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- Video: Inside the Kalashnikov Factory: Home of the World’s Most Reliable Weapon AK-47 – In Russian With Subtitles May 5, 2017There are some great scenes of machinery and firearms in the Kalashnikov factory by Russian Insider. This was released in March 2017 and is pretty cool. You’ll also see a lot of firearms we never get to see over here. I’m fascinated about the evolution of the Russian arms industry. Growing up we heard about ...
- USE A DIGITAL PROTRACTOR TO SIMPLY FINDING AND SETTING ANGLES – THE FOWLER MINI-MAG ROCKS! May 5, 2017If you need to quickly and accurate find and set the angles of sin tables, jigs and so forth, a digital protractor is worth its weight in gold and then some. I’ve had this Fowler Mini-Mag Eelectronic Protractor (PN# 54-422-450-1) since about 2008 and use it every day for setting the angle of drilling jigs ...
- Video: Dmirty Rogozin “KALASHNIKOV” – You absolutely need to watch this English Language Kalashnikov Documentary May 4, 2017This is a very interesting 45 minute film made in 2013 that talks about the Kalashnikov from a Russian film maker. It has a lot of footage of military commentary including interviews of generals, soldiers and show training with Spetsnaz units and others doing room clearing, assaults and so forth. There is also historical footage ...
- Use an edge finder with a center point to improve drilling accuracy May 4, 2017Growing up on a farm, the only way I knew to locate a hole was to try and get the pointed part of the drill bit over the divot left by the center punch. In junior high shop class, they showed how to start with a small bit to locate the hole and then go ...
- Video: Legendary Kalashnikov: Story of AK-47 Rifle (RT’s Documentary) May 3, 2017I have a number of books both about the Kalashnikov rifles and also biographies of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the chief designer. I always find documentaries of either the rifle or the man very interesting. This particular video combines some fascinating footage about current use, manufacturing and testing with historical information and perspectives on ...
- Converting 1980s-1990s 3, 4 and 5-D Cell Maglites to LED – What a difference!! May 3, 2017Back in about 1982 or 83, I saved my money up in high school and bought a seemingly giant 4-D cell Maglite. That thing has been all over the US with me – camping, in cars, trucks, by the night stand and so forth. My dad was so impressed he bought both a three and ...
- Put an X-Y table on your drill press to improve accuracy May 2, 2017One of the problems with a drill table is that you have a platform to hold work but to position the work, you have to move the table. Some guys are really good at doing this but I am not one of them. I want to use something that I can precisely move to get ...
- How to clean an air compressor’s automatic drain – Midwest Control or a Clone May 1, 2017Automatic air compressor drains are fantastic. An automatic drain makes it so easy to keep the condensate to a minimum in tanks that I recommend them to everyone. The only time you can’t rely on one is if it is below freezing and ice may cause the little valve to stick open. For that reason, ...
- April 2017 – My EDC Knife is a ZT 0350BW April 28, 2017A while back I screwed up the blog and re-posted an old post about my every day carry (EDC) knife being a Kershaw Compound. While that was a great knife, I did eventually replace it – with my daughter’s approval. I have always liked Zero Tolerance knives. Think of them as a higher end brand ...
- BNM Custom Airguns CP1002 Pistol – First Trigger Experiment and Match Grips April 27, 2017I bought a cool CP1002 pistol from BNM Custom Airguns. Now they focus on making exceptional breaches and that Tippmann stock adapter is very cool also. In talking with Sergio, because there is such a strong aftermarket with businesses that specialize on certain aspects, he has not bothered with the trigger. Now that makes sense ...
- Check Out Derreck’s M70B1 with our Bulged Handguards April 26, 2017Here’s Derreck’s M70B1 with the wood furniture: and here it is with our handguard and a Magpul Zhukov-S stock:
- What to do if the Crosman 2240 safety spring and detent ball fall out April 25, 2017The Crosman 2240 has to be one of the most popular, if not the most popular, .22 caliber C02 pistols available. In part because it is a cheap and reliable design but also because there is a HUGE aftermarket parts industry out there. There is one negative right out of the gates though. It ...
- Are you looking for a family friendly kitchen knife sharpener? April 24, 2017I seriously like my Ken Onion Work Sharp knife sharpener to put any kind of edge on just about any kind of knife – folder, fixed, kitchen or even a giant khukuri. However, that is not exactly family friendly. To make it easier on my wife, daughters and even me in the kitchen, I bought ...
- Need Dryer Shop Compressed Air? – Step 3: Add two stage air filters to remove contaminants April 22, 2017If you are just jumping into this three part post, an inline compressed air filter by itself does not work very well when it comes to removing moisture from compressed air but it definite works good as a third step in a thought out moisture control strategy. If you haven’t read them yet, please read these ...
- Need Drier Shop Compressed Air? – Step 2: Build a Moisture Separation System April 21, 2017When compressed air leaves a compressor, the the temperature drops as it expands, and moisture condenses on the wall of whatever surface is below the dew point of the air and then runs down to the lowest spot where it is collected and dispose of. Now the cooling part is critical – just putting an ...
- Need Dryer Shop Compressed Air? – Step 1 Tank Draining Options April 20, 2017In my shop, I need clean dry air for working with the plastics, the abrasive Blaster, and my air tools. It also comes in handy when I’m spraying on finishes such as Molyresin. I have certainly had my share of problems over the years caused by dirty air including air tool failures, water or oil ...
- 2014 Restoration of a 21-1/8″ New Haven Edge Tool Co #3 Cleaver April 19, 2017This dates back to August 2014. I scored a beat up but fascinating New Haven Edge Tool Co #3 Cleaver. It was quite large measuring approximately 21-1/8″ long and 3.187 pounds. The exact age was hard to say – it could be anywhere from ...
- Post It Note Trick for Locating Front Trunnion Holes On An AK Receiver April 18, 2017Back before I had the AK-Builder trunnion drilling jig, I needed a quick and easy way to locate where to drill the holes for the front trunnion. A fellow showed me the PostIt note method and boy was it simple and it worked. The front trunnion is drilled for the rivets from the first kit so ...
- Gasp – not another weld build Romy G April 17, 2017I get one or two emails a year from a purist telling me that what I did was evil, that I am a clueless half-wit, etc. Folks, innovation happens by trying new things. I have built more AKs than most – using rivets mainly because they do work best. There are a ton of reasons ...
- The Gerber Golok Machete is Pretty Wicked and Surprisingly Hefty!! April 15, 2017Ok, so I wind up clearing brush pretty regularly. Usually its pine, vines, scrub oak and junk like that. Back in June 2014, I bought a Ken Onion designed Half-A-Chance machete (CRKT K920KKP) from CRKT that has served me well (click here for my review). On my last trip to clear brush this past fall, ...