AK-74 build w/ rust bluing

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so awhile ago i decided for my winter project i would build an AK, after extensive research in building i figured i could do it with minimal tools...

luckily i got my receiver and parts kit well before the current panic buying set in so i am still within budget

this was supposed to be my winter project but it was one thing after another including my jeep getting stolen shortly before christmas, its since been recovered and ive had to put time into fixing the stupid thing

anyway during my research i came across someone who rust blued their ak and i thought it looked awesome

RUST BLUE - The AK Files Forums
(extensive how to, unfortunatly the pic server recently shut down :( )

so the other night i finally pressed out the barrel and dove head first into starting this project

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all the parts getting blued sandblasted

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first coat of brownells classic rust blue...yeah yeah yeah i missed a ton of spots, luckly the process is insanely forgiving (i had tested it prior in my beat up mosin nagant butt plate

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getting its first boil, gonna need to find a better way to do this took an hour and a half to get the water to 212

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after its first carding, starting to look awesome already

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and hears a mock up of her done, already refinished the furniture....the bakelite pistol grip was a fantastic find


so anyway i'll add pics as i continue to blue it, read that thread on the AK files i posted if your curious about the process, its really a great resource
 
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looking good! How are you managing the bore of the barrel? Plugs? Leaving it open? I'm curious as to how you're keeping it and the chamber clean during this process.

and nice work on building an AK. Everyone should do it.
 
im leaving the barrel open, ive read lots of people do that then just clean and oil it really well afterwards

day 2, cycle 2....

so today i decided to try and steam the parts instead, didnt work nearly as good.....everything flash rusted but the bluing still took

so i'll have a break till wednesday when this comes via ups
Amazon.com: Bayou Classic SP10 High-Pressure Outdoor Gas Cooker, Propane: Patio, Lawn & Garden

now i dunno if i am more excited to finish this project or have a crawfish boil....

anyway heres a pic from round 2
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did another round of carding tonight

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side note, if your interested in trying this DO NOT BUY THE BROWNELLS CARDING BRUSH! (HAND CARDING BRUSH | Brownells)
this stupid thing fell apart almost immediately during round 1. Im going to harbor freight this weekend so im hoping i can get a 24 pack of brushes for 9 cents.

Im now on hold for a few days, i have a busy weekend and didnt wanna apply another coat of acid then not have the time to at least give it a boil.
 
got up early before going out for st patricks day and pounded out round 4.....im getting faster at this

at this point i have stopped applying the solution to areas you wont see

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im not sure how many more im gonna do right now, maybe another 4? im also going to rivet some suff on before the last round in case i scratch it
 
Is it getting any darker? Or is the bluing getting any thicker?

I think it looks good now. You should probably wait to do your other coatings after you assemble it. Especially if you've never built one of these before- scratching the surface during assembly would be likely, and you'll hate yourself afterwards while you keep on bluing it. So build it and then blue it if you must do more.

Odds are you'll scratch the receiver around the rivets when you squeeze them, and you might scratch the receiver/front trunnion where you support it while you press in the barrel.

It's why I always finish my rifles after I build them up.
 
these are the threads that originally brought me to NES and keep me here.

Excellent work, i like the set-up. I just might have to copy it a bit.
 
did round 5 today, it barely even rusted and its not really getting any darker

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i think i will rivet it together now then do one more round before i seal it with boiled linseed oil

gotta figure out how im gonna build a trigger guard jig too, and i got a set of bolt cutter jaws ready to grind up at work tomorrow


the WORST part of this entire build is that my clubs rifle range is currently shut down :(
 
Rust bluing is a lot of fun right, We do it on some guns here, Immersion blue eats soft solder. The reason you generally plug the bore is so you don't get rust in there, As it is harder to card it off, I like to shape two wooden cones and push them in.Of course I have never done it on a chrome lined gun.

Looks like a really nice job,
James
 
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todays update....doesnt involve any bluing, instead ground metal, broken tools and a messed up rivet

made the jaws at work today

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AND before i even got to use them the adjust bolt on the side of the cutters broke....strike one

i was able to BS the thing together to do the six rivets for the trunnion, except i wicked botched one of them (NOT EVEN MY FIRST ATTEMPT!)

oh well no pics of that stuff since i was wicked pissed..... instead

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sooooo amazon is sending me another set of bolt cutters :) and i was able to grind off the rivet and replace it with 0 damage
 
made some tools today, then riveted the trigger guard and the long trunnion rivet, the new bolt cutters come tomorrow so i'll finish the riveting then

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who needs special tools!?
 
done riveting, i scratched the receiver SO bad.....luckily its covered up my the scope rail

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some rivets are less than perfect, but not using the "right" tools i cant complain.....PLUS this thing is gonna be a shooter not some sissy safe queen in afraid to touch with my hands!

back to rust bluing now, prob take a day or two off from it, these last three got me really aggravated
 
did round 6 today, the bluing really stopped getting any better and its pretty much refusing to rust

gave it a bath in baking soda to stop the rusting then did a boiled linseed oil rub down then bake

its not perfect but IMO its damn good

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got the mag catch in and i really wanted to see the grip on the gun [smile]

prob press the barrel in tomorrow and finish it up then rub it down with some gun oil
 
That looks really good. I may have to 'create' some projects to try this process. I parkerize my own parts but for blued bits I'll go this route instead of the 'cold blue' products.
 
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