AK Sponsor
Posted: 9/29/2008 6:29:14 PM EDT
|
All right. At the last fun show in charlotte, the ak bug caught hold and thus, I MUST HAVE ONE! But i like to build things and thought i could make one. Ive been searching all the BIY forums and intructions i could find and everything seems pretty easy with the right tools. So this weeekend at hickory i bought a tapco flat. The top rails come bent and all the holes have been drilled. And a rivet set. 20 bucks. Not a huge investment. Today i started to bend the flat. Oh wait i dont have a jig or a press. Being the clever guy i am, I printed a template, Measured everything out, scored a few lines onto the flat and laid out my plan in my head. I decided to bend the flat in a vice with some iron for support, and a rubber mallet. Bad idea. Both sides are bent. But the bottom is warped out and not wide enough. I completely ruined it. In fact its so horrible im not going to post pics. But if you want, print a template fold it on the lines and the crumple it up and flatten it back out. Pretty much what i have now. Ive scoured the internet to see if anyone has posted this method. Didnt find annything. So heres my question. Can i get another flat, and send it to someone to bend it for me? Or is that manufacturing and illegal? Also, anyone here ever bend one kinda like i did and have it turn out right? Anyhelp would be appreciated. |
|
I believe having someone else bend the reciever for you, would be manufacturing. I would just trash the one you have now, and do 1 of a few different choices. 1. You can pick up another flat. You can then either get the right tools for the job. Yes a lot of expense if you're not going to build more. 2. See if you can find someone local with the tools who is willing to help you through the process. 3. Order a receiver and have it shipped to a local FFL and pick it up like any other gun. Of course if you fuck up that one, it'll be a bigger problem.  Without knowing what tools/experience you have, giving any further advice would be a problem. |
| What he said!! However you might try your hand at a 80% prebent. or a laser cut weld up. I have never used these but they do exist. I found it easier to build a bender. and use tapco flats and not worry about the top rail. The advice i would give on building a bender is go with heavier steel than most guys use. Happy AK building |
| Thanks yall. Ive been looking at tapcos other flats, and i found the blemished yugo flats. The underfolder was the reason i wanted an ak. I got the standard flat because it would be my first and i figure the first time around, simple is better. But anyone got any reviews for that flat? |
|
So let me get this straight. You dont have a kit and was going to start by bending the receiver first, then getting a kit to match? Or you have a m70ab2 yugo underfolder and that was the flat you messed up? If you are looking for a Yugo receiver, check this one out. rapidfire.targetweb.net/cgi-bin/store/agora.cgi/agora.cgi?cart_id=6344703.12459*Wq5l98&p_id=02095&xm=on&ppinc=big |
The AK i saw that made my brain start into buildin one was the underfolder. However, i figured that being my first build, and a learning experience, that i should stay as simple as possible and decided to go with the standard AK. No folding stocks or anything like that. |
| I know it wouldnt be safe to flatten it back out and try again so i ordered a new flat from tapco. I havent got a kit yet. Im waiting till i get paid again to buy it. So i took the the time to see if i could do it right. OR well, safe enough. So i flattened it out got some steel, drilled some holes and used the hammer/vice method i finally found. I thing it turned out pretty good. Albeit scratched and ugly. And before anyone says anything, yes i know that it probably wouldnt be safe to build on it, so im not. If i can clean it up some, I just might post a pic. Also, thanks to all the guys who contribute to the AK section. Its given me a whole new world of possibilities. |
| get a bent blank from marshhawkarms.com and whittle away all the bits that don't look like an AK receiver. i've had great results with these. but for some reason i'm a savant with a micrometer and a dremel tool who can't cut a straight line in wood to save my life. |
| I don't have the link readily available but there are those who do scribe the bends and then weld them after bending (it was one of the first methods I read about). Not having done it (but having done my fair share of bad bends) I would say going with a jig, already bent 80% or NDS would be the best way to go. It really is not that hard if you have the right tools (it took me 6 months before I bought the right tools, but so many have been built using those tools so it was worth it). Good luck and don't let this get you down, if I had given up after my first mistake or even within my first dozen mistakes I would not have the confidence I have now that I can build AKs. |
| Well, i got a new flat from tapco today. Ive got a couple ideas on how to make a jig on the cheap. Ive been taking some measurements on some templates and the reciever i bent twice and compared them to some diagrams i found. The reciever i bent twice measure out damn near perfect, albeit ugly and dented. Im not disheartened. Its a learning experience, and maybe a lesson that will help me down the road. |
| I did one without a jig using the vise and hammer method. The trick is to have a piece of bar stock filed to the correct width of the inside of the receiver. That way, you are sure it is correct. The top rails are even more of a challenge. Get them wrong and she won't work. Don't worry about the dings and scratches. You can remove them at the end of the build. Fun way to create a receiver if you are not in a hurry. |
That is exactly what it did. From lowes. 7.49 for like 3 feet. Morethan enough. Well i did that the second time anyway. Uh, anyidea how to clean it up though? |
|
The easiest way is to make a jig. See the poor man's jig thread. I bent three receivers this way, total cost for the jig was about $30. You use 4 pieces of threaded rod and nuts to pull the jig together. No hammer required. Do yourself a favor and buy some flats with pre-bent top rails. I got mine from akparts.com http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=4&f=51&t=100158 Don't forget to buy a spot welder. But hey you can always buy a pre-bent receiver and forget the hassle of bending. |
AK Sponsor