Refurbishing a frame with Nickel Plate finish

[carbon_blob]

I've got a 94 team marin frame that has built into a great bike, but the nickel plate finish has seen better days.

I'd like to get the old finish stripped off and then get the frame properly painted (by someone like argos, bob jackson etc). Can the old finish be stripped by sandblasting etc, or does it need some form of chemical attack?

 

[Huntso]

Don't know myself, but will be interested in any answers
I have recently acquired a Nickel Plated Team Marin and might need that option one day
Any chance of a pic?

 

[FairfaxPat]

Nickel plating actually etches into the metal-thus using some of the wall thickness of the tube. Rather than removing the nickel plate, perhaps sanding and painting would be a better option. I have had a few road frames in the past with chrome lugs where the whole frame was actually plated, then the tubes were painted over.

 

[Grannygrinder]

Chrome?

We use get a lot of stuff nickel plated at work. The finish tends to be inconsistent in my experience. You could get it chrome plated but it would add a surprising amount of weight. Or a good car body shop could do mirror finish paint which I had on an old triumph fuel tank,looked awesome.The choice is yours!

 

[carbon_blob]

I'm not trying to restore the bike to it's original state, I just want it so that it won't rust away from beneath me! Would powdercoating stick to it with a bit of sandblasting first to prepare it?