Is it possible to have an electroless nickel finish re-finished black?

[warriorsociologist]

Hi all.

I am thinking about getting an Remmy 870 Marine Magnum w/ its electroless nickel finish for a boat gun (hense the anti-corrosion concerns), but I don't like the bright nickel finish. Is it possible to send it off for a matte black refinish??? Or, will nothing adhere to EN?

Thanks.

 

[stans]

You could try applying something like Gunkote over the e-nickel, but it might flake off. Nickel is a non-porous finish and resists corrosion well, unfortunately it is also relatively soft and easier to scratch than hard chrome.

 

[dfariswheel]

One option is to have the EN plated finish stripped and have the gun refinished with your choice of finishes.

Most platers offer a stripping service in which they basically reverse the plating process and DE-plate the metal.

Once removed, you can have any finish you want applied.

The trouble with most of the paint-type synthetic coatings is, most of them don't adhere very well to the "slick" EN plating.

Cost-wise, you'd be better off just buying a parkerized 870 Police gun with the extension.
http://www.remingtonle.com

However, as a boat gun, there would be few guns MORE corrosion-resistant than a EN plated gun with a further coating of something.
Before the metal could rust, the coating AND the plating would have to be penetrated.

While such coatings won't adhere as well as over bare steel, a selected coating would likely adhere fairly well, and could be re-coated as needed.
I'm specifically thinking of a do-it-yourself option like one of the bake-on finishes from Brownell's.

These are easy to apply, very durable, and cheap. While they might not adhere as well on EN, they're cheap and easy enough to be refinished.

I'd recommend emailing Brownell's and ask about their coatings over EN.

 

[romulus]

Check this out, might be an alternative. http://techplate.com/black_chrome.htm
Seems like it can be applied over the nickel substrate

 

[Chris Rhines]

Black Chrome is an extremely weak finish, suitable for decorative use only. It is less durable than bluing.

Were I you, I'd get a Parkerized 870 with synthetic furniture and give it a coat of Brownells Gun-Kote.

- Chris