[richman992]

Fake Bakelite handguards are done. Spent more time than I would like to admit trying to get a design I was happy with on them. Had to tap the brush into all the ridges and lines so there wasn't a bunch of ugly dark spots. They're a bit darker than what's in the game but it matches the LCT slim bakelite grip better. Also took the time to reshim, correct AOE and install a Gate Titan while I had it apart. The LCT Slim motors sit very "low" in the gearbox and ABSOLUTELY require careful reshimming to run properly.

I've also decided how I want to attack the rear sight block. I will be cutting the carry handle at the line, and then smoothing out the shaded area so it can be welded onto the rear sight block. I don't trust JB Weld for this one. The sight block will also be modified to remove the tangs for the rear sight.

 

[richman992]

I haven't made any progress on the RPK since last posting, but had to come here and share something I stumbled upon today. It's also a good excuse to show off the newest addition to my arsenal (Guges, thank you again for getting this one to me!!!)

Was picking up motor oil and a filter at Advance Auto and happened to walk past the "stupid cheesy crap" aisle and something in the vinyl wraps for interior trim caught my eye…

The solution for fake bakelite! This was my first time wrapping anything, and I won't lie, I struggled quite a bit. It took a few tries, and I burned my fingers on my heat gun, but it was SOOO worth it. Hopefully this helps any AK guys with a hankering for bakelite- you could probably wrap just about anything with this stuff!

 

[Guges Mk3]

Nice!

 

[richman992]

Back again, this time just to show off something I threw together recently. I've got a friend who is attending the Geigerlands event with me, so it only seemed right that I make him a handmade rifle too. We took a little more creative liberty with this one. Base model is a Cyma Romanian AK. Modification was done to the rear trunnion, so the "stock" actually extends into the receiver similar to a real AK (it actually butts up to the gearbox, with a small channel carved out so the selector plate can still go to semi auto)

 

[mr. potatohead]

Wow. So pretty

 

[richman992]

Well, I finally got the proper magazine converted for the RPK build! I wish these 40 round magazines weren’t prohibitively expensive/rare or I would have done a bunch of them. I really love how it looks in all of my 7.62 AK’s.

Now that I’ve got the time again, I’ve also been working on a few other very unique builds that I’m looking forward to sharing with you guys soon. As always, any questions, comments or suggestions are welcome. I’m always eager to try new things!

 

[Guges Mk3]

Who makes that 40 Round Replica?

 

[richman992]

Who makes that 40 Round Replica?

It’s a real bakelite shell I converted to use the D-Day Varicap internals. Those D-Day mags are wonderful for conversions, they’re easy to modify and feed more reliably than any other AK mag I’ve tried to date. I’ll be using them for a few more conversions in the near future!

 

[richman992]

Here’s another one I’ve been working on lately! This poor little gun has been through so many transformations, but I think I might have finally found a look I’ll stick with. I jokingly call this one “Half Baked”

It started out as an LCT TX Baby, but that apparently wasn’t good enough so I’ve now spent the last year and a half trying out all sorts of different accessories and stocks for it. The internals weren’t left untouched either, it’s been rebuilt at least 3 times internally. It’s never let me down, rather I wanted to tone it back as it was previously shooting ~318 FPS @ 52 RPS.

For anyone interested, here’s a current build list (to the best of my recollection, I may have left some things out)

Internal:
-SHS 18:1 DSG
-SHS lightweight piston
-SP 150 spring
-LCT compression parts
-Gate Aster Advanced
-Maple Leaf MR HOP & Omega nub
-Steel inner barrel (cannot remember brand)
-LCT slim high torque motor
-Retro Arms trigger
-FLT Bushings

External:
-PPS Bizon top/side folding stock
-BOLT AKSU receiver
-LCT slim “fakelite” grip
-Asura Dynamics selector switch
-Cyma charging handle extension
-Hephaestus AKSU optic mount
-Strike Industries AK trax lower handguard
-BOLT AKSU upper handguard (“fakelite” vinyl wrapped)
-Zenitco B25U and Repro RK-0
-Repro Klesch 2P light
-Cyma battery box
-Repro JMAC LAF muzzle brake

Any suggestions for an optic? I thought maybe a Kobra sight would fit the aesthetic really nicely. The Hephaestus mount is currently there for either a scope protector or if I choose to run an RMR.

Update: The Kobra does fit the aesthetic nicely (and so did switching back to the RK-3 Slim)

View attachment 280178

 

[richman992]

Another one is fully complete, after a long, tiring search for green Zenitco furniture and a matching green sight. Of everything I’ve built, this one is actually my personal favorite. It’s also my favorite to take to games, despite it being severely front heavy. The initial inspiration for this build came from an AK47 setup I was using in COD Cold War Zombies (if that gives you an idea of how long I’ve been searching for all the parts). The base model is a Spartan/E&L Romanian AK.

