which kits best for hand guns

[coyote]

I have six hand guns that I like to nickel plating.

What would be the best nickel plating kit (Regular with 12 volts or Electoless) for hand guns?

What would the sq.in/ft surface area be on a 45 auto 1911?

[mcaswell]

Both will work well on handguns, but since you have 6, I would recommend the electroplating kit. It's more economical.

Not sure what the area would be without seeing it. One trick is to cover all parts with paper, then lay out the paper in a rectangle and calculate the area of the rectangle.

[coyote]

Thanks for the info. well give the electroplating kit a try in a week or two.

[tgoode]

Make sure you take the area of the interior of the magwell & the dustcover and the part of the frame where the sear and disconnector live into account as well as the interiors of the other parts you will be plating like the slide, mainspring housing, etc.

It probably doesn't have to be said but don't plate the barrel unless you figure out how to mask it. Better to just buy a commercially available stainless barrel.

[danman]

probably not a good idea to nickel - chrome plate your six hand guns as finger prints will be more decectable.