Matt,

Most of the etchants that I have seen for nickel are somewhat nasty (nitric
acid and HF mixtures, etc.)  A general purpose etch that you might try is
listed below.  I'm not sure we ever used it to look at grain structure.

Equal parts of acetic acid, nitric acid, and water, swabbing for up to 30s.
 Use fresh, do not store.  Etching should be done under a hood.  Refer to
the MSDS sheets for the chemicals listed for proper safety precautions.

There are several other etchants in the following metallography text if you
would like further information:

Metallography Principles and Practice
George F. Vander Voort
ISBN 0-07-066970-8
McGraw-Hill

Dave Anderson
Medtronic, Inc.

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