John@JCDLESales
Member
As of late I have been getting more and more of either AK Projects that are unfinished or hammered on to the point of It Ain't Gonna Shoot. I thought maybe a short revisit to the basics might help those that fall into this category.
Riviting seems to end alot of projects. *Hint if the first rivit you set goes badly STOP! They are not going to get better until you find out what your doing wrong. If you plan on building a few AK's you might want to look into a Riviting Jig get 2 or 3 friends and spread the cost around. Well worth the money and you'll be pleased with the results.
Pins and barrels are Pushed In at the factory. They are NOT Pulled Out with a puller to be replaced. Find someone with a 20 Ton Press make friends with this individual, bring him beer when you visit :wink: And the factory sure doesn't use the BFH Method of hammering a barrel into place. Also use some form of Anti Seize just in case you have to reposition the newly pressed in barrel. Beg borrow or steal to get a Pin Pusher for the barrel pins and a Trunion Jig if you plan on building a few more AK's. A friend with a lathe can whip you one out Pin Pusher in a few mins and a Trunion Jig if he has a milling machine in a very short time. Remember to Bring More Beer Here
Get all your parts REALLY Clean before your first trip to the Bead Blast Cabinet with either Acetone or Mucho Brake Cleaner. Make sure to look for Cosmoline hiding in the recesses under the rear sight and in the screw base of the front sight, Glass Bead is far superior to any kind of Sand Blasting. Again alot of automotive shops have blast cabinets that just sit. Never hurts to ask what the owner wants for say a 2 Hr. Rental.
Clean again before riviting the trunions in. Do your final fit of the selector and any fitting you might have to do the the Cross Member Rivit Head so that the selector clears it. If your going to add Selector Detents now is the time. One last trip to the blast cabinet to get anything you might have missed. A final clean and your ready to Parkerize of Spray On your finish.
* Remember Clean Is Never Clean Enough :shock:
Most of the Pics are Self Explanitory and I hope they help you visualize
what to expect.
Here is an example of what I'm talting about. The bad build had to be completely taken apart and redone. But the Polish Underfolder came out nice with a little TLC as you can see.
Riviting seems to end alot of projects. *Hint if the first rivit you set goes badly STOP! They are not going to get better until you find out what your doing wrong. If you plan on building a few AK's you might want to look into a Riviting Jig get 2 or 3 friends and spread the cost around. Well worth the money and you'll be pleased with the results.
Pins and barrels are Pushed In at the factory. They are NOT Pulled Out with a puller to be replaced. Find someone with a 20 Ton Press make friends with this individual, bring him beer when you visit :wink: And the factory sure doesn't use the BFH Method of hammering a barrel into place. Also use some form of Anti Seize just in case you have to reposition the newly pressed in barrel. Beg borrow or steal to get a Pin Pusher for the barrel pins and a Trunion Jig if you plan on building a few more AK's. A friend with a lathe can whip you one out Pin Pusher in a few mins and a Trunion Jig if he has a milling machine in a very short time. Remember to Bring More Beer Here
Get all your parts REALLY Clean before your first trip to the Bead Blast Cabinet with either Acetone or Mucho Brake Cleaner. Make sure to look for Cosmoline hiding in the recesses under the rear sight and in the screw base of the front sight, Glass Bead is far superior to any kind of Sand Blasting. Again alot of automotive shops have blast cabinets that just sit. Never hurts to ask what the owner wants for say a 2 Hr. Rental.
Clean again before riviting the trunions in. Do your final fit of the selector and any fitting you might have to do the the Cross Member Rivit Head so that the selector clears it. If your going to add Selector Detents now is the time. One last trip to the blast cabinet to get anything you might have missed. A final clean and your ready to Parkerize of Spray On your finish.
* Remember Clean Is Never Clean Enough :shock:
Most of the Pics are Self Explanitory and I hope they help you visualize
what to expect.
Here is an example of what I'm talting about. The bad build had to be completely taken apart and redone. But the Polish Underfolder came out nice with a little TLC as you can see.
