There 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 how backwards they were in terms of processes and equipment but in these videos you see a fairly modern plant with well laid out work centers, clean, a lot of CNC equipment and so forth.
The Video
If you are interested in Kalashnikov firearms and manufacturing, then you’ll want to watch this video.
Please note that all images were extracted from the video and remain the property of their respective owner(s).
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If 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 for grips. It’s small, a breeze to use and the plain 9 volt battery lasts a very long time. I may change it once every year or two — it’s sure not often. Fowler says you should get about 250 hours of use from one battery and given how short of a time it runs when I do a set up, it’s no wonder it lasts a long time.
Basically, you zero the protractor, set it one your work piece or jig and record the angle. The grey circles on the sides of the protractor are magnets that I rarely use. The photo of it stuck to the side of my drill press’ column is just to show that the magnets can hold it in place. By the way, I true my table to my drill press’ column so zero for me is the table.
Now this is a precision gauge so I protect it and have never dropped it (knock on wood). As far as standing up to daily use, it has done great and my shop goes from hot and humid in the summer to below freezing in the winter. I literally just took the above photos for this blog post and am pretty sure the unit is nine years old or real close to it. It sits in its box on my shelf except when I need to use it.
I selected this originally because of the Fowler brand name and its specs. It can measure 90% on each side so 360 degree total with +/- 0.2 degree accuracy. Yes, that is two tenths of a degree and repeatability is .05 degrees.
Another consideration for me was size. In the photos, the Mini-Mag is sitting one one if my drilling jigs. I needed the unit to be relatively small and it certainly is. It’s 2-3/8″ tall x 2-3/8″ wide x 1-3/8″ thick and its all of my jigs just fine.
Once I got this, I was able to set up faster and the number of times I made a mistake due to the wrong angle plummeted. Like I said earlier, for me, it’s been worth its weight in gold and then some.
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This 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 of use around the world and interviews with Mikhail Kalashnikov. It’s a fascinating film and has perspectives, footage and interviews you would not normally see in a Western made documentary.
I found the history of Izhvesk and arms making fascinating. Kalshnikov Corporation sponsored this film so I think it is part history and part marketing but very enlightening regardless. The walkthrough of parts of the factory ranging from manual up to CNC. The last photo above is of a robot feeding blanks and removing rifled barrels. They mention reducing the number of steps required with people from around 120 to 2-3.
Even if you have seen other videos about the rifle and General Kalashnikov, you need to watch this one. You see parts of the factory and steps performed that you will not see anywhere else.
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Growing 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 to the correct bit. At some point in the last 20 years, someone introduced me to center finders. For guys who eyeball the location of where to drill, these things can make a huge difference and they are usually very affordable.
There are all kinds of edge finders out there – it is a generic label so you need to make sure you get one that will fit your drill press. My press has a 5/8″ chuck so it can hold just about any diameter edge finder. The type I use the most has a conical end point that helps you locate where you want to drill via the sharp point or by allowing you to center the press over an existing hole.
This is the edge finder that I use the most – notice the sharp center:
If I am using a center punch, I just make sure all the sides smoothly meet on the edge finder, and adjust the X-Y table until I get the sharp center point exactly over the divot. I then remove the edge finder and install whatever drill bit I need. Don’t ram the edge finder into your work or you risk damaging it. By the way, click here if you want to read more about X-Y or Cross Slide tables.
The second use of this type of edge finder is to insert it into a hole to see how you need to adjust the X-Y table, or workpiece directly, to get on center.
Here is an example of the use. I chuck it in the press and straighten all the sides so the surfaces smoothly meet. I then gently lower it into this M72 handguard to decide how I need to move my X-Y table.
I couldn’t take photos and show the unit in the handguard at the same time, but you can see the chuck is off center because the edge finder’s sections no longer smoothly meet. What I normally do is keep the spindle down, gently insert the tool into the hole in the work piece and adjust the table until all sides of the finder smoothly meet. Note, this does require that you have your work piece nice and secure and/or a jig that enables you to accurately position the next thing you want to drill in the same spot. If your work piece can move, then that makes this whole exercise useless.
See how all of the sides align in the next photo? The drill is centered on the workpiece now.
