1980 nickel hi power rehab

[chrisp51]

I found a 1980 nickel plated hi power at a fair price for its condition. It has obviously not been taken care of due to the dirt, grime. gunk and cobwebs present. There is a small amount of rust and the nickel plate has bubbled up on a coulpe of places around the trigger guard. The grime and gunk is so thick that it is difficult to operate the slide or engage the safety. I have a Lyman turbo sonic ultrasonic cleaner and some Lyman parts cleaning solution. I want to put the parts in the cleaner but I can't find any info on cleaning nickel plated guns. Does anyone know if its ok to clean nickel plated in an ultrasonic cleaner?

 

[James K]

I have never had any trouble with nickel plate in a sonic cleaner, but then I have never used one to clean a gun as bad as you describe. The loose plating may very well be a problem. I think I would try other methods first, including a complete stripping, then parts immersion in an ordinary detergent bath with hot water and brushing to remove the crud. Once the dirt is gone, you can better assess the damage and decide where to go from there. If large portions of the nickel are gone, the only thing you can do is to remove the rest by electrical stripping or mechanical removal (buffing), then either blue the gun or re-plate it.

(I have heard of attempts at "touchup" plating like one touches up bluing, but have not seen or heard of any success in doing it.)

Jim

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I have touched up nickel plating by sanding out the bad area and polishing. Then I brush plated nickel onto the bad spot. Matching nickel finishes can be tough.
I also would not use an ultrasonic on this gun. Use conventional cleaning methods.

 

[chrisp51]

I heard back from Lyman and they say not to put anything plated in their ultrasonic cleaners.