I'm to the point of welding some of this thing together, but I have a small problem to solve first.
When this MG was de-milled, the person who did it drilled into the rail rivets a little too deeply. He drilled right into the receiver a few times. The steel is very thin in these places, so I need to put the metal back somehow. I think I know what I need to do, but I'm fishing for some ideas first
So, I'm looking forward to all of your creative solutions
Why not do as you say regards fill welding then use the original rails & a transfer punch to mark your rivet hole positions Its worked for me in the past
I considered that too, rocco ... but I'm not a machinist by trade, so I do not own a transfer punch set. I'd have to buy the tools. So, that's the decision to make ... buy the tools and use them once - perhaps three times - or do I buy a new set of virgin rails & rivets from RTG?
The advantage to buying the tools & re-using the rails I already have is that these rails are from this very gun (everything was sandblasted before the de-mil process and the sandblasting & left over phospahting patterns all match). I have bolted the rails in and everything slides nicely. I am concerned that fitting virgin rails will require a certain amount of fitting & fiddling....hmmmmm......
Also, to use the tranfer punch method, I'd have to figure out a way align the rails on the outside of the receiver in order to mark the holes, right? How would you align the rails with the camming piece perfectly? The left side might not be too bad, but on the right side the ratchet plate could make things tricky. I'll have to have another look at it tomorrow...
Perhaps by filling only one or two holes,using the rest to bolt the rails to the outside.U se rails as a jig to mark the filled holes,remove and repeat with the rest of the holes.Or use dykem to mark the centers,perpendicular lines that extend past the weld area. ---bil
"I dream of a world where I can buy alcohol,tobacco and firearms from the same drive-up window,and use them all on the way home from work!" Dogbert
It might take a little longer than filling them all at the same time and then re-drilling them all at once, but your suggestion sounds like the right way...
Looks like I am goin' shoppin' for some Transfer Punches...
While we are sort-of on the subject of riveting, where's a good place to buy a setting tool for my air hammer? I have the bucking blocks already.
Has anyone used a new rivet for the camming piece? That long rivet is very unsupported. How do you keep it from bending in the center while forming the head?
I headed it-it doesn't need much,as it just keeps both pieces in alignment.I have also seen one with the bottom of the rivet threaded and a lock nut installed. ---bil
"I dream of a world where I can buy alcohol,tobacco and firearms from the same drive-up window,and use them all on the way home from work!" Dogbert
Bil wrote:I also have one of those rail alignment jigs you could use,I have never seemed to find a use for it. ---bil
Hmmm . . . I've heard of people using them to align rails. You're charting new territory here, so a lot of care and caution are highly recommended.
How's things on the left coast Brother Bil?
GeeDeeEmm
" The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government . . . . When the people fear their government there is tyranny, when the government fear the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson
Nice and toasty!!Sure beats mud season in New England! The rail jib is very useful in making sure they are in line with the barrel,but you still have to locate the holes from inside.What would be real handy is a paper template that you could stick directly on the receiver,sort of like the ones that are on the Prexis semi receivers,showing center lines and dimentions of holes and slots.I am sure a computer/machinist sort could come up with something.Certainly not me,I can barely type! ---bil
"I dream of a world where I can buy alcohol,tobacco and firearms from the same drive-up window,and use them all on the way home from work!" Dogbert
Harbor Freight sells transfer punches cheap. The only problem I have had with them is when I need a steel rod for a project I will use one of the punch rods so the sets are no longer complete. When I did the coldsteel receiver it had no rail hole so I lined the rail on the outside with two holes (I used a alignment tool for the first hole at each end of the rail) and used the rail to guide the hole remaining locations.
If you are going to have to tig the holes you could use oakrodents method of tigging the riviets in from the inside and then refinishing the heads on the outside with a studgun. His build is an interesting read.
