GunLab

Gun Lab update

No posts for the last couple of days. Sorry about that but with the temperature hovering around 112 and working outside from 5:30 am until 7 or 8pm I am just out of steam.

Here are the updates though. The bending and stamping die for the AR-180B bolt hold open device in just about complete and we will be working on that this weekend. I have to finish hand tapping the safety shaft then it will be off to heat treat after that.

I have been spending a great deal of time drawing up parts in solid works to run on the cnc router. I am drawing up some basic patterns to machine for use in the casting shop, killing two birds with one stone.

Starting with a simple pattern.

To what is a complex part to machine and cast. This piece in the next two pictures has a complex curve between the two columns.

To a two piece pattern.

I was able to write and run a program in dry run on the wire edm. Still working on cleaning the tank and flushing out the system, more to be accomplished on this this weekend.

AR-180B bolt hold open and safety spring

In a previous post comments Alex asked about the spring that the bolt hold open device uses. He wanted to know if we were going to make them. The answer is yes and here are a few pictures of them.

The spring on the right is an original while the one on the left is how we receive them from the spring company.

We ordered enough for the number of parts sets we are going to make.

We are currently working on a bending die and will have it complete this week.

Weekend update for 6-15-15

A quick update for this last weekend. The slab was finished at the cast area. Here are a couple of views. I still need to get the gantry system up, but I am going to wait for my good friend Mac to help me with that one. He is a much better welder and fabricator then I am.

On the subject of metal casting. I was at a school that was being destroyed last week. As the building were being crushed I looked in the last one and to my surprise the shops were still equipped. The maintenance personnel were still there standing around and actually putting in stuff. The major tools had been taken out for auction, but all the support equipment was being left to be mixed in the building demo stuff and hauled away as trash. Asking if it would be okay to disappear this trash in my truck and the okay was given. It was a wood and metal shop. So off went all the casting flasks and any thing else that was useful. I also filled the back of my little truck with wood, cherry,maple,walnut and several other types.

I really hate waste and all of this will now go to a good home.

Another 20′ of trench and conduit was laid for the new phone line to the shop.

The new batteries came in for the wire EDM. They are now installed and the machine is up and running in the testing mode.I have a post coming up showing it in operation later this week.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing solid works and working on the cnc router trying to get a couple of patterns made.

Until next time.

Finishing machining the safety for the AR-180B

We have finally finished machining the last part for the AR-180B safety. This is the master cam video showing the steps that were performed to complete this task.

With this last installment we have now completed machining the safety for the AR-180B. This picture shows all the steps that we took to make the safety selector. The bottom on is an original.

A close up of our safety to the original AR version.

We installed the newly made parts on my AR-180B rifle to verify proper fit.

You can see that both the pivot pin and safety fit properly.

Our next step is waiting for the medium to come in to de-bur everything them off to heat treat on the shafts and start parkerizing the parts

AR-180B bolt hold open device

Short post for today, to much work yesterday and to little sleep. We finally received in the laser cur blanks for the bolt hold open lever. It looks good. We will need to finish machining it and then make a press tool to bend it properly.

Finished machining the pivot pin

This post will conclude the machining part of the AR-180B pivot pin for the bolt hold open. We have finally completed the machining portion of this project for this part. Here are the pictures.

This is the process from start to finish.

Our copy compared to the original. I will start parkerizing this next week end.

They are all complete.

Weekend update for 6-7-15

Most of the day Saturday was spent making parts for the AR-180b. The last op on the selector lever was completed,a post is coming up. The pivot buttons were almost completed, one more bar to finish. I spent a great deal of time with the Japax wire edm getting it up and running a post, more on that in the future. Some other work was also accomplished as well.

The dirt was compacted for the new foundry area. It is now ready for concrete, all most any way.

I started on the trench for the new communication lines going out to the shop, 20′ was more then enough digging and back filling.

Enough for one fun filled week end.

Our Government at it again

I generally do not write about political or government garbage but this one is important. It seems that this government has a thing against guns and free speech. It seems to bother them and they are trying everything to stop it.

This is from the NRA web site concerning the current move by this administration to ban site such as this. This is being done by presidential directive and not by law. I guess someone forgot to tell this administration about the Constitution and how this government works. No King has been elected here.

“Also regulated under ITAR are so-called “technical data” about defense articles. These include, among other things, “detailed design, development, production or manufacturing information” about firearms or ammunition. Specific examples of technical data are blueprints, drawings, photographs, plans, instructions or documentation.”

Please call your Representative.

Part Two of the Japax wire EDM

Today after making parts for the Ar-180B was completed I started back trying to get the Japax wire edm to work. When 9pm came about I finally stopped. A great deal was accomplished today. Starting with getting the upper head to move to being able to write, post and run a basic program. This post is the start up of the machine and how to move the table and the upper head of the machine.

I started this series because there is not much written or on video out there about operating the Japax wire EDM. These EDM’s are not the most modern of machines, but there are becoming available to small shops at a price that allows use to purchase them.

My goal with this series of video’s is to allow someone that happens to come across one of these machine be able to learn how to operate it.

I once again have to thank the guys over at McWillams sales and service (http://www.mcwilliamsedm.com/index.html) for their help in getting my machine up and running.

In the next post we will write and down load a progrem and run it in dry run.

Making the AR-180B bolt hold open button

This post is about making the pivot button for the bolt hold open device for the AR-180B.

With no engineered drawings to work from the first item of business to take care of was making a drawing of the part with all the dimensions. To do this we used micrometers, feeler gauges and an optical comparator.

Using these measurement devices we were able to accurately measure the the complete button. We also used references from parts suppliers to verify correct dimensions for matching components.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#97431a290/=xirvt8

Side-Mount External Retaining Ring (E-Style)

Black-Finish Steel, for 7/32″ Shaft Diameter

For Shaft Diameter	7/32“
Fits Groove
Diameter	0.188″
Width	0.029″
Ring Size
(A)	0.437″
Thickness	0.025″
Additional Specifications	Black-Finish Steel
RoHS	Compliant

Snap rings into the groove from the side of the shaft. Their three prongs make contact with the shaft and provide a wider shoulder than other external retaining rings for a larger retaining surface. They are magnetic.

Black-finish and zinc and yellow chromate-plated steel rings have a minimum Rockwell hardness of C47.