Okay, got my press, my spot welder, jigs are ordered, rivets are all drilled out of rear trunions. Now when I look at my barrel, I see two pins that I think could hold it. One is at the front of the rear sight block, and there is a bigger one toward the rear.  I'm pretty sure I need to remove the bigger one. Am I correct, and do I need to remove the smaller one too, or not? Thanks

Yup, you ned to remove the bigger one.. It is just above and to the front of the serial number, on the trunnion..

just the big 1 the smaller holds on the rear sight base and would only need to be removed on a threaded milled

heres what you do
take your press block and drill a 1/2 in hole threw the center
then goto autoparts sto and buy a 3/8 socket to allen head adapter
and couple of alenheads
they work the best for pushing out the barrel pin its got a large base to keep it strait and if the alen head gets fubar you can just replace it cheap and easy

now just place the barrel pin over the hole in you press block left side down (larger surface and wont twist as easy)
then place your alenhead on top of it and press it out  

Oh yeah, it's real easy. Til you have to actually do it. Especially on a romy kit. I have done this 6 times, none were remotely easy. Best option, find a machine shop that will press it for you.

The easiest one was a m92 krink kit, others were pmkms or romys. Just to give you an idea what fun you are in for, I still have one romy a machine shop could not get pressed out and i'm gonna see what a cobalt drill bit will do for it after I try a sledge hammer. No kidding.

Honestly, the barrel pin is the only hard part about building an AK and the only thing I have to get help from outside my garage with.

lol
ive done most everythang you name it ive pressed the pin
and your right those rommys suck goatass
i had to drill 1
when its that tuff its not worth it you can get a new pin for 5 bucks so its not worth fighting just drill a hole threw it that will release the pressure and it will come out fairly easy

Before I even thought about pressing barrel pins out, I lurked on this and other AK building boards for months.  

I read all the threads about the zillion ways how to press a pin out- use this, use that- just pound it with a hammer, etc.

I also read all the threads with the horror stories about not being able to get pins out and the cluster that it became.  Basically all this reading got me freaked out.

Finally it came down to it that I had to try something- I had nice kits that I wasn't goint to screw together.  I asked around about build parties but got nowhere.

It became apparent that I was on my own.  I have no machining background whatsoever.  

I tried the BFH method for about 45 minutes and ended up peening the ends of the barrel pin without getting any movement.

I finally settled on using a big vise, a couple of bolts taped together, and a socket-hex adapter like candyman is talking about.  I think pookie came up with this way.  Blah blah blah 30 minutes later or so I had 4 pins out- a Romy, AMD65, AMD63, and a Bulg 74.

The moral of the story:  do your homework, figure it out in your head, and do it.  Don't get all freaked out about it.  Sure, if you do enough builds you will run across a mutant pin that you can't budge and gotta drill.  Cross that bridge when you come to it.

I still think the AMD 65 pins were welded in - you could hear the pop from the street when they finally let go.

ps.  After the AMDs, the Romy's are a piece of cake!

I just pressed out two of the eaziest barrel pins tonight both were in Romy kits. Took less then 5 mins. for both of them. I guess I was really lucky from what everyone says.

Quoted: I still think the AMD 65 pins were welded in - you could hear the pop from the street when they finally let go. ps.  After the AMDs, the Romy's are a piece of cake!

Really? I got a nice slice of chocolate romy for you right here. Bring your cleanest hammer. You'll be eatin with it.

Thanks, I'll be all over it soon. I got one Romy out with a BFH and heat, and another that's stuck. I also have an AMD to do, all barrels are now sitting w/liquid wrench on pins. I have the xcebec barrel press, so maybe that will help me out. Not on the AMD though! Thanks for the tips, I'm really stoked to finally be getting started.

Air chisel to 1/2 way, 6x35mm bolt, air chisel again.  30 seconds max.  25 years auto repair, lots of stuck s**t.  I am also very good at drill and tap.  

