Electroless Nickel Firearm Finish
Electroless nickel has become popular as a finish for firearms. Electroless nickel is economical, attractive and will give years of maintenance-free service. Robar® confidently offers electroless nickel for the following reasons:
- Excellent resistance to fingerprints, perspiration, petroleum distillates of all types, gun solvents, gun cleaners and all powder residue.
- A salt-spray corrosion resistance tolerance exceeding 100 continuous hours per ml. thick deposit.
- Plating rate is predictable, permitting a deposit of the exact desired thickness.
- All surfaces are equally plated with micro-smooth nickel. This allows a natural low friction and lubricity resulting in smoother gun operation and reliability.
- It rates 0.1 on the Taber Wear Index, making it tougher than hard chrome. This is significant in that electroless nickel provides a more wear resistant surface.
- Expansion and contraction of the metal will not result in peeling of the nickel deposit.
- Electroless nickel will pass a 180 degree bend test, as specified under Mil-C-26074A, without peeling.
- It is rated at Rockwell C53-56 in hardness before stoving (Rockwell 68-70 being possible). This means that plating of the wear surfaces alone will extend the useful life of a firearm.
- Adhesion for this process is reported to be 30,000 to 60,000 pounds per square inch.
- Electroless Nickel is durable and cost-effective, eliminating further investment into future finishing for the weapon.