Once the surfaces of the finder smoothly meet, you remove the edge finder, install your drill bit and away you go. This is really handy if you need to duplicate holes on other similar items, make existing holes bigger or deeper, etc.
I have probably 3-4 of these at least. I have one by my mill, a couple by my drill and a couple in my tool box with all my gauges. Why? Because I used to misplace them until I got better toolchests and I replaced a couple of cheap import models with my precise, easier to move quality units from Mitutoyo, Fowler and PEC – depending on what was on sale when I needed them. I like my Fowler set as it came with a little case.
I literally use my edge finders several times every week and highly recommend them for folks trying to get more accurate positioning for drilling.
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I 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 Mikhail Kalashnikov vs. Stoner.
The video was released in 2013 and is 25:57 minutes long and is well worth the time.
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Back 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 five cell version and used them on the farm. Fast forward to 2015, my dad had passed away and I had both of his lights plus my old one – the paint was chipped and the old-style bulbs didn’t crank out anywhere near the light of a modern LED flashlight but they were still operational. Face it, Maglites were built to last! My Maglight and my dad’s were just sitting on the shelf and I couldn’t bring myself to toss them.
As so many things go in life, I was researching on LED upgrades for Surefire M951 weapons lights and wondered if some kind of upgrade existed for Maglites.  The answer was a resounding “yes”! There were all kinds of replacement and upgrade parts available.  I wound up getting three TerraLUX TLE-6EX MiniStar5 140 Lumens replacement for the traditional bulbs in May 2015.  Because I am writing this almost two years later, I can tell you the bulbs are a great deal – they’re not very expensive, bright as heck, durable and really easy on the batteries.  I was impressed then and still am now.
At any rate, two years later, zero problems, way brighter and better battery life – sounds like something worth sharing while I drink my morning coffee.
First, the Maglite design is really cool. You can readily get to just about everything that can wear out. You don’t need to pull the batteries unless you want to, but you do need to unscrew the head and remove it. Years ago I had a battery burst in this light so I always check batteries just to play it safe. This is my four cell that I’ll take apart:
Now, you unscrew the front bezel and that gives you access to the lens. I am pretty sure I tossed my original because it was so scratched up. When I upgraded the LED, I also put in a new Crystal Glass upgrade lens in. I just did it on mine and have had zero problems with it. When you take the bezel off, the lens just lifts/falls right out. There’s no glue to deal with.
Now the lens sits in the body on a shock absorbing system. I found an old bulb and inserted it so you could see the steps. The bulb is held in place by a threaded collar that simply unscrews and you can then remove the bulb unit. In the third and fourth photo, you can see the collar to the right of the bulb.
The LED emitter is a tad longer than the bulb but this doesn’t matter. Just put it in place of the bulb and then screw the collar back into place. Just snug the collar – you don’t need it to be crazy tight. Also, I inspected all the O-Rings and out a light smear of heavy silicone grease on all the threads and O-rings to make everything turn smoothly – you can still change the beam from flood to spot, same as always. Note, if an O-ring is torn, cracked or looking bad, take it to your local hardware store and replace it.
Next up, the rubber cover on my light’s switch was cracked and oxidized. You can find replacements for those as well. They are simply press fit so you can remove them very easily with your fingers or use a small tool to lift the cover up. The replacement I bought in 2015 still looks like new.
The result: I spent about $30 and have a very bright durable light. I keep one in my truck and the other big light floats around between my shop and the house. In the next photo, you can see the LED emitter working.
One thing that is interesting is that the five cell’s LED is not as white as the other two but it used to be. I’m not sure why – I think it has the original batteries from two years ago. It’s something else to add to the need to check out when there is free time list 🙂
Would I do it again? Absolutely. I like being able to use these lights once again. There’s a lot of nostalgia involved with both of them.
12/28/23 Update: The upgrade I bought is no longer sold. The following are options that are highly rated on Amazon:
TRLIFE is another vendor – very well reviewed and you get two LED upgrade assemblies for a very good deal. They claim 2000 lumen but then again they also say the LED assembly can handle Streamlights that have 3-16 C or D cells. I don’t know if any Streamlight with that many batteries. Click here for that one.
Rounding out the list is JESLED. It gets great reviews. The English is iffy in the description. They say 247 lumen and 3-16 C or D batteries. Click here for that.
