Anyone know how to polish nickel on a rifle?

[Kev18]

Well the title pretty much says it all. Id like to remove some tarnished spots on my nickel plated 1873. I took it out a couple times, so it's got little black spots on it. Is there a product that I can use like jewelers rouge or something to re-polish it and remove tarnish?

https://i.imgur.com/DvofRUW.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qnI2ApU.jpg

[country gent]

Flitz or Simichrome should polish it up quickly. In reality a soft cloth and tooth paste may do the trick. Nickel plating is thin and usually a copper under plating. to many Polishings or aggressive polishing may thin it to where the copper shows thru. First I would try a soft cloth with balistol or other mild solvent to see if it comes off. Remember the copper under plating so aggressive copper removers should be avoided.

[Remmy4477]

You could try meguiars car wax, Brasso and theres another Brasso product for nickel and silver that works fairly good.
Never tried any of these on a nickel plated rifle but have used them for antique Rayo and Royal kerosene table lamps, there nickel plated and these products work well on them.
Might work on the rifle?
I'm sure someone may have a better solution than what I offered.

[Kev18]

I have brasso. Il see how that goes. Il try to rub it down with a rag first see what happens .

[ulav8r]

I used Brasso one time. When I was in ROTC, Brasso was recommended to polish my brass belt buckle. It scratched it up horribly and I got reamed on the appearance of it during the next formation. Never was able to get all the scratches out. I would only recommend Brasso to someone I really hated, but I don't hate anyone that much.

[country gent]

Another that may work is nu finish car polish. It is desighned to polish and remove oxidation

[Texas by God]

O000 steel wool gently used.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Marlinreloader]

This is the best polisher I have found for my 686

Birchwood Casey 31002 Lead Remover and Polishing Cloth, 6-Inch x 9-Inch

[Dieselhorses]

Go to Walmart. Look for this. You won't believe the results.226637

[buckwheatpaul]

Go to Walmart. Look for this. You won't believe the results.226637

Dieselhorses is right....use it on my S&W Model 29 nickle with great results!

[KCSO]

Nev R Dull cloth wool polish. It comes n a can and NAPA or Menards has it it polishes and removes rust and spots without taking blue or plating off. Finish with a soft cloth and Mothers.

[pietro]

.

I've found that one of these, used with oil, will remove rust w/o effecting the finish.

A 3-pac is $6, ordered direct: http://www.big45metalcleaner.com/


https://allguntalk.com/Content/listingImages/20150217/5b865938-2585-4e98-97a4-c4104f401c6a_fullsize.jpg



Anyone doubtful should first use it on a surface normally covered by the wood stocks.




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[Kev18]

I took the rifle off the rack yesterday and found that it had light rust spots on it and tarnished spots. So I used fine steel wool with Silvo. It polished the metal real nice, and abit of the tarnished spots but they are some that are still there.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

You've just got a tough situation, and will probably have to live with it. If you break through the nickel coating the only remedy will be to have the entire rifle chemically stripped and re-nickeled. What did the ladies of past generations polish their precious silver plate and silverware with? (I'm not certain). Areas that tarnished will eventually re-tarnish. It certainly is a beautiful and unusual rifle the way it is. Whatever you use, it should be gentle in action and gently applied.

[KCSO]

Wood ash and their fingers.

[RED BEAR]

i use a buffing wheel and VERY!!! fine polishing paste on my old hand guns. but the finish is not good on them anyway so nothing lost if it doesn't go right. but i have never had a problem. maybe the nickel was thicker on the old guns. i am talking about guns made around 1900 or before.

[texasnative46]

ulav8r,

OBVIOUSLY you didn't used the Brasso properly, with an old terrycloth towel. = I, too, went to a military academy & have used literally gallons of the stuff over 3+ decades as a cadet/AD/USAR/ARNG member.

Fwiw, my best quality (22KT gold-filled) metal insignia got polished with jeweler's rouge on a soft cotton cloth.

That said, using Brasso for firearms polishing is like using a pocket knife blade for jobs where a screwdriver is the proper tool.

yours, tex

[ulav8r]

I think the problem was that the cr*p had settled and clumped. Don't remember what kind of cloth I used, that was about 50 years ago.

[sawzall]

On my one nickel plated pistol I used the above mag wheel polish on a felt buffing wheel. Once it was all polished up I cleaned it and put a coating of Johnson’s Paste Wax on it. Been a couple years and multiple range trips with no more tarnishing, and I have oily, acidic skin. I just polish it and rewax it once a year or so.

[Multigunner]

I've used "Never Dull" Wadding Polish. Its cotton impregnated with a very fine polish and solvent. On delicate surfaces I don't used the wadding itself, I roll the wadding between my fingers then rub the surface with my finger tips.
A very little goes a long way. I think the can I have is one I got twenty years ago and it's almost full.
Plast-X plastic lens polish will also clean up most dull plated surfaces without damaging the surfaces.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Have you ever heard of Simichrome? It is a pink polish that comes in a tube, made in Germany, sort of pricy for what it is. I think you might be able to buy some at Brownell's, but I'm sure it's available from many sources. I used it for years to polish brass. It just takes a very small amount and a very soft cloth. You might give that a try, and then follow sawzall's advice about using a paste wax. Several of my guns are preserved with Trewax brand carnauba wax. I put it on both the metal and wood. You don't want to overdo, just a little bit put on the surface you desire to protect, rubbed with your finger in a circular motion to fill any pores. A very thin coat, which you can repeat as needed. Let it dry, which only takes a few minutes, and then buff it off with a soft cloth. You'll get a hard, shiny surface which might very well prevent re-tarnishing. Wax was widely used as a protectant before all of the miracle oils appeared on the market. One nice thing is that it's easy to touch up or apply another coat as needed, and as long as you keep the coats thin and don't just gob it on it's not noticeable and enhances the firearm's appearance.

[maglvr]

227061
And never look back!!!