Printable View
I obtained a otherwise nice Type 44 some of who's component parts have been nickel plated. It appears to be nickel only (not chrome as no copper below).
Does anyone have any suggestions on removal? I do not want to media blast as I am hoping what is exposed will hopefully match the patina of the un-plated parts.
Read somewhere that aceatone will soften the nickel.
Pretty amazing timing!
I'm researching the same issue for a prewar PPK I just picked up.
Following along with interest!
I very much doubt you'll be able to save the patina. However, Caswell Plating says their MetalX Stripper will strip nickle plating without hurting the metal. That likely does not apply to patina, but you could ask 'em.
This is an old, old post on their forum on the subject. Post #7, 8 and 9.
https://forum.caswellplating.com/for...nickel-plating
Patina? Not under plating. It was already stripped to plate so there's nothing to match. You're going to have a raw metal when you're finished.
That is what I thought. This thing is somewhat of an anomaly. I will try to snap some photos this week end. The bayonet and nose piece have been plated but most of it is gone leaving sort of a patina not blue not rust. The receiver has no plating with the same patina, The butt plate has a light coating as does the bolt release and the rear portion of the trigger guard and the barrel under the handguard. The numbers all match including the furniture.Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
I do not want to reblue and am comfortable with what I am calling patina. Photos forthcoming.
---------- Post added at 03:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 PM ----------
Midway USA has a good video on youtube that might work for you if you are going to refinish.Quote:
Originally Posted by rcathey
We had a large number of 1911 and A1s come from way down south, south America way... That was back in the '80s I think. Many were chromed or nickle plated too, all needed help. I had the dubious honor of glass beading them and got so I could do it in one go. The nickle showed as yellowish against the silver of the steel. It all has to come off to expose the steel though, a spot will remain silver after bluing or parkerizing. It would also show after time on patina...as a spot.
I don’t want to hijack the thread but I think we’re in similar situations.
The plating on the PPK definitely appears to be over bluing. In spots where it’s flaking, it sure looks like the bluing I'd expect.
This will be a resale item for me so I don’t intend to put a lot of money into it...and the plating isn’t in bad shape overall.
Just the fact that there appears to be a good finish under it and I can see by the lettering that it hasn’t had the crap polished out of it.
I wonder, can one plate over bluing? And if so, would the Brownells room temperature nickel remover take the theoretical bluing with it?
I stripped nickle one time from some parts. The stripper wouldn't remove the copper wash that was plated on first. On good advice from the forum I just glass beaded the parts to get them where I needed them.
I was disappointed at first for spending the money for the stripper but was able to save it and use it for some other parts that were chromed. What I did find out later on after boiling some them off for a new finish was that they had to go in to the blast cabinet anyway because of discoloration after application of the finish.
Next time I can just use the cabinet for dressing small parts or even larger ones for that matter without worrying about destroying them completely or ruining small marks. In some instances the markings became even more clear now that I think about it.
A popular suppliers product was used to remove the finish on this Krag receiver. it worked exactly as advertised less the copper wash.
Attachment 104472
Saw a guy last week end toting a fully pimped (chrome plated) AR-15 pistol. Ugliest gun I have ever seen. I did not make me sad like seeing a WWII Luger bring back given the pimp dip. Or my Nazi Red Cross Hewer that someone put the Bowie point on the end of.
Different days I suppose.
What we found too, the small details are enhanced after all the crap is beaded out of them, nice and clear after.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doco overboard
I think you'd end up with what you see, flaking and a lack of adhesion.Quote:
Originally Posted by rcathey
Guess he wanted to make a "Proper" fighting knife out of it...Quote:
Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY
Why not see if the remaining nickel will come off with the careful application of a buffing wheel, and coarse polish, applied lightly and or a rotary wire brush. The chances are, by your description, that the nickel wasn't applied very well in the first place and may well come off quite easily, with a little encouragement.Quote:
Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY
A while ago I had a 1907 bayonet that had some nickel plating left on it that I wanted to remove and it came off quite easily with a rotary wire brush.
Obviously, if the above are attempted then appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn, including suitable safety goggles/eye protection and a suitable dust mask.
Depending on the croming quality Vinegar will remove crome, also will remove bluing.