5/23/19 Update: Still working great. No problems and has been used a ton not to mention bouncing around in my truck through the winter.
2/9/20 Update: Still going strong – no failures or problems.
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One 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 a part right where I need it to drill. Years ago I invested in what is often called an X-Y table as well as a cross-slide table. It looks like a milling machine’s table and sits on top of the drill press’ table. It makes a world of difference. By rotating the hand wheels you can move it left to right as well as front to back.
My exact table is made by Interstate and is 6″ deep x 19″ wide. The amount it can travel is about 7.5″ x 11″. Now the one challenge to factor in with these tables is that they are tall. Mine takes up 5″ and if you have a small drill press or are are height-constrained for whatever reason, that is something you need to think about. I’d also point out that these things are heavy – the Interstate is all steel
Next, for those of you not familiar with milling machines or it’s been a long time since shop class, those slots in the table are called “T-Slots” and look like an upside down letter T. The Interstate has 9/16″ T-Slots and I have a clamping set of that size that I use to hold whatever I put on the table – vises, right angles, or even the work itself. In a couple of the above photos you can see the camping set in the red plastic organizer against the wall.
The X-Y table must be bolted to the drill press table.  To true the table to the press, use either a framing square or a machinist square to line up to a long bit.  On my table it can tilt left and right so I tap it with a mallet to adjust it.  However, my press, and many others, do not have a means to adjust the front-to-back angle so shims must be inserted under the front of the table to lift it up until it is true with the bit.  My press is a Harbor Freight industrial series and it has many admirable aspects, such as a switch that is still working after literally over 10,000 cycles (each grip requires at least three drill operations plus it gets used for many other things as well and I’ve had it for at least 10 years) and the motor is still holding up.  When I took the photos I noticed left-to-right was fine (I check that all the time) but that I needed to re-shim it to get the front-to-back angle back closer to being true.
Something has shifted on my press as you can see it is no longer true from front to back based on the square.
I took a few minutes and fabricated a front shim using a piece of 22 gauge sheet metal, my plasma cutter and belt grinder. So, with just a bit of work, it’s all nice and true again. By the way, the reflection on the bit makes it look like there is a gap but the square is nice and flush from top to bottom and it’s sitting square on the table.
As an aside, there is an alternative to tables known as X-Y vises, sometimes called “cross-slide” vises, that can give you some adjustment but I don’t use them because you are limited to work that can fit in the jaws and you only have the jaws as a means to secure the work. If that is enough for you, then great. For me, I prefer the flexibility of a big table with T-Slots so I can do whatever I want to hold work.
So, what are the pros of using a drill press X-Y table:
You can dial in the work to right where you want it
Big work area with clamps
Can adjust the table to move easily or very tightly via the socket head screws you see in the photos
Cons:
It does take up space – especially vertically – that might be at a premium
It’s fairly heavy and not something for a lightly made press – confirm the weight of your table before you buy it
By the way, one safety note. This does not turn your drill press into a milling machine. A mill is designed to handle the sideways stresses and you see this in the bearings, the way the mill is held, etc. If you try to do milling with a drill press you risk at least ruining the bearings if not having the chuck fail and dangerous metal parts flying everywhere. In short, it look like a mill but do not use it like a mill. If you need a mill, buy a mill.
I bought my table years ago from Enco, that is now part of MSC. They still sell it so click here to see it.
Like so many imported tools, it may be the case that it is made in a factory in China, or where ever, and then sold under other brands. I notice that Grizzly has one that looks just like it:
You can also find a ton of them on eBay. I’d do some digging because some of the no-name models do not have very good reviews. Plamgren is very good and I like my Interstate but some on there may not be so red hot.
You will see wild differences in pricing for tables, clamp sets and what have you. Â Check out MSC, eBay and Amazon plus where ever else you find via Google, or recommendations from guys on forums, Facebook, etc. for you before you buy.
Also, if you search on Amazon for cross slide vise, you’ll also see not so well rated vises. Â For me to feel good about something, I really want to see at least 30 reviews to have a good sample (this comes from stats for folks who remember that class) and I want the majority of scores to be fours and fives. Â When you see five stars and one or two ratings, you have no idea who those people were – they could be employees of the vendor selling them or perhaps they don’t have much experience. Â In short, the greater the number of reviews, the better off you are.
