[bahodgens]

I picked up an old pistol (Star BM 9mm semi-automatic, about 2.2lb all-steel construction) the other day with the intent to refinish it, and I've decided to nickel plate it. However, I'm not sure where to start.

At initial look, the Plug-N-Plate Nickel looks appealing (ie, easy). However, I have some concerns:

1) How durable is it compared to the other nickel finishes? Is it the same chemical p
2) Is it more of a decorative finish than a 'work' finish? I'm aware that there are different types of nickel plating, all with different crystal matrices, but I don't know which is which (I'm an amateur hobbyist, after all).
3) Is the Plug-N-Plate suitable for a smooth finish on an object of this size? As I said, it's about 2.2lb of (currently blued) steel with a little rust pitting which I intend to sand smooth (400 grit wet sandpaper), and (I'd guess) about 48"^2 of metal (I seem to recall that the 8 oz. bottle will cover that, but I can't find the source now) - but is

Also, finally: what kind of metal prep will I need to do before starting? Most of the other finishes (bake-on paints and the like) I've seen require the surface of the metal to be bare and finely abraised (ie placed in a media blast cabinet), but I don't have access to anything like that. I suspect a degreasing would be necessary (not a problem), but what of the metal surface prep? Would I need to take it down to bare metal (and would sandpaper be sufficient for that), or would a good stiff cleaning be sufficient?