I have had some success (after photos to follow) phosphoric acid got most of the nickel off
with the addition of brass brushes and buffing wheel. I have only tried the process on the smaller parts not the barreled action which oddly only shows plating below the wood line.
The photo depicting the rear sight shows the transition between the nickel and what I am calling patina.
That all seems rather weird. Who would plate something and then use it so much that the plating would wear off of it like that?
Agreed. It is very odd. Especially as the tang of the trigger guard is exactly where one would expect heavy wear from rubbing by dirty fingers. Unlike the magazine plate, which is hardly touched by the hand in normal use, but in this case is corroded, even slightly pitted.
So I don't think the plating was applied overall, and then wore off in this somewhat unlikely fashion. Instead, I rather suspect that Bubba partially plated the badly corroded areas after buffing them. A fudge, in other words.
If there is a more plausible explanation, someone please enlighten me!
Perhaps it was plated for color guard use at a VFW or some other veterans organization.
I have to disagree with the magazine plate not being touched by normal use. My 99 Savage that I hunt with only has wear on the area which corresponds to the magazine plate on this Arisaka. It is the normal carry place on the rifle when going through the woods unslinged. It's the balance point of the rifle one handed. In combat, probably not as likely to be carried that way but it is common in woods hunting. Most of the bluing is gone on the underside of the receiver after 20 years of hunting with it. 30 now but that's when I noticed the finish loss being significant.
I can't see a color guard of a VFW or similar organization using the rifle of their enemy for anything other than a war prize.
It's a Jap Arisaka...what VFW?Quote:
Originally Posted by rcathey
You’d be surprised. They did some funny things in the more cash strapped communities. A quick google search even found an example:Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/301091-vfw-arisaka/
Seen...Quote:
Originally Posted by rcathey
My thoughts exactly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aragorn243
Might be thru. Somewhat pleased with the results ( far better than the plating ).
Results below. Still have plating under the wood which I may or may not tackle.
It seems to me to look much less messed with than before and less than if I tried to refinish all the metal.
I am at a loss. Plating is intact below the wood & bayonet and the trigger guard tang.Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Chadwick
Pretty good result, I'd say.
I think it looks great. I'd get it all off because knowing it's there would seriously bother me.
Well, if you did that it would look new because you'd glass bead and hand polish and blue. Then it would look like a new made yesterday rifle.Quote:
Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY
Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
If the wood was better I would probably do that because like it or not it has and will always be obviously "messed with".
---------- Post added at 12:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 PM ----------
That is my predicament. It bothers be as well. To be determined if it bothers me enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aragorn243
Leaving any remaining nickel plating on metalwork under the woodwork, where it can't be seen, will give excellent corrosion protection to the metalwork that is normally hidden by the woodwork.Quote:
Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY
Well yes, but we're not really going to be putting our stuff through what it already went through. Most of these get regular cleaning now compared to an Arisaka of WW2 time frame...Quote:
Originally Posted by Flying10uk
I restore motorcycles for a living so I deal with removing all kinds of plating. The only correct and sensible way to remove chrome or nickel is to send it to your favorite chrome shop(which if you have one your lucky because I think they all suck)and have them remove the plating. The reason is the plating has to be removed the reverse way it was applied, with electric current. They basically reverse the current and flow the plating back off. This way there is no abrasive destruction of your white metal. I don't think they would charge much either. Believe me, I like to do all things myself but there is a few that you just have to farm out to get them done right.
Finally...an alternative to glass beading.
I would echo a previous post and suggest that you take it to a professional plating shop and get them to strip it, they will not touch the base metal and will remove all foreign plate..
The other issue with de-plating is that it generates a load of real toxic solution (especially chrome) that you will find difficult to dispose of legally or ethically. The platers will just put the metal back on the next auto bumper that comes along or they will have proper disposal paths available to them!
You do need to ask them to oil up the parts when they come out of the plating tank, or arrange to pick up the parts immediately they are de-plated.. they will rust extremely quickly otherwise!
I have just had a Dreyse needle gun de-plated! I suspect it had been a parade gun or a trophy at some point. What is interesting is that the chrome plating has preserved the markings extremely well..
Hoppe's No 9 had a bad reputation for removing nickel plating on guns. Guys would soak a barrel in Hoppe's and find all of the nickel gone.