Since this IS titled "dumb question..." I'll have to take one for the team and ask-  I just bought a PMKMS (polish underfolder) from AA and have questions about these front pins and how the front trunion/barrel/receiver interact.  

does this need to be further drilled and disassembled?  right now, the barrel and trunnion are attached to one another.  It appears rivets holding the receiver to the trunion were drill out from the outside (of course) and there are small dimples in the trunnion.  One dimple is shallow and narrow, almost as if the rivet is still mostly in there.  

Now, do I drill further into these suckers and try to weaken them enough to push or pull out the barrel?  Or, do I just use a press or gear puller?  BFH and something else perhaps?  These rivet heads are indeed still in between the barrel and trunnion, right?

What's the next step here before I assemble anything onto a receiver?

Quoted: Since this IS titled "dumb question..." I'll have to take one for the team and ask-  I just bought a PMKMS (polish underfolder) from AA and have questions about these front pins and how the front trunion/barrel/receiver interact.   does this need to be further drilled and disassembled?  right now, the barrel and trunnion are attached to one another.  It appears rivets holding the receiver to the trunion were drill out from the outside (of course) and there are small dimples in the trunnion.  One dimple is shallow and narrow, almost as if the rivet is still mostly in there.   Now, do I drill further into these suckers and try to weaken them enough to push or pull out the barrel?  Or, do I just use a press or gear puller?  BFH and something else perhaps?  These rivet heads are indeed still in between the barrel and trunnion, right? What's the next step here before I assemble anything onto a receiver?

you need to press out the barrel retaining pin before you can remove the barrel--and you need to remove the barrel before you try and remove the rivets.   the barrel pin is the (approximately) 1/4" pin just above where you see the serial number start on the trunion.  This needs to be pressed out (a very quick and simple process on the polish kits--romanian kits, YMMV; some are more difficult than others) from either side, and then the barrel can be pressed out.  once the barrel is pressed out, have at you with the rivet removal.  

Aw sheeeiiiitttt...

Is this what people are using hub and gear pullers for?  

Gear pullers are used for pushing the barrel out of the trunnion.  They don't work for the barrel pin (that I know of).

Regarding the comment that the Polish kits are easy...I BFH'd my Rommy kit with no problem.  My Tantal pin still refuses to move.

Quoted: Aw sheeeiiiitttt... Is this what people are using hub and gear pullers for?

Quoted: I still think the AMD 65 pins were welded in - you could hear the pop from the street when they finally let go. ps.  After the AMDs, the Romy's are a piece of cake!

mine were just the opposite, the AMD's took one smart tap and it flew out, the romy I had to work on, put it in a press and it bent the punch, so I rigged up a cradle, and smacked the shit outta it with a 2lb hammer bout 6 times and it cameout, it had a little tit on the side, thing stuck out about .030, and I made the assumtion that it was there to create a friction fit, filed it off before I reinstalled it, have since pressed it out agsin and it was much easier the second time around.

A little propane torch always seems to make the pressing go a little smoother

KROIL is your friend


Soak for a week. 20 ton press.

Quoted: then goto autoparts sto and buy a 3/8 socket to allen head adapter and couple of alenheads

I've been in a lot of autoparts stores, but I'm not picturing this piece.  A link to a picture, maybe?

3/8" socket to what kind of allen head adaptor?

Sounds intriguing ... I've got 3 squashed hardened steel drift pins  in the garage... and a Romy with a barrel pin firmly in place

Quoted: Quoted: then goto autoparts sto and buy a 3/8 socket to allen head adapter and couple of alenheads I've been in a lot of autoparts stores, but I'm not picturing this piece.  A link to a picture, maybe? 3/8" socket to what kind of allen head adaptor?     Sounds intriguing ... I've got 3 squashed hardened steel drift pins  in the garage... and a Romy with a barrel pin firmly in placehr

I assume they are talking about an adapter for 1/4" hex (6-sided) head.

I read on another site guys were using 1/4" grade 8 bolts, 2.5 inches length.  They ground the threads off with a dremel and cut the overall length including head to 1.75".  They then used a Whilton to press the pin out with a socket lined up to accept the pin as it comes out.

Keep in mind guys, if your pusher -pin breaks while pressing out a barrel pin, you may lose an eye, or much worse.

Well if that's the fucking case, when should I put this kit back up for sale?  I'm not fucking around this much for an AK.  I thought this was something you could do in your garage?

Quoted: Well if that's the fucking case, when should I put this kit back up for sale?  I'm not fucking around this much for an AK.  I thought this was something you could do in your garage?

I'll give you $50 for it.

Quoted: Well if that's the fucking case, when should I put this kit back up for sale?  I'm not fucking around this much for an AK.  I thought this was something you could do in your garage?

it is.
http://pookieweb.dyndns.org:61129/AK/docs/construction/construction.htm
it just takes some tools and some thought. it doesn't have to be expensive.
some people just like more things because it makes it easier.

another option is taking it to a gunsmith and having him press the barrell out and drill out the rivets.

We just had a build party over the weekend and I got to see a really unique setup I am going to try to copy....

The setup consisted of steel tubing with an inner diameter that fit over the ram of the 12-ton press.  This tube slid over the press bar and was held to the bar using a set screw.  Inside the bottom of this hollow steel pipe was a second piece of solid stock steel that was basically the same diameter of the press bar.  This solid bar was welded to the hollow pipe (really not for strength as the press presses on the solid stock).  The solid piece of steel was then drilled for a 1/4-inch dowel pin....

I need to find a steel supplier but I am going to take make one or more for myself...  I will get one made and drill and tap the center of one for a length of 1/4 Grade 8 bolt....  A second I want to make for a bigger bolt that I can use to press out barrels.  Following is sort of an image of what I am trying to describe:



As for removing the threads on the grade 8 bolts, I have never removed those threads and I have pressed out a few barrel pins...  Just make sure you have safety glasses and a face shield as I have seen these bolts go flying and there is some serious force there!  This is why I am going to make some adapters to hold my bolts for the future....  Just remeber when pressing out the barel to use some pennies or other softer metal so you don't screw up the face of your barrel (not the barrel pin... I mean the barrel itself).

Just speculating, but what if the press bar was threaded for a few inches and you could screw pipe end caps onto it.  You could have different caps with different diameter threaded holes in the end to hold different size bolts and you wouldn't have to worry about it falling off when the press bar is raised.

so which side does the pin come OUT of?  Same side as the brass ejects or no?  I don't want to be pounding on the wrong side.  

I guess I'm gonna have to check the phonebook...

Do gunsmiths have presses like this?

Is there anyone on this board that sends out their frontends to be taken apart?

Quoted: so which side does the pin come OUT of?  Same side as the brass ejects or no?  I don't want to be pounding on the wrong side.   I guess I'm gonna have to check the phonebook... Do gunsmiths have presses like this? Is there anyone on this board that sends out their frontends to be taken apart?

Most pins seem to come out better left to right as you stand behind the chamber.  As for having someone remove the trunion most anybody with the tools could do it for you in a few minutes (unless your pin is one of the PITA which could cause lots of problems...

Quoted: so which side does the pin come OUT of?  Same side as the brass ejects or no?  I don't want to be pounding on the wrong side.   I guess I'm gonna have to check the phonebook... Do gunsmiths have presses like this? Is there anyone on this board that sends out their frontends to be taken apart?

I think its the ejector side in and out towards the other side. My question is. Why take the barrel out at all. I made an AMD-65 and I didn't mess with it at all. The headspace was set so I left it alone. I did drill out the old rivets and I had a tig welder fill in the holes all the way to the top. A little fancy hand fileing later I made it look like rivets. All the rest of the hole I riveted and I haven't had one hickup the whole time shooting. I think I am up to 2000 rounds by now.