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Well, well, well. It turns out that nickel does not like oil Seems like that is the kind of thing that should be written in giant letters on everything instead of the other bagilion warnings that were included with my new Smith and Wesson.

Alright, so here are my questions.

A) Is there anything that i can do at this point to reduce the "clouding", or is it just a lost cause.

B) How much does it typically cost to refinish nickel, and does anyone have a recommendation of who to use.

FIFTY wrote:Well, well, well. It turns out that nickel does not like oil Seems like that is the kind of thing that should be written in giant letters on everything instead of the other bagilion warnings that were included with my new Smith and Wesson.

Alright, so here are my questions.

A) Is there anything that i can do at this point to reduce the "clouding", or is it just a lost cause.

B) How much does it typically cost to refinish nickel, and does anyone have a recommendation of who to use.

What kind of oil did you use?? I have two or three nickel plated pistols and oil is fine on them. You might try using some gun scrubber to completely remove the oil. Any kind of gun oil or lubricant should not embed in the finish.

I would also call Smith. Their service department might be able to tell you what is happening. can you post some photos??

Wow, thanks for the quick reply Keith.

Only things that had touched the pistol were:
Break Free
Hoppes Moisture Displacing Lubricant
Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber
Hoppes Silicon Cloth

I'm charging up the camera, and will try to get a picture up soon.

I called the gun shop where I purchased the pistol when I started to realize a few spots in the finish, and they said, "oh you got oil on the nickel?, you've ruined it. I'll transfer you to the gunsmith and you can ask about getting it re-finished". He made it sound like this was something that absolutely everyone was aware of except for me.

Update:

Smith and Wesson says that the spotting can be caused by certain ammonia-based-lubricants, or at least I think that's what they called it. He said that since Hoppes is acidic it could have etched or burned the finish. The other possibility would be if break free bore cleaning foam was on a cloth that somehow came in contact with the finish while I was cleaning other pistols. He recommended trying to buff some carnuba wax on it, and if that doesn't work, send it back to S&W so they can try to buff it out.

I'm still all-ears for other recommendations, I'd really like to avoid having to ship this back.

I had heard that Hoppe's products were not good for nickel finishes. Sorry.

FIFTY wrote:I'm still all-ears for other recommendations, I'd really like to avoid having to ship this back.

Flitz; if any polishing or buffing can help it then either Flitz paste or liquid can do it. If you can't find any locally, you might try Nevr Dull first. Nevr Dull occasionally shows up in automotive stores with the Eagle One product line.

I think Nevr Dull may contain ammonia, though, so clean up afterward if you try it. Flitz claims no ammonia.

Thanks for the Flitz tip. I knew I had heard someone mention that somewhere on the forum before, but couldn't find any locally. I'll check and see if I can have some shipped to me.

FIFTY wrote:Thanks for the Flitz tip. I knew I had heard someone mention that somewhere on the forum before, but couldn't find any locally. I'll check and see if I can have some shipped to me.

You can get it at Midway http://www.midwayusa.com/esearch.exe/se ... l_products" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; if you can't find it localy. Some auto parts places carry it, but not sure which ones. I get mine at the local gun shop.

FIFTY wrote:Well, well, well. It turns out that nickel does not like oil Seems like that is the kind of thing that should be written in giant letters on everything instead of the other bagilion warnings that were included with my new Smith and Wesson.

Alright, so here are my questions.

A) Is there anything that i can do at this point to reduce the "clouding", or is it just a lost cause.

B) How much does it typically cost to refinish nickel, and does anyone have a recommendation of who to use.

Sorry about your problem, but it's good information to share. I have a lot of nickel plated Smiths and they've had every solvent known to man on them, along with blood, guts, gasoline, oil . . . All of my guns are older and I wonder if their process has changed?

Chas.

Thanks again for the help everyone. I really was surprised that such a durable finish could be so easily "stained". Apparently, the ammonia seeps through the nickel into the copper below where there is some sort of reaction...or so I've heard.

For now, the lesson learned is that Smith and Wesson recommends Break Free and NOT Hoppes. I've ordered the Flitz and will update with results once it arrives.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:Sorry about your problem, but it's good information to share. I have a lot of nickel plated Smiths and they've had every solvent known to man on them, along with blood, guts, gasoline, oil . . . All of my guns are older and I wonder if their process has changed? Chas.

I don't know how old your guns are, but in the 1980s many manufacturers started to use electroless nickel plating rather than traditional electroplating. This process change may explain the difference in the resistance to ammonia-based solvents.

Typically, electroplated nickel has a very shiny appearance like chrome. Many people don't the bright nickel plated finish that is associated with a "pimp gun." With electroless nickel you can obtain a continuim of surface finishes ranging from a bright shiny surface to a matte finish that looks like brushed stainless steel so it became a popular method to finish handguns. The electroless plating process doesn't require as much equipment electroplating and I believe that it is more forgiving in cleaning and surface preparation of the metal so the electroless process is an easier and cheaper method to use.