Externals:

-Unknown steel flash hider
-5KU B-30U (tan)
-Zenitco B-19 (green)
-Screw collars from DL-1 kit (black)
-WADSN Klesch 2U light (black)
-Zenitco RK-4 (green)
-Zenitco B-2 (green)
-Zenitco A-2L (tan)
-Matrix PEQ 1 battery box (black)
-Unknown B-33 Repro (black)
-LCT Full Size bolt carrier/gas piston
-EFLX Red Dot
-5KU RP-1 (tan)
-PTS US Palm AEG grip (tan)
-AMD65Tech Cheek Riser for wire stock
-Green “Paki Tape” stock wrap
-Tan GP-25 style butt pad

Internals:

-E&L QCS Shell
-CYMA Bushings
-LCT compression parts
-SHS Lightweight piston
-SHS 13:1 Gearset
-Tienly 25K motor
-LCT M120 Spring (recently swapped from m100)
-JeffTron Leviathan V3
-Retro Arms trigger (green)
-Stock LCT barrel
-Maple leaf MR hop and omega tensioner
-E&L platinum hop up chamber

I’m sure I’ll eventually swap out the stock LCT barrel I used in this gun but for now it has performed extraordinarily well so I’m just leaving it alone (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it). The internals were composed of a lot of spare parts I had on hand, and I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Another small word on the internals- the V3 Leviathan. I love it! If you’ve ever installed a Gate Titan or Aster into an AK, you know how mushy and “dead” they make the trigger feel. The Leviathan includes an additional trigger spring that simulates the break and reset of an actual firearm. I can’t even begin to describe how satisfying it makes the trigger pull!

Anyways, here’s a couple pics of it, as well as the initial inspiration!

 

[richman992]

Like usual figured I’d randomly pop in here to show you guys another abomination. Sometimes I’ll go through and organize my parts bins and boxes, and the ideas will start to flow. It happened again about two weeks ago with this LCT keymod handguard

Apologies for the poor quality picture, I had to pull it from an old parts sale post (I’ve tried to sell this thing for months with no success). I never really used it as it wasn’t compatible with any of the gas tubes I had- or so I thought! I found a spare gas tube from an LCT TX Baby, and realized it would work, but not as a long handguard.

These are rough, unfinished cuts, but it gave me the confidence to keep going. And as you can see, I also had some spare RPK parts in my bins. I decided I had to have a mini RPK. But there was nowhere on the barrel to mount the RPK bipod, and I wasn’t going to cheap out and get a rail mounted bipod either. The solution was a steel barrel extension, which of course was too thick. I don’t have a lathe, so I filed this down by hand and cold blued it. It’s rough, but also won’t ever be seen.

And then hand filed/finished/painted the handguard cuts.

And here’s the finished product:

As you can see, it’s considerably shorter than a standard RPK. But due to that, you actually end up with more ground clearance for longer RPK magazines (which is important since due to the design constraints I can’t swivel or stow the bipod). Upon writing this I just realized that even the obnoxious LCT mag clears the ground.

Internals were mostly untouched, short of a spring downgrade and packing upgrade. It’s mostly just stock LCT parts. Since my local field regulates full auto use by FPS and not gun model, I toned it down to meet those requirements. However, I understand and agree that for most fields or events, this is completely unfair to be used as a LMG and wouldn’t be allowed.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoy it! It was a spur of the moment idea that I ran with, and was a great way to utilize parts that would’ve otherwise been forgotten.

 

[SteelReserve212]

This. This is now my favorite thread. Awesome stuff Richman. Following!

 

[richman992]

Completed a pretty cool little project today! After searching for the better part of a year, I managed to score a Rusak sight!

I didn’t like how it sat on the adapters, as the sight is originally made to be used on 11mm dovetail rails. I removed the original mounts, and drilled the Rusak so it can be mounted to C-More Railway sight mounts (either picatinny or pistol mounts).

To say I’m pleased with the result wouldn’t be doing it justice, I’m absolutely thrilled with the final product! I also have to give a big thanks to comradequiche on Reddit, he was immensely helpful with his Rusak experience. He had mounted his to an AK side mount and shared photos of the process, which gave me a bit more confidence in hacking up a 30 year old sight. I’m constantly impressed and humbled by the knowledge I find in the airsoft community!

 

[richman992]

I didn’t forget about this one… and now it’s finally done!

I’ve been working on this one for a reeeeeaaaalllyyy long time so I won’t bore you all to death with the details. Instead, here’s a few things to keep in mind should you decide you want to recreate this gun:

-The magazine is technically incorrect, however a 5.45 magazine looked too straight so I chose to go with a 7.62 version instead.

-I should have done more than 2 coats of clear coat on the handguards, the fakelite has scratched off in places from storing and handling.

-The carry handle is “backwards” due to how I cut and shaped it to weld it to the rear sight block. However welding it this way allows for more surface area for the welds. I can carry it by the handle without worrying.

-The pistol grip should be wood, however I personally thought the LCT “bakelite” looked better.

