I bought this nickel finish S&W 39-2 out of an estate years ago in Florida. Mechanically the pistol is in excellent condition. Only problem was that the pistol lived on a boat on the Atlantic Ocean side of the state. Constant exposure to humidity took a toll on the pistol’s finish. No pitting but the top of the slide is badly discolored and the nickel had started peeling in several places on the aluminum frame. Figured it would make a good restoration project but never got around to it. Well, time to either complete the project or dump the pistol. I always liked the Model 39. Here’s the issue: Smith & Wesson won’t refinish older model handguns. Can anyone recommend someone that will do a professional job of re-nickeling?
whatnickname Might give Mahovsky's Metalife a call as they do bright nickel plating. They Metalifed (hard chrome plated) my Beretta Model 70S many years ago and it still looks as good as the day I got it back from them.
Bright nickel is very pretty, but there are modern finishes that are far more durable, like what bannockburn mentions above. People in this forum used to talk about a refinishing company called Ford or Ford's, but I have not heard of them lately, and I think some of the mentions were questions about slow service.
Take a look at CCR (Cummings Custom Refinishing). I've seen many examples of their work and it has all been outstanding http://www.ccrrefinishing.com/
I had Ford's Guns renickel an early Hand Ejector last year, and they did a superb job. Just don't expect to get your gun back until next year!
If it was me, i would TiN it silver or gold. middle branch does it as well as titanium gun. I have been looking for a worn finish firearm so i can get it coated like gold. Not sure why, just need a BBQ gun.
I would start of by saying YMMV. THERE. Now, ceracote instead of nickel or Metalife on a 39 would be an insult. Kind of like making a sow's ear out of a silk purse.
Ceracote is a good practical finish for folks who want to manage costs. Your gun, with the damage mentioned, is going to worth LESS after ceracoated than in it's current state. And it certainly won't look as good as it would if refinished in nickel.. You might consider just refinishing the slide -- if the rest of the gun is in good shape (no significant pitting or peeling). Note: if the finish is peeling away, there is likely to be SOME damage underneath that you can't see, so a little prep work will have to be done by the refinisher. I had a slide redone once, and it wasn't that expensive. (That was about 15 years ago, and I doubt that anything done 10 years ago will be done for the same price, today.)
I had Ford's hard chrome a HK P7M8 and bright chrome a Colt officers ACP ~4-5 years back. Yeah, I waited 8 months. They did an incredible job.
