Colt Diamondback .38 - finish question

S

SantaCruzOM

Inactive
Hello folks,

I asked this question in another thread, but thought I might get more responses by creating my own. I have a Colt Diamondback with a somewhat cloudy nickel finish. I don't want to send the gun to Colt for a refinish or anything like that, but I would like to clean it up as much as possible. I would welcome suggestions on how to restore the nickel shine as a DIY project. Ultimately, I plan to sell the gun, so I don't want to drop a ton of money into the finish. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Frank
 

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Simichrome polish is the preferred method. Flitz also works well.
Use a tiny amount of polish on a soft cloth and very gently rub the surface, then buff off with a clean cloth. You can cut through the nickel if you use too much pressure/time/polish.
 
I don't know if it is an electroless nickel or regular bright nickel finish. Some Diamondbacks were shipped during the later years ('81-86 time frame) with the E-nickel finish. The key with nickel finishes is not to use any ammonia based cleaning solutions and be gentle in your "polishing".
 
OP, see my thread "more nickel" and "colt cleaned up" on this forum. Both wre done with Mother's mag and aluminum polish and a couple of micro fiber polishing cloths. You can get both at your local auto parts store. Put a small amount on the micro fiber and rub it into the surface until the cloth starts to turn black, then buff off with a clean micro fiber. I usually go over the gun three times using the above and they turn out great.
The other suggestions of Flitz and Simichrome work also but I prefer the Mother's. I have posted other pictures of my nickel Colts done with the Mother's polish. It works great!:)
 
Excellent! Thank you all for the quick feedback. I already have some of the Mother's mag cleaner, so I'll give that a shot.

Regards,
Frank
 
Make sure to take a few photos during the transition and post them along with your finished product... and rub lightly, very lightly.

As I recall, Dad used to use Zippo lighter fuel to polish up nickled guns. Seemed to work.
 
Santa,

This 'un was a bit cloudy when I first acquired it:

db_7118c.jpg


I used Flitz several times, then finished with a coat of Renaissance wax.

Mike
 
Colt Diamondback

SantaCruzOM, I would be interested in purchasing your Colt. Send me a PM with your asking price. This forum really should have a classifieds...
 
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