Did my first serious AR work.

Putting a free float tube on one upper and building a "no-ban" upper.

So, for the free float, I messed up the gas tube roll pin.  I think I may have used a roll punch that was too small and the pin started to unwind...  Would a roll pin starter have helped in this situation?

Anyway, the second effort was going real well until I tried to put a flashhider on...

Keep in mind this was the first time federal law allowed me to have any experience with evil flashiders... so I started with a peel washer...  The Marine Corp manual suggested a match to remove the layers.  Well I used a lighter and cooked it expecting for the layers to start separating.

Well, after nothing happened I put a plier to it and it came apart in several parts.  I tried used parts of what was left, but it was hopeless.  I thought I had a couple spares, but I had ordered split washers by mistake.

I did have one crush washer and it wasn't much easier.  It didn't give much at all even after I tried helping it along in a vise.  I had to sand it down to get it so the A2 would be close to the index point.  Even so, it took at least the maximum torque.

Long story short, how are you supposed to peel the layers on the peel washer?  Also, the manual also said the thin layers go to the rear, how do you know that?

anyone?

I guess I got lucky.  I held a cigarette lighter under mine and it seemed like one thin layer came off.  I could not get anymore to come off so I tightened it on down and it lined up w/o any problems.

I think from now on I'm gonna stick with thw A1 style.  Hell, I am not doing any prone shooting in sand anyway .

Peel washers are well known as being a pig to work with. The washer is basicallt a half-width washer, with a set of shim washers glued to it. You remove one shim at a time to reduce the thickness of the washer until you get the laignment you want.

In therory, you just heat the shim on the outside to melt the glue, then peel it off (hence the name). In practice its not as easy as it sounds.

Crush washers just deform as you apply pressure, so are much easier to use - just don't go past the point you want, because they are completely unforgiving and will need replacing if you do that.

The only way I can successfully compress a crush washer is to hold the upper (with vice mount) in a vice, and use a decent wrench on the FS. You have to apply a lot of force. IMHO you won't do it without a vice, and probably not just trying to clamp the barrel in the vice either.