Some of you may remember the Build Party of 2006, in which a group of us gun-building hobbyists got together and threw down for some AK-47 type rifles. Well we've decided to do it again this year, to coincide with a finishing-party for some other rifle projects that have taken place over this year.

The advantage of having a build party like these, are that it seriously reduces the overhead costs associated with building rifles. For instance, if you have one member of the group who wants a rifle, is interested in learning the process of building one, but will not build another one, this person can save a lot of money by not needing to buy tools that another person already has, and can bring to the group.

Another advantage to build parties, is it gives someone who wants an AK the chance to learn from others and gain a bit of knowledge about building. Several people had never even fired an AK before, but went out and got kits, and with a bit of assistance, were able to walk away with fully-functioning and complete rifles. There's something very satisfying about taking someone who has little, or no mechanical prowess, and walking them through the steps in building an AK (it's pretty simple, really) and then seeing the look on their face when they realize they have a new toy to play with on the weekend.

Build parties are great, when they're thought out and planned thoroughly. The '06 build party started being planned in 2005. Likewise, this build party began the planning phase a few months after the '06 party was wrapped. I have taken a back seat in most of the '07 planning, and will probably not be getting any rifles out of the party, but as a contributing member of the group, I have been more than happy to dedicate some time to the process. Depending on who drops out of the build, I may end up with a receiver or two. Some people are only doing receivers, where others are doing full builds. And there are a few that "wanted" receivers, but have already backed out of the build. Me, being a "have kit, will build" kind of guy, I may snag up some of the extras if any become available.

So, since this is an on-going event, I will post a few pics as I can. The overall methods will be the same this year, with the one exception that we will not be parkerizing these rifles. Last year's park experience was not something we want to go through again, simply due to the hazards of the chemicals involved... and it was kind of a pain in the ass... but they came out great.

These receivers were bent using a jig and a hydraulic press. Two members of the group bent these at their location, then drove them up to us for installing the rails and heat-treating--which myself and 2 others did this weekend.

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/2147/bentfc9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Expect some updates over the next few weeks....

Other then the time for bead blasting I haven't had any issues with parking.

Will you guys weld, screw, or rivet?
If the later what 'tool' are you using? I am getting ready to break down and get the full on hydraulic riveter from AKbuilder.

Pete

These will be welded because it's fast, easy, and more forgiving.

However, I am seriously wanting to do a rivet build in the very near future, and have considered some riveting tools as well. I've been looking at the tools from akbuilder.com also...

I'll probably look more into it after this build is finished.

:smokin:

where are those receivers from? you going to be building all the same types?

reading skills are a positive, here.


looks like someone is about to have some fun...


BTW, your license plate is visible in that pic...


so are typing skillz :flipoff2:

Updated the pic. Didn't really pay attention before...


Not all the kits will be the same. Several will be Romy G kits, a few will be Hungarian, and there will be 2 polish underfolders--which by the way, after this second round of polish builds, we've made a rule: NO MORE Polish underfolders, they're a pain in the ass :laughing:

Receivers were 80% flats from tapco.

I've been considering a tantal 5.45 kit, and will probably do at least 1-2 more romy kits just because they're cheap. If I can get ahold of an hungarian kit, I may consider one of those as well, but not by this build is wrapped.

and I've been seriously considering an RPK as well, but that's another thread...

However, I am seriously wanting to do a rivet build in the very near future, and have considered some riveting tools as well. I've been looking at the tools from akbuilder.com also...

I'll probably look more into it after this build is finished.

I talked to Curtis today and he has another batch of Jigs getting welded up right now. So I would have it by the end of the month, but probably not in enough time to use it prior to the show.
Will plod along with the bolt cutters and see how sales go at the show.

Why does it matter if you had your license in the photo?

Pete

I talked to Curtis today and he has another batch of Jigs getting welded up right now. So I would have it by the end of the month, but probably not in enough time to use it prior to the show.
Will plod along with the bolt cutters and see how sales go at the show.

Why does it matter if you had your license in the photo?

Pete


How's your bolt-cutter riveter working out for you? And would you be interested in loaning it out sometime in the next few months?


Some people get worried about license pics online, as they can sometimes be used as identification. I'm not really too worried about it, but out of consideration to those that are... it's been taken care of.

Man do I wish we could put together a build party in VA.

reading skills ae a positive, here.


thanks for the useless response. did you even read my question? b/c your quote didn't answer it :shaking:


Not all the kits will be the same. Several will be Romy G kits, a few will be Hungarian, and there will be 2 polish underfolders--which by the way, after this second round of polish builds, we've made a rule: NO MORE Polish underfolders, they're a pain in the ass :laughing:

Receivers were 80% flats from tapco.


now there's the answer. tapco, and a mix of types.

Man do I wish we could put together a build party in VA.

why not? i'd be down for it, as would two more friends. i'm pretty sure they have 5 or 6 parts kits they never did anything with

why not? i'd be down for it, as would two more friends. i'm pretty sure they have 5 or 6 parts kits they never did anything with


I have at least one other person in Alexandria, but most likely 2 that would be in. All we need is a press, a jig and some guidance.

