Reverse Plating of pistol

[sgt.mike]

.sorry ever posted

[I'll Make Mine]

You want to remove, undo a plating job, right? What was plated on (it makes a big difference)? Nickel isn't too hard to remove; hard chrome is a real problem to get off intentionally without damaging the underlying steel.

[I'll Make Mine]

Been a long time since college chemistry, but I recall nickel being less reactive than iron; that's why nickel was used as a protective plating. That makes it relatively difficult to remove by chemical means; you'd need to find a reagent that produces a soluble nickel salt, but not a soluble iron salt, and I'm not sure such a thing exists, at least in the common strong acids (nitric, hydrochloric, sulfuric, phosphoric, acetic).

I found a thread relative to motorcycle parts that suggests a commercial product (http://forum.caswellplating.com/electroplating-questions/10599-how-remove-nickel-detailed-instructions-needed.html#) for removing nickel plating; looks like their recommended situation would apply pretty well for removing nickel from a gun.

If those have been redone in hard chrome, all bets are off...

[HiVelocity]

Contact George Roghaar

His e-mail address is: roghaar@bellsouth.net

HV

[bob208]

do you have a chrome plating shop near you? they can do it. al they do is put the parts in the tank and reverse the current flow.

[Bent Ramrod]

I don't know if ordinary people are "allowed" to buy it anymore, but a solution of ammonium or sodium persulfate, slightly acidified, took the nickel off a gun frame pretty handily when I tried it. The solution turns green and you have to renew it, depending on how extensive the remaining plating is. But it is an electroless process.

Chrome needs electricity to put on or take off; a plating shop can probably do it if they're careful. Often, the gun itself was heavily polished before the chrome plating so the parts will fit tightly but not too tightly after the plating thickness is added to the metal. Taking the plating off might result in a loose, rattly assembly when only the bare metal is left.

Nickel seems to scrape off or wear off in streaks, and rusts in the bare spots. It has a yellowish, warm highlight under the silver. Chrome has kind of a coldish blue highlight under the silver, and frequently comes off in flakes. Sometimes you can identify the plating by these differences.

[Freightman]

Google it it can be bought by us mortals at. http://shop.willyselectronics.com/browse.cfm/mg-sodium-persulphate-copper-etchant-1-kg/4,7366.html

[I'll Make Mine]

After my last reply, I ran across a commercially available nickel-specific stripper called MetalX B9 (http://www.finishing.com/chemicals/stripper.shtml). No electricity, single solution, and IIRC shipped in dry form (saves money, not having to ship all that heavy water).

Oh, and unrelated to anything about nickel, but the manufacturer is right here in North Carolina. [smilie=w: