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Repair nickel-plated finish scratches

Is there a way to buff, polish or otherwise repair very minor blemishes and scratches to a nickel-plated steel surface?

John Mountjoy
gun-owner - Lexington, Kentucky, USA
October 20, 2008

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October 22, 2008

If the scratches and blemishes are not too deep you can try buffing them out with a close sown sisal using a stainless steel buffing compound buff followed by buffing with a loose sown cotton buff using a white chrome buffing rouge. You can usually buy these wheels adaptable to power drills and the compounds at most hardware stores.
It is going to be slow, hard and tedious work. If the flaws in the metal are too deep you will cut through the nickel before the imperfections are buffed out. Then besides the scratches and blemishes you will have bare steel followed soon by rust.
Besides taking the part to a good plating shop to have it done professionally , that is the best advice I can give.

Frank DeGuire
- St. Louis, Missouri, USA