Man do I wish we could put together a build party in VA.


I'd be down for that. I don't know what I'd be doing but I'd be down for that

So it looks like we have 4 people. I have a friend or three that might be interested as well

I'd be down for that. I don't know what I'd be doing but I'd be down for that

So it looks like we have 4 people. I have a friend or three that might be interested as well

My little bro and I could probably scrape up the cash for a kit each :smokin:

Outstanding! So it looks like 8-10 people so far. Now, who has:
1. A press
2. A jig
3. Any idea what hell they're doing?

Doc?

I've got all three but it's a bit of a drive.

My bolt cutter riveter worked great but it finally broke on me. Definitely whip up a few of them in case they snap on you.

I've got all three but it's a bit of a drive.

Make a vacation of it, come see your Nation's Capital! :p

You willing to loan your jig?

I'm in Roanoke....I'd love to do it!!

I've built only one AK so far. Been looking for an excuse to build more. Addicting as hell!!

Can't say I know what I'm doing like others here, but mine turned out pretty well and goes boom every time. :smokin:

You willing to loan your jig?

You break it you buy it, it's not doing anything right now.

Excellent, thanks!

OK, so now we need:
1. A press
2. A place
3. A clue

Getting more and more people interested in building their own rifles is one of the driving forces behind our build parties. It's a great experience to share among friends, and you end up with some really cool toys to go play with at the range. Plus it puts more rifles in the gun safes :D

But, one thing everyone has to keep in mind is the time frame for the everything. It seems that when a build party is announced, you all of a sudden get 5-6 people all saying "hell yeah, I want to build 5". Well simple math tells you that you've now got a shit ton of rifles to build. So in order to make it happen, you have to set a time frame for everything. Can 30 rifles be started and finished over a weekend? Realistically, no. We did once, but it meant no sleep for the entire weekend, i.e. the "death march". Not good. What happens in this situation is people get tired, cranky, and then conflicts arise, and you end up with some poorly finished rifles, and no one walking away saying they had a good time. This is exactly opposite of the goal. You want some nice rifles, and you want it to be fun.

So, the key is time. Do you want to do a build over a weekend? If so, you might want to keep your total builds to around 10. Or can you space it out over a few weeks/months? This is the better option for multiple builds. Anyone might notice that these receivers were bent several weeks ago, and just last week were welded up and heat treated. Now in two more weeks, they'll be done. Therefore, the timeline for this build has stretched over the better part of a month. And when the time comes for the actual "party", over 50% of the work is already done. This is clearly a better alternative to doing everything over 1 weekend, because it just simply cannot get done. So just keep the timeline in mind when planning a build party.

Time is the driving force. Once that is worked out, location is the next important issue. You simply cannot get 6 people in a 1-car garage all working at the same time. You need space. A 2-car garage or bigger is ideal, depending on the number of people. Our setup is a table (can get dimensions later) that had "workstations" at every corner. Workstations consisted of a bench vise and necessary tools. In between the vices were the power tools, such as drill press, bench grinder, etc. The welder is on a cart, and gets wheeled around to the stations when welding is required. You build your kits at your station, or help others build theirs. One thing everyone has to get past is that you might not build your rifle 100% from start to finish. This is where the teamwork plays a huge hand, and this is where you have to know and trust the key people that are doing work that you yourself will not be doing. Things such as welding, heat-treating, spraying, etc.

Once time and location is set up, safety then becomes the next hurdle. Everyone will be working in tight spaces, with shit flying everywhere. Safety is paramount in this situation. A rifle isn't worth losing an eye over. Strict safety guidelines need to be laid out, and they need to be enforced. And all participants need to be willing to follow those guidelines, or they need to understand that they will be asked to leave.

... to be continued...

Great data there, keep it coming!

I've got a 12-ton(or maybe 20-ton can't remember) HF press that I can throw in the back of the pickup pretty easy... We can rent the jig from someone(or hell everyone pitch in a couple bucks and buy one from AKbuilder if he's still selling them)... As for a place...not me, plus I'm not near the rest of yas really.

So to continue what I started....


It's difficult to place the planning part in a level of importance. Everything that I've said so far would fall under the planning. For our first build, I think me and one other person spent the better part of a year just coming up with a plan to make things happen. Plans such as how to build the rifle, what steps to follow, what tools would be needed, how to organize those tools, what rifles would be complete, how to complete those rifles, how to parkerize, how to duracoat, and how to ensure everything flowed smoothly along the process.

We did a few dry runs to see just how difficult it would be, and eventually got to the point where we could de-mill a kit, prep a receiver, and build a functioning rifle in under 1 hour. If you know what you're doing, this is easy. But when you get a group that is not famaliar with the process, you can fully expect your time to double or triple on the first few builds.


