Summary for nickel plating my taurus pt92 af Discussion
Nickel plating my Taurus pt92 AF is the question here: the poster wants to strip the pistol’s black oxide finish with Evapo-Rust and then nickel plate the bare steel, but is unsure whether a copper strike is required first. The excerpt does not include any technical replies, so there is no consensus or named expert advice to report from the thread itself. The only clear takeaway is that the question centers on proper prep and underplating sequence for nickel on a firearm frame/slide, with the poster having heard conflicting guidance about copper plating versus direct nickel plating. Because no answer text is shown, the page as provided does not resolve the process or recommend a specific method.
Q. I have a Taurus pt92 AF; I would like to nickel plate it, First I will soak it in Evapo-Rust [on
or
Amazon [affil link]
to remove the Black oxide finish to the bare metal. I’ve been reading that one would need to copper plate first, then nickel it, and some say you don’t. Any advice would be appreciated.
Taurus PT92AF Parts & Accessories
on eBay
(affil link)
Jack Bennett
hobbyist – Pearson Georgia
August 2, 2025
A. Hi Jack.
You don’t need to copper plate steel before nickel plating; don’t do it, it will only complicate things for you.
But here’s the thing: which is more important to you: getting it nickel plated, or learning to do plating yourself? Because attempting to nickel plate your pistol yourself is the wrong way to achieve either goal 🙂
If the most important thing to you is getting it plated and properly, send it to a professional plating shop which is licensed to handle firearms, like Greystone. On the other hand, if you want to learn electroplating, you do that by practicing and learning, doing a lot of plating on scrap and trinkets before attempting to plate anything important, let alone a firearm.
Unfortunately, the idea that you can successfully nickel plate an object on your first time out, or even your fifth time out, let alone this piece, just isn’t realistic. Tell me you’ve got a piece of scrap steel you want to practice on, and we can start making progress. Scrub it really well with a tampico scrub brush
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link] and a warm solution of powdered pumice
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link] and Spic-and-Span
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
or something similar.
When you think it’s really clean, rinse it and look for a waterbreak ⇦ huh? . If there is one, it’s not clean enough, keep trying.
Once it is waterbreak-free clean, dip it in muriatic acid
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link] for 1 minute, fairly dangerous stuff (be sure to wear rubber gloves
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link] and goggles
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link] as the minimum personal protective equipment (PPE)). Rinse it again and look for waterbreak again. Now you’re ready to try to nickel plate it.
Good Luck, & Regards!
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.