It’s been two years since I first started electroless nickel plating firearms, and I figured it was time for a two-year followup. The original post is located here. Although I posted that in October of 2009, I started using the kit in July of that year.
I am very pleased with the results. If you are familiar with the process, you may find the first few minutes of the video boring. If you aren’t, it’s a general description of the electroless nickel plating kit, which might be as good of a decision for you as it was for me.
As you can see here, Caswell was also impressed with my results.
Video is marked as private, can’t watch it.
So what are the simplest mistakes/tips, other than RTFM and follow the directions?
Preparation is everything. Completely remove all of the finish. Every part must be refinished on its own. Be sure that the whole thing passes the Water Break Test (described in the manual). Keeping the solution at the right temp is critical.
All it says is “this video is private” when I try playing it. 🙁
It should be public. Not sure what’s wrong. Try refreshing/clearing your cache?
Tried on my mac and it works on there. Anyway, great video as usual! Thanks!
What kinda time are we talking about. An afternoon?
If you charged $75/hour, it would end up being pretty expensive, no?
If I charged myself that? Sure. But I would also be charging myself a theoretical $75 an hour to sit on my couch and pick lint out of my bellybutton. So if I had nothing pressing…an afternoon spent doing electroless nickel work is a good financial decision.
I was thinking that is what your time is worth. If you built me a rifle, gave me some training, or refinished my 1911.
Bellybutton lint?
Did you ever consider meloniting? You can get it done, sans shipping for considerably less than 200 dollars for a typical pistol.
The high levels of heat involved make it a dicey choice for a “tight” handgun like a 1911.
There is VERY little change in final surface dimensions, if anything, it is probably the least disruptive finish when it comes to final fit of parts, since the dimensional changes are so minimal. As it also increases surface hardness and lubricity, it generally contributes to a longer-wearing pistol. I’ve seen more than one happy 1911 owner that even reported that the refinish did not affect their trigger job. I would not be concerned about applying it to a 1911 or any other handgun.
I’ve seen a few cases where sights, etc didn’t fit properly after the process…enough to keep me away.
This is more of a follow up question to some of your past stories on the 5.45X39 AR. The first and the most obvious question is are you still running the setup and if so how has it held up to shooting corrosive ammo over an extended period?
Also, it is my understanding the 5.45 round requires a heavier trigger spring to operate reliably. So how much more noticeable is the heavier spring over a stock setup?
Thank you, Bub
Yes, and yes. 😉
I’m still using it and plan on doing so for a training course later this year. I have seen little to no signs of corrosion.
It is a fair bit heavier and you will notice a difference, but the spring is compatible with other triggers such as the RRA 2 stage, which is what I’m using, and although it’s heavier than a regular 2 stage trigger, it’s still far better than a regular (non-heavy spring) stock trigger.
Great information as always – Andrew thought this may be of interest – web-driven 1911 Builder:
http://www.sniperworld.com/flash/1911.swf