Nickel plating

[SomeGuy75]

So I just picked up yet another 1911, and I was thinking about having it nickel plated. I see a few different plating companies online, but I thought I would come to the CG community and see if anyone out there has any experience with nickel plating. I am looking to make it a mirror finish, as bright and pimp daddy as possible. I would prefer to stick with a local company (Sacramento area) but will ship if I have to.

Any input is appreciated...

[Mad Aaron]

You can ask Advanced Metal Finishing in Roseville.

[bountyhunter]

Nickel plating is pretty but fragile. It scratches easily. Copper attacking cleaners can flake it because there may be copper plated under the nickel. I find hard chrome to be beautiful and very tough, but nickel is pretty.

[nahpungnome]

Any particular reason you're choosing nickel over chrome? I like nickel's warmth, but chrome is hard to beat as far as durability if you're looking into silver tones.

[mzagg]

You probably want a copper nickel chrome stackup. The top Chrome layer will only be ~0.5um thick, with a total stack around 55um. But the chrome will be bulletproof and so much more durable.

Nickel will dent easily because it's soft.

Nickel will also be more blueish, but the chrome will be the bright pimp daddy mirror look you want.
Chrome will also be smoother and have less waviness, etc. You will get some rounding and lose crispness on corners and features with any coating.

Also some people (not me) are allergic to nickel and it would probably suck to handle your pimp daddy piece and then break out in a rash.

[SomeGuy75]

You probably want a copper nickel chrome stackup. The top Chrome layer will only be ~0.5um thick, with a total stack around 55um. But the chrome will be bulletproof and so much more durable.

Nickel will dent easily because it's soft.

Nickel will also be more blueish, but the chrome will be the bright pimp daddy mirror look you want.
Chrome will also be smoother and have less waviness, etc. You will get some rounding and lose crispness on corners and features with any coating.

Also some people (not me) are allergic to nickel and it would probably suck to handle your pimp daddy piece and then break out in a rash.

Wow, this sounds like exactly what I am looking for. Any good places to have it done? Local or through the mail? What would be a reasonable cost for this?

Thanks

[doh31672]

I sent a HK to Ford's Refinishing for hard chroming and sent a couple others to Robar for some NP3 work, which is a nickel based finish. Sending guns out was pretty painless. A little pricey, but from what I hear, it's worth it.

[Che762x39]

I like nickel plated handguns. But what I look for is factory nickle plated handguns. They pop up occasionally. Good luck.

[Garv]

Make absolutely sure there is no ammonia in the cleaners you use.

Ammonia will slowly but surely dissolve the copper underplate through any tiny scratch, eventually flaking off the upper layers.