Nickel Plated CZ 75B

I have an 85 Combat and have had a 75B Compact, both in satin nickel.

I think the satin nickel is the best CZ finish. About the only problems you'll have, over time, is the finish might gradually darken a bit where you hand contacts the finish, but that is easily cleaned up using Flitz (which CZ recommends and says is perfectly safe.)

Older nickel finishes were often applied over a copper base coat, and that could be a problem -- as microcracks in the finish would let copper-eating ingredients in some gun cleaners attack the underlying copper. CZ and most modern gunmakers, no longer use copper as a foundation for nickel finishes, so that is not a concern.

I've had mine since late 1996 or 97, and it still looks like new.

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...as microcracks in the finish would let copper-eating ingredients in some gun cleaners attack the underlying copper...
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Hoppes #9 package has a specific warning not to use on nickle plated guns for this reason.

CZ and most modern gunmakers, no longer use copper as a foundation for nickel finishes, so that is not a concern.
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This might be the case but there are always new members on gun forums with older nickle plated guns that don't know this.
 
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vulcan73 said:
This might be the case but there are always new members on gun forums with older nickle plated guns that don't know this.
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It's not "This might be the case" -- it IS the case. I was specifically addressing the CZ nickel finish. Contact CZ. I have done so. CZ doesn't use a copper undercoat.

Electroless nickel finishes -- a chemical application process rather than the more traditional electro-plating process -- also don't require a copper base. Many gun makers now use that process.

Older guns -- as you note (and was implicit in my comments) -- can be a problem. Anyone who has been around old S&W or Colt revolvers has probably seen guns with the nickel finish slowly going away because the copper foundation has been eroded. It can be ugly.

If someone has an older gun and doesn't know how the nickel finish was applied, that person should avoid any gun cleaner like Hoppe's #9 or Sweets 7.62 -- both contain ammonia, which is what degrades the copper.
 
Seven High said:
What type/brand of gun cleaner should be used on older guns with nickel plating?
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Probably any metal cleaner that isn't used to remove copper build up in barrels will work. Do an internet search for the SDS (Safety Data Sheet) for the product in question and check the ingredients -- if it has ammonia, avoid it.

The SDS, recommend by CZ for their guns, DOES contain ammonia, so it's a no-no. Here's a link to that SDS:

http://www.flitz.com/content/SDS%20-%20Flitz%20Metal%20Plastic%20Fiberglass%20Polish-Paste_16pt.pdf
 
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