The best part is that I have a spare rear sight block, dust cover and standard RPK furniture/receiver so I can easily revert this gun back to a normal RPK-47!

 

[richman992]

I return here again… this time for help!

Got a real head scratcher with this GB I’ve been tinkering with. Amp draw says everything:

Bell end of motor gets hot if I spam semi, and wires will start to get warm. I have triple checked bevel to pinion mesh, overall shimming, piston movement and tappet movement. With the shell screwed down I’m getting 5+ rotations out of these gears, piston and tappet move freely. In fact, here’s a short video of it firing:

http://imgur.com/a/Y5M9Ofr

I’ve also checked over the wiring and connectors for anything that could cause a short. And the Titan is not detecting any shorts anywhere. But will very occasionally throw a code for over current protection.

Build consists of SHS 18:1 gears, m105 spring, and a Tienly 45K motor (spare parts build, no worries about PME since it’s semi auto locked). From what I understand this motor should have no issue pulling this spring in this setup.

Now my question: Is there something wrong with the Titan? Or is there something stupid I’m overlooking here? Diagnosing motor or electrical system issues isn’t exactly my area of expertise, so any suggestions on what else I should be checking would be immensely helpful.

 

[danerd]

A few things I notice off the bat:

1. Shimming sounds good.
2. 86 those 7mm bearings and go straight bushings. You and your drive train will thank me later.
3. Use some electrical tape and secure that motor in the cage so it's not whipping around like that.

Have you turned off AB? That will cause rapid heat buildup in the motor on semi, but doesn't necessarily explain the high amp draw. Also, take the readings from the Titan with somewhat of a grain of salt, they are accurate - to an extent. Don't look at the "last" reading it gives you - rather look at the average as it's a much better indicator.

 

[richman992]

Ooops, didn’t realize the screenshot was showing the last reading. Here’s an average of another 30 shots:

As for AB, I did try turning it off however I get overspin when I do. I’m reluctant to try a heavier spring + SS as I’m worried it’s gonna make the amp draw even worse. 40% AB is the lowest she’ll run at.

Noted on the motor, I’m swapping cages around currrently as the last cage didn’t even allow the motor to move when I adjusted height, and I thought maybe that was causing an issue. I held it in place for the 30 test shots I just took.

I’ve never had issues with Gate mosfets or Tienly motors so it’s really puzzling

 

[richman992]

New readings with a stock LCT motor and gearbox not even shimmed properly to it (seriously it sounded awful). Nearly half the amp draw using a notoriously weak motor:

Looks like the Tienly is the issue, unless I’m just misinterpreting these results. I have a very strong grasp on mechanical systems but electrical systems seem to elude me. So my solution is probably going to be a rebuild with a high torque motor and toss the Tienly 45K (unless one of you motor gurus wants it, maybe you can make heads or tails of it. It’s got less than 3K cycles through it)

 

[Leo Greer]

I want the motor!

But before you give it away, you should try running it in some distilled water/clean out the motor. Some of the better electricians on here may have some good suggestions as well…

That being said, I find anything over 35K to generally be pretty heat-heavy, unless it’s brushless. I have a Tienly 40K in an 18:1 M120 build and it gets hot annoyingly fast.

 

[aotsukisho]

Looking at your screenshots we can derive the following:

Tienly 45K
1. 82.35A and 714.3W to cycle implies 8.67v
2. 85.53A and 720.2W to cycle implies 8.42v

LCT stock motor (unknown spec)
1. 48.93A and 510?W to cycle implies ~10.42v

I'm assuming from these that you're running on 3s lipo but experiencing significant sag (~33%) due to heavy current draw. However, pulling 50A on a stock motor is not good either and I've only seen that when complete lockups happen - a G&P M140 motor I was testing recently stalled at 48A. Semiauto is very hard on the motor, and the heating of the motor endbell is indicative of high current being passed whether it's accelerating the motor out of a standstill, or very harsh active braking algorithms. I would like to see what full auto amp draw looks like, but the Tienly 45K is a 12t motor so expect it to run hot

My questions
1. What does the Gate Titan report for amp draw when the motor is ran with no load?
2. What battery are you using for testing?
3. Why is your sector gear red?
4. What are your other motor-related settings on the Titan? Precocking, ROF control/stabilizer, Smart Trigger, Active Braking,

My recommendations as of right now
1. Upgrade/downgrade Titan software and see if symptoms persist. Ensure motor tab connectors are tight
2. Remove motor brushes, clean commutator and brush faces, and re-break in motor (3-4v for half an hour, stop motor periodically to cool off and clean out brush dust)
3. If you have access to an external ammeter to confirm amp readings in full auto that would help

Things to keep in mind
1. The Titan is a black box, you don't know how its algorithm calculates current flow or how accurate their measurement circuit design is in the first place. That's why I recommend getting a second opinion
2. You are right on the edge of what Tienly recommends for usage scenario, M100 spring minimum
3. Titan was supposedly designed for 300A, it throwing an overcurrent DTC is kind of worrying.