Going to nickel plate an old gun...

[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?

[jimcarry]

All though pnp will work I would recommend dipping to insure full coverage.
As far as prep you will want the item as nice and smooth as you want it too look when you are finished ( the better the finish the better the ending result ) the bluing can be removed simply
by polishing off

[CarWiz]

I agree with Jim. Dipping with EN works great but practice on something else first. That's too nice of a pistol to go in blind on plating. While not an expensive one, it is a good shooter.

It should be disassembled and de-greased. If you must sand, be sure to polish it back to mirror finish or the scratches will show up under the plate.

[crob241]

Sir, in response about plating the star BM, I plated one several years ago using the brush plating kit, gold and silver plate on small parts, and it is still in great shape. You could not tell it is not pro done.