In the early '80s some Walther Banner-marked but wholly Manurhin-made PPK/s pistols imported with blued finish were refinished by Interarms in electroless-nickel to simulate stainless. This was a matte finish, not glittery bright, and beautifully done. Interarms re-labeled the boxes "NiVel" (a combination of nickel and velvet). Some pistols in .22LR were included in this program.
Nivel turned out to be a very demanding and painstaking process, as the new guns had to be totally disassembled, degreased and very finely sandblasted to remove the blue and give proper "tooth" for the nickel. The slightest contamination ruined the job, and it would have to be redone.
Unlike traditional electroplating, which has a soft copper layer under the nickel, Nivel was only a few microns thick but produced a surface much harder than the steel, including inside the bore; it made the action fit a little tighter all over and very slick. All the steel parts except the springs were plated.
It was a durable finish but not impervious to corrosion, as people with acidic perspiration soon learned. Grip straps could turn blackish, though this could be removed (one or twice) with Hoppe's No.9. Auto wax to prevent its recurrence was the best solution.
The process was discontinued when the Interarms/Manurhin relationship ended c.1984, though Manurhin went on to develop its own "Durogard" finish, imported for a few years afterward.
Compared to .380, the .22LR PPK/s was never a hot seller (something on the order of 9-1), so the Nivel .22s are seldom encountered. But they do exist.
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