Cleaning and degreasing before nickeling. Suggestions?

[twaits]

For anyone out there that has done a final cleaning and degreasing of metal parts before nickel plating, what works best for you?
I have ordered a Caswell electroless nickel kit and am going to try my hand at nickel plate. I know cleanliness of the metal is critical
so I'm just looking to see what others do. Thanks all.

[RDak]

Twaits: The first link is from a guy who used Caswell's plating kit and he used the SP cleaning solution.

The second link indicates Caswell includes this SP powder to be mixed with distilled water to give you the SP cleaning solution used by the guy in the first link.

Home Plating a Pair of Remington Pocket Pistols - THR

Caswell Inc. - Cleaners and Degreasers

It looks to be pretty straight forward and kinda mimics rust blue cleaning. Except the water temperature with the SP cleaner is only 140 degrees.

(FWIW, I have only just used some soap in boiling water for the first cleaning. Then boiled in plain water thereafter and NEVER touched the guns with my bare hands........I always used tongs or a hook made from an old metal hanger [and I wore rubber gloves]. This boiling water method I used is for rust blueing though.)

But it looks like Caswell includes what you need for cleaning the gun prior to plating and during the plating processes.

Good luck!!

[twaits]

RDak,

Thanks very much for the links and the suggestions! Very helpful. It's nice to know that Caswell includes a cleaner in their kit.
I wish I could see the pics of those Remington pistols on THR. I got banned from there for life for posting a couple of pics of sawed off shotguns

[Oyeboten]

Caustic Soda I think was the usual resort traditionally...( to degrease )

Neutralize with any light Acid in Water Solution.

[Denny Crane]

Brownells Dicro-Clean #909

DICRO-CLEAN NO. 909 - Brownells