Removing nickel plating from brass frame?

[1KPerDay]

I have come into possession of a crappy nickel-plated brass frame NMA, with ill-fitting grips and a wobbly loading lever. It's never been shot but I hate it already just because it looks stupid and everything feels sharp and poorly-built. I'm considering trying to strip off the nickel plating and saw the barrel down to a "bulldog" type length, just for fun mostly because it won't be shot too much with the brass frame.

Ideas, caveats, dissuasions?

 

[1KPerDay]

For reference

 

[bannockburn]

1KPerDay

I found that Hoppe's No. 9 Copper Solvent does a good job of removing nickel plating when there is a layer of copper plating underneath it. The Hoppe's goes after the copper plating, taking the nickel plating with it. I don't know if it will do the same thing with nickel plating on a brass frame; though brass is made using copper.

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

Reverse electroplating:

 

[hawg]

I would go with a chemical stripper. If you hook the leads up backwards with electrolysis you will dissolve your gun.

 

[Ru4real]

Dissuasion.

I’d buy a silver paint pen and color the exposed brass silver so it looks 100% nickel plated. But I like making my things nice looking.

 

[1KPerDay]

Dissuasion.

I’d buy a silver paint pen and color the exposed brass silver so it looks 100% nickel plated. But I like making my things nice looking.

There’s no exposed brass. It is fully nickel plated. It looks stupid IMO.

 

[hawg]

It looks like it has/had a timing problem. The grips came off of another gun. Italian manufacturers finish the grips installed on the grip frame so no two sets of grips match.

 

[gobsauce]

There’s no exposed brass. It is fully nickel plated. It looks stupid IMO.

I'll be honest, I kind of dig the nickel. You don't see that very often, it's very distinct.

 

[1KPerDay]

I'll be honest, I kind of dig the nickel. You don't see that very often, it's very distinct.

You want it? Pm me with an offer if you do.

 

[1KPerDay]

It looks like it has/had a timing problem. The grips came off of another gun. Italian manufacturers finish the grips installed on the grip frame so no two sets of grips match.

It’s an ASM so I don’t know if anything that manufacturers typically do today applies to this old gun. My brother bought it new and hung it on his wall. The grips are the ones that came on it as far as I know.

 

[paul harm]

Keep it and make a bulldog out of it. It would be a good piece to do your first one and see what problems you'd run into. I did one and wanted to keep the " sail " feature because it's kind of a Remington thing, so I inletted earth magnets on the shortened rammer.

 

[gobsauce]

You want it? Pm me with an offer if you do.

Stop don't tempt me, I just might. .36 or .44?

 

[1KPerDay]

.44

 

[1KPerDay]

Keep it and make a bulldog out of it. It would be a good piece to do your first one and see what problems you'd run into. I did one and wanted to keep the " sail " feature because it's kind of a Remington thing, so I inletted earth magnets on the shortened rammer.

That sounds awesome. So the magnets hold the loading lever in place?

 

[gobsauce]

That sounds awesome. So the magnets hold the loading lever in place?

I could see neodymium magnets working for that. It's a brasser, so I'm sure you'll keep the charges relatively low, 15-20 grains.

 

[1KPerDay]

@paul harm got any pics?

 

[Paul R Zartman]

New home for @1KPerDay Nickel Plated NMA, Arrived in perfect condition, will sit here so I can look at it till I decide what to do with it, already did a test change...

Another project to ponder for a bit...

 

[1KPerDay]

Looks way better with the black grips!

 

[bannockburn]

1KPerDay

Looks way better with the black grips!

Agreed, but I kind of like the contrast between the nickel plating and the blued parts. Sort of grows on you after awhile!

 

[Paul R Zartman]

Looks way better with the black grips!

When I opened the box I sat it on the bench to inspect it, the more I looked at it I couldn't take my eyes away from the grips, not that they were ill fitted ( I like working with wood so no problem) they just clashed with the gun. Kind of like a beautiful woman in a string bikini who has a huge zit on the end of her nose, just can't stop looking at the zit... so I guess you can say I sort of "popped" that guns zit by painting the grips black...now I can see the gun as a whole unit. Probably buy some of those black grips with a silver snake in bedded in them, someone here had them on their gun. Anyways...enough of my fantasies... 1k shipped it almost faster than I could get him paid...AWESOME TRANSACTION @1KPerDay

 

[bannockburn]

Paul R Zartman

by painting the grips black...now I can see the gun as a whole unit.

Definitely a very successful effort on your part; aesthetically speaking!

 

[paul harm]

1KPD, yes I have photos in my phone Gallery, but can't seem to send them to my PC by email. I'll be over to the club tomorrow for shotgun and someone wiser than me can show me how. I've been wanting to do this and now I have a good excuse not to forget.

 

[paul harm]

I can now send them by email or text message. I could send them to someone and they could post the pics. Next is to find out how to put them in my PC so I can make an attachment and post photos.

 

[1KPerDay]

I can now send them by email or text message. I could send them to someone and they could post the pics. Next is to find out how to put them in my PC so I can make an attachment and post photos.

Paul if you want to email them to me at 1kperday at gmail dot com I can upload them here if you can’t.

if you’re on a smartphone and have a web browser on your phone (safari, google chrome, etc) and pull up THR on that browser you can just upload them directly from your phone