The following are links to pages that will open in a separate tab so you can see current product listings:
May 15th: For all the folks who emailed and called me out on the work area being a mess – you are absolutely right. I’ll get it cleaned up. I have a ton of excuses but no valid reasons for it being a mess.
Also, two guys posted saying how happy they are with their Wilton cross-slide vises so that is good to know and share also.
If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.
Automatic 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, I switch to a manual ball valve when it gets cold here in Michigan because my shop is unheated. As soon as spring rolls around, I immediately reinstall my trusty Midwest Controls EAD-25 valve made in 2011. There are tons and tons of clones out there that range from $11 upwards.
Now, as reliable and simple as these devices are there are some preventive maintenance and routine troubleshooting that need to be done. Basically, the device has a timer on the top that counts how many minutes until it blows off and then the duration. An electromagnet is tripped, pulls back against a spring and allows air and condensate to flow out the valve. This area can and will get dirty from rust and other debris. This can cause air to leak because of an imperfect seal or even jam the unit open or closed. Fortunately, these are a breeze to work on.
Each spring, before I put the unit back into service, I take it apart and clean it. At the end of the box is a silver hex nut. Simply remove it and the washer. Note how the rubber part of the washer goes to the back. The metal valve assembly will then slide out of the electro-magnet coil.
Next, note the hex nut at the base of the valve assembly. Loosen it to remove the valve from the brass body. If you need to, put the body in a vise to hold it while you loosen it. Personally, I never go crazy tightening mine because there in an O-Ring in there that I do not want to crush so mine can come apart by hand. Be careful that the parts do not fall out of the valve assembly. Do this some place where you can keep track of small parts. There is a tiny double stacked spring in there you do NOT want to lose.
When you turn the valve body upside down, the metal valve itself and the return spring should come out. I clean the parts and wipe everything down with a coat of silicone. Look at all the rust and junk on the towel from inside the tubular body of the valve assembly. Keep track of that little double spring – it is a small spring in a big spring and they will come apart!!
I do the same thing with the brass body as well. You’ll see all the dirt. I blow it out first with compressed air (be sure to wear your safety glasses) and then clean it also. The rubber face of the valve will sit squarely on that elevated nipple you see. Do not oil these parts or use anything that will attract dirt. I tend to use silicone spray myself but use whatever you prefer. Some guys choose not to use anything for fear of causing particles to stick – it’s your call.
Assembly is just the reverse order. One big tip – I install the spring on the valve and keep it horizontal during reassembly. Do not just stick the spring in the valve and drop it all back in the tube vertically. There are good odds the spring will fall out. By keeping it on its side, you can then screw the tube back onto the brass body and everything will then stay together properly because the spring will be held in position. I do not tighten the tube back on very tightly – just firm.
Once it is reassembled, push the Test button. You should hear a very crisp snapping sound as the valve opens and closes. If it does not sound really crisp, or however it normally sounds, then the spring may have fallen out.
Troubleshooting Your Valve
I have really only encountered two types of problems – either there is air leaking out even when the valve should be closed or the valve sticks wide open.
Sometimes you can simply fix this by Pushing the “TEST” button 3-5 times and see if doing so blows the debris free and it closes all the way. If if does not, then disassemble and clean the valve per the above.
If that valve is frozen open due to frozen moisture, you really need to warm it up. You can put a light near by to warm it up, use a pipe heater, etc. My honest recommendation is to switch over to a manual valve. Your risk that your valve may stick open when you are not around and cause the pressure to drop and the compressor turn on over and over causing wear and using electricity for no reason. Some guys will put their valves on lamp timers and only let it run for the time they normally use it – for example from 7am to 7pm. That is what I do but my hours are 6am – 11pm as I have such a crazy schedule but I do turn my compressor off at the breaker box before I leave the shop.
In closing, I really like the automatic air compressor drain valves and I’ve had my Midwest Controls EAD-25 for quite a while now and it is still going strong. The hints above have certainly helped me out over the years and can apply to many of the automatic drains that use the electromagnetic valve approach.
Here are Midwest Controls automatic drains on eBay (may not show any if none are listed):
Here are other brands of automatic drains with very good reviews on Amazon:
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