cleaning nickel plated revolvers

Robin

My father in law gave me a Smith and Wesson revolver, a WW II bring back . It is chambered in 38 S&W and has the original hardware for a lanyard on the butt of the grip. According to my father in law, he picked the revolver up in England before being shipped home in late 1945. The original finish was not nickel, he had that done around 1950 and the finish is still in good condition except for a couple of small spots where the stocks meet the frame. I think the action is gummed up with dried grease and dust and it is hard to work. I would like to clean it with something that won't damage the nickle finish anymore. Is something like "Gun Scrubber OK to use? Suggestions are appreciated. I picked up some 38 S&W ammo and am looking forward to trying the old revolver out once I get it cleaned up. After 40 plus years in the sock drawer, it's time for the old gun to go bang.

EDIT: Spider, I am not sure whether the finish is nickel or chrome and honestly don't know how to tell the difference. Is there a difference in how chrome vs. nickel should be cleaned?

Spider7115

Are you sure it's nickel and not chrome? A lot of GI's had their trophies chrome plated after the war.

navc130

Gun Scrubber is good, or Brake cleaner. Remove the grips and flush out anywhere you see an opening. Let drain and dry. Spray or lube with a gun lubricant. With the gun sprays and lubes available you do not have to remove the sideplate to get to the inner workings. Removing the side plate is not recommended unless you are knowledgeable of the procedure. You can easily damage the screw heads and the finish.

beantownshootah

Here's a WWII era "victory" revolver, nickel plated, front sight cut into ramp shape, lanyard ring cut off and rechambered (crude cylinder bore-out) into .38 special:


Anyway, *limited* use of a mild polish like Flitz can take out superficial scratches from nickel and remove haze.

Rest of the gun can be treated like any blued finish gun, with ordinary gun-products to clean the bore, cylinder, etc.

RCrosby

Never tested the theory, but I've read that prolonged exposure to Hoppe's 9 can dissolve nickel coating.

Spider7115

quote:Originally posted by RCrosby
Never tested the theory, but I've read that prolonged exposure to Hoppe's 9 can dissolve nickel coating.

Yep, it dissolves the copper base and the nickel flakes off. That's why I asked if it was nickel or chrome.