been treated a little less carefully and it still looks good, so it isn't like they're super fragile, either.

February 12, 2010, 12:23 PM	#4
Niner4Tango Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2007 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 290	Thanks Bill, for the clarification, I was unsure about this myself. What about solvents for modern guns? Is this conventional wisdom of no copper cutting solvents still valid?

February 12, 2010, 12:36 PM	#5
BruceM Senior Member Join Date: March 12, 2006 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 285	"My understanding is to stay away from anything that cuts copper: Hoppes #9, Kleenbore No. 10 are not good." Actually, what you don't want to use is a solvent containing ammonia. Copper has nothing to do with it. Bruce

February 12, 2010, 12:50 PM	#6
41mag10mm Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2010 Location: The Zoo, NC Posts: 271	I've owned a S&W 586 for 20 years and it looks as good today is it did then. I've used several popular bore cleaners over the years such as Hoppe's #9 and have not had any problem with the nickel finish. I've had it all over the cylinder while cleaning powder residue off. I normally just wipe it off without using anything other than a soft cloth. I'm not sure about this but believe that using an oily coating after cleaning may actually trap unevaporated solvent in the pores of the metal and create a problem. I discussed polishing chrome with a metalurgist several years ago when talking about how to care for chrome on my Harley. He suggested to not use anything that would fill in the microscopic voids in the finish as that's were pitting gets a foothold. Makes sense and my chrome looks great. I don't know if it applies to nickel but it seems to make sense.

February 12, 2010, 02:22 PM	#7
Niner4Tango Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2007 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 290	No ammonia in Breakfree CLP: http://www.tompkins-co.org/msds/m2291.pdf Or Rem Oil: http://www.remington.com/~/media/Fil...il-Liquid.ashx Been reading a little. The old style "decorative" plating is nickel over a copper flash. This would be susceptible to the failure above. Electroless plating does not have the copper flash - but ammonia can bond to the nickel and stain it. Don't know when electroless replaced the old style... This also makes me think we should be concerned with the type of polishes we might use: Flitz, Mother's Mag polish, Blue Magic etc. all have either ammonia or another strong caustic chemical in them. I don't have a lot of references on this, though, so...thoughts?

February 12, 2010, 02:43 PM	#8
41mag10mm Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2010 Location: The Zoo, NC Posts: 271	Simichrome - excellent polish and does not leave a residue.

February 12, 2010, 03:10 PM	#9
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 11,109	Ammonia will etch steel if left on it long enough. If you just use common sense, and don't soak your nickeled gun in cleaners, you'll be fine. Use the cleaners, wipe down, then oil. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

February 12, 2010, 03:49 PM	#10
longranger Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Location: Buffalo WY Posts: 1,056	I just avoid nickel guns,never liked them, most of them will eventually flake the nickel away unless it is a safe queen that does not get shot much.Nickel is not nearly as durable as blue or S.S.

February 12, 2010, 04:11 PM	#11
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I have a number of older S&W revolvers - and a fair number of them in Nickel....( model 19's, 27's and 29's )... I've used Break Free - as a lube for a long time / and no issues. I stay away from cleaners with a lot of Amonia like Barnes CR-10 / and for the most part I spray the guns liberally with a "Shooters Choice" shotgun and choke tube cleaner - and brush the bores, and wipe down the gun. I polish all of my stainless and nickel guns with Flitz or Blue Magic .... and no effects on the finish. I'm not saying Nickel is more durable than Stainless - but it shows a lot less wear than a blued gun ....especially if the gun goes in and out of a holster once in a while. Most blued finishes are relatively soft in my experience / with the exception of something like a Wilson Combat armor tuff ...

February 12, 2010, 04:27 PM	#12
psychohellbilly666 Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2009 Location: Princeton, IN Posts: 320	Found this thread interesting as I have a beretta stampede bisley 45 lc in nickle. It doesn't get shot a lot so doesn't get cleaned a lot. I have always used the Winchester blasting spray and wonderlube rem oil on all my guns. Are these considered safe cleaners for nickel finishes?

February 19, 2010, 02:05 AM	#14
mssurrey Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 2008 Location: Sunny MichiGUN Posts: 273	Interesting as I just purchased a nickel wheel gun. Not to highjack the thread but is it possible to actaully have a nickel gun refinished in, say, hard chrome (or another polished hard finish - I love shiny guns )

February 19, 2010, 02:29 AM	#15
drrpg01 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2009 Posts: 360	I have used MPro 7 cleaner and oil on a mint S&W 15 snub. I really like the product. This is assuming you're talking about maintaining nickel that is in nice condition already. There are other products for polishing and removing webbing and such. I would stay away from anything abrasive (ie, polish) for a maintenance program and use it only when absolutely necessary. That nickel is not durable is ridiculous. Most people who baby their nickel guns do so by choice, not because they're fragile.

February 19, 2010, 03:17 AM	#17
Qwiks draw Junior member Join Date: August 14, 2006 Posts: 879	I've got a nickeled Taurus 65 with a 2.5 inch barrel, it's been cleaned too many times to count and looks as good as the day it left the factory. No problems there.

February 24, 2010, 06:41 PM	#18
REBEL ROUSER Member Join Date: January 21, 2010 Location: Arizona Posts: 23	I use Rem Oil or Semichrome to clean, if needed. Then, I polish with Johnson's paste floor wax. (for wood, metal, leather ) A very strong durable wax, lasts for months on end. Works flawlessly. Ace Hardware for $7.00, one can lasts for many years.