555th jig blueprints - Page 2

**555th** · 11-04-2009, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hydrosonic

thats how it was on arfcom when I first got into building. I wish I had gotten alot more kits when they were still cheap. kicking myself in the rear for it now. All the places I had bookmarked then (got out of it cause of big move and motorcycle wreck, almost sold my krink kit just to pay bills) are no longer avail. any measurements on placement of the lower rails? from the kit i have in front of me looks like they sit on top of the dimples and sick out just a little in front of them. and for the top rails what are the measurements i need to bend those? I dont want to go bending and mess them up for no good reason when I can get a cheap set of calipers and do it right the first time.

Cheap calipers= Harbor Freight

Lower rails have a hole in them that the center support rivet goes through, then they get get levelled with the top rail and even with the bolt track in the front trunion.

**Winn R** · 11-04-2009, 04:50 PM

I'd like to add my thanks as well to 555th for his contributions. Gunco is only a great place because of the folks here.

He was one of the early guys in here. And one of the reasons

Quote:

building has come a long way since the early days

.

hydrosonic · 11-04-2009, 06:09 PM

The flats I have the rails dont have have any holes in them already. From looking at other build pics and guesstimating where they would be placed at by looking at the original I came to the conclusion of the holes. Would it be a good idea to set the trunnion first then weld in the rails? As far as tig/mig welding them what is the best route to take? Sorry for askin all these questions. I have done 1 build already but I used a 100% receiver for it so it was nothing but remove and put back together. There was none of this bending stuff and I just want to make sure I have it right.

hydrosonic · 11-04-2009, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 555th

I'm like mauser1959, I've been on a lot of gunboards, but Gunco is #1.

I think I remember first getting on arfcom and seeing you there in the BIY thread and lookin up to your knowledge on buildin ak's from kits.

kernelkrink · 11-04-2009, 06:22 PM

I find the rails are easier to weld in place if the trunnions are out of the receiver, more room to weld. I use a spotwelder though, most who TIG or MIG drill holes in the receiver and rosette/plug weld the rail from the outside. Wouldn't make much difference in that case, I would think.

To set the rail location, you will need to trim the top rails and fit the front trunnion into it's proper place. There are two "slots" in the rear of the trunnion that allow the bolt locking lugs to enter it, the top of the lower rails should be exactly level with the bottom of those slots. I use a drill bit placed between the top and lower rails to space this out, 1/4" is a good start but usually you have to go up or down a size or three to get it perfect. It is also common to need a different size on each side.

I also like to leave a few thousandths gap between the lower rails and the trunnion instead of butting them against each other. This prevents any force from the trunnion being transferred to the rails, which can stress the welds. Once the rails are located, clamp in place, remove the trunnion and weld. BTW, it is usualy easier to trim the mag tabs on the rails before welding in place.

BrianWV · 11-04-2009, 06:40 PM

Hydro, what part of the country are you in?
There may be a builder near you that could mentor you. There are also tutorials here on the site as well as a couple guys that sell(cheap) DVD's on building AK's. As for the tooling , like the barrel removal tools ,Are available from AkBuilder.com or the mentor you find most likely has them already.

All the guys here are great to answer any questions, no matter how dumb you think they are. Trust me , I have asked many.
I am lucky enough to live a reasonble driving distance from the "Ole Wise Ones" 555th and BigAl. Two of the nicest guys you ever want to meet.

BTW

hydrosonic · 11-04-2009, 06:51 PM

Im in OK. I have all the plans for the tools i need, like receiver jig, rivet jig, barrel removal, all that stuff. its just a matter of getting the materials and making them. I would like to try out 555th's jig but I cant seem to get the blueprints from the library to print right. When I try to print its all splotchy and cant read a thing on it. But from what I can tell 555th's jig would be best of the 3 jig plans I have found seeing as how it should do the top rails fairly easily. Other than the parts to make the jigs and such all im lacking is a dremel to get started. I have friends and in-laws here that can and are willing help me with any welding or metal work I may need. As ive said before I have already built 1 rifle (yugo underfolder) and it turned out pretty nice, I may redo it just to make a couple of the rivets look nicer, its just bending of a receiver that I have no experience with.

**Coils** · 11-04-2009, 10:47 PM

Hello & Welcome
I hope someone can answer your question about the printing issue.

But I can confirm his jig works, I got one from him years ago when I first got into this. You don't even need a press to use it, I did most of my flats with 2 or 3 large c-clamps.

Get a few more posts in so you can start doing the emails and PM'ing

**mauser1959** · 11-05-2009, 06:16 AM

One more thread boy, and then you have full access. It is a pity that that feature had to be included, but we have had our share of trolls at times, even if they did not seem to last too long as a general rule. The longer you stay around here that more people you will be exposed too... a lot of these guys were the pioneers in the AK building hobby.

hydrosonic · 11-05-2009, 03:56 PM

Ya, ive talked with some before back when I first got interested in building back in '07. I got to know how it all worked pretty good before I tried my first build. Never had the cash for the jigs back then and there wasnt many of the poor man's jigs around that I had heard of so I just did my first build on a 100% nodak (another reason was because it was a yugo underfolder). Im still too broke to be buying alot of parts kits but I can at least get some receivers bent and formed and ready for when I get the kits. Ive had a few ideas about "making" the parts myself (or get someone local to on CNC machine). Not sure how well it would work or if its legal to do it that way. Will post again in the DIY thread more in depth.