Built rifles are one thing, fully finished rifles are another. Once built, you still need to protect it in the form of a finish. What we came up with was a multi-stage process that involved sand-blasting, cleaning, parkerizing, and then duracoating. The way we handled it was to first sandblast everything. From that point on, no rifle was touched with bare hands. This meant we needed a good supply of rubber gloves. Prior to sandblasting, we boiled the rifles to release all the grease and oil, and then soaked in denatured alcohol. Once that was finished, we then sandblasted all the parts that would be parked/duracoated. After this phase, no rifle was touched by bare hands. The process of parkerizing is a bit concise, and as such, required a bit of pre-planning. We did this in the middle of winter. Actually, the weekend we did this was the coldest weekend in 10 years in texas. Nothing sucks worse than scrubbing rifles outside with snow and freezing rain falling. it sucked. Keeping this in mind, and understanding the delicate process of parkerizing, we had to improvise a bit in the plans.

Ice-cold rifles dunked into a parkerizing tank would lower the temp of the tank drastically. So, we boiled the rifles in water prior to the park tank. Once they were brought up to around 180*, we then dried them off by using propane heaters. Once clean and dry, they were then dropped into the park tank. Once parked, all parts were hung up in a make-shift spray booth, and then sprayed with duracoat. We had to constantly monitor the park solution, to ensure that there was correct balance to make the park process a success. It was not something we wanted to do again. We also had to keep a steady supply of propane, which meant several trips to the store for more tanks. This got very expensive.

These were all steps in the planning process that we had worked out well ahead of build time. This just goes to show that you cannot over plan your build party.

As far as finishing goes, spraying duracoat on a rifle is easy. We used a gravity-fed sprayer and a small compressor. For the most part, it came out great. However, I highly recommend spraying in a well-ventilated area, and use a respirator, as the fumes can be very overwhelming. Once sprayed, the rifles need to hang for a minimum of 24 hours. I let mine hang for a week before assembling anything. Some rifles from the '06 build are still hanging to this day :laughing:

But once the duracoat has set, you should be good to go. Just keep in mind the longer you let it set, the better it will be. Some people are in such a hurry to assemble their new toy, that they don't let it fully set, then they smear the finish, and have to do it over again. So if duracoating, be patient. It is the one step in the process that you do not want to rush.

One other thing to consider is security. Hopefully you're not doing the entire build in an enclosed area, due to the fumes and other things associated with the build. In the situation of a garage build, are your neighbors cool with what you're doing? Are they aware? Or will they see the silouette of an AK and then call the cops? Are you or the homeowner cool with talking to police to explain what exactly you're doing? It is generally best to keep everything you're doing out of sight from any prying eyes, and certain security measures need to be in place. Things such as blocking view with vehicles can suffice without raising much suspicion. Or using tarps to block view can work, however the more obvious you make it that you're trying to hide something, the more curious outsiders tend to be. Even now, our build party location is under almost a constant surveilance from the neighbors, and honestly, it makes us all a bit uncomfortable. The last thing anyone hosting a build party needs is a surprise visit from the local police. I have found that it is best to wait to fully assemble the rifle until you are sure that no one else is watching. most people can identify the silouette of an AK fully assembled, however many cannot identify one that is just barrel + receiver. It is definitely a good idea to not be waiving anything around. I would rank security just under safety in the grand scheme of things.

now I'm rambling so I'll stop for tonight... I might write a bit more later if I can think of anything else... :flipoff2:

I made most of my own build tools:
Barrel pin pusher outer
Barrel press fixture
Bolt cutter rivet tool
Trigger guard rivet jig
Receiver bending jig

I saved quite a bit making my own stuff, but it shows in some spots. Everything was made with scraps, without the use of a mill or lathe. My rivets are not as pretty as they could be, and the receiver bends are not as crisp. Everything built on these tools has functioned 100%

I too found that it is best to keep the neighbors from knowing what your doing. One guy almost hit my fence because he was staring at me while I was test fitting a mag:eek:

I made most of my own build tools:
Barrel pin pusher outer
Barrel press fixture
Bolt cutter rivet tool
Trigger guard rivet jig
Receiver bending jig

I saved quite a bit making my own stuff, but it shows in some spots. Everything was made with scraps, without the use of a mill or lathe. My rivets are not as pretty as they could be, and the receiver bends are not as crisp. Everything built on these tools has functioned 100%

I too found that it is best to keep the neighbors from knowing what your doing. One guy almost hit my fence because he was staring at me while I was test fitting a mag:eek:


you're probably not too far from me...

Cant be far, Plano is only so big.

I am near Spring Creek/ Alma

EDIT: Just now saw the pic...damn, thats a nice collection of receivers

Cant be far, Plano is only so big.

I am near Spring Creek/ Alma

EDIT: Just now saw the pic...damn, thats a nice collection of receivers



that's less than 2 miles...

ak build in commy kalifourna?

have acres and no prying eyes to bother with, can build outside and no problem.........





well maybe just the black helecoptors, and batfe&e jack booted thugs dropping in from above.:eek:

well this weekend is the AK/FAL build and finish party...


Started early on this one, and now it's almost ready to--just needs some small parts.

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/2065/p1010089yl4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img485.imageshack.us/img485/217/p1010090cy6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)