Paint Removal

[horatio]

Has anyone tried sanding the reciever in preparation to painting? I have a Maadi that I want to refinish, and I was thinking about sanding the reciever by hand? Is this a good idea?

Also, how do you get the internals out for baking?

Thanks!

[Tantal]

Please don't sand it, get some of the spray-on paint stripper, it works great. Degrease the rifle with starter fluid or alcohol after you get all the gunk off. Here is a short tutorial on getting the internals out:

There is almost straight, small wire spring directly laying against the left inside wall of the receiver. It is about three inches long and lays lengthways with the receiver. It usually has a hook or a loop on the end facing the barrel. This loop is pressing against the center support pin of the receiver, which the hammer will rest against when released with no bolt carrier in the gun. See it? It is usually a silver color in contrast to the black metal wall.

This pin retains all the picot pins, for trigger and hammer. You must catch the loop with a pair of needle nose plyers, and pull it towards the back of the receiver untill it clears the center support pin, and then pull it up, over and forward towards the barrel until it comes completely out of the gun. You might have to turn it sideways to get it completely out, because there is a little upturned tail on the end that sometimes catches the trigger pin and makes it difficult to pull out. Got it out?

Now, once it is out, take a small punch (or a slave pin from an AKM cleaning kit.) the size of the pin shaft that sticks out of the right side of the gun for trigger and hammer. Make sure the hammer is released from spring tension (not cocked). With the gun in your lap, and you looking down into the receiver with your body on the left side of the gun, put you left hand around the hammer, thumb on the back and fingers on the front. Push down on the hammer a little, and use the punch to gently push the pin out from the right side, to the left side. You might have to jiggle the hammer a little to get the pin to clear. Did it push out? Now you can turn the hammer sideways inside the receiver, and pull it out with the hammer spring attached. You might have to use the needle nose to get the spring all the way out, sometimes the tails will catch on something. Now set it aside with the pring still attached.

Now grip the trigger from above with the left hand, same routine. Push down with your thumb on the disconnector top, and rearward a little to rock the disconnector on it's spring. Hold it in place, and use the punch to push the pin out from right to left. Pull the trigger/disconnector out as a unit, holding the disconnector that is under a little spring pressure. Set this aside.

You are done. Now pull the disconnector off, check out the spring and the spring hole, and also, on a Maadi there is a little pring between the trigger and the disconnector side, that keeps the disconnector to the left side of the space it occupies on the trigger. Don't loose the two springs.

Now assebly: take the disconnector, put the long spring in it's hole, sit it onto the trigger, with the tail of the spring in the corresponding shallow hole on the trigger floor. Now as you hold all this with your left hand, push the little spacwer spring in, and align all the parts so you can see daylight in the pivot pin hole through the center. If you have a slave pin forma cleaning kit, you can install it now and the assembly will stay together. Otherwise, hold it all together, and sit it in the receiver and slide the trigger spur into the hole in the bottom of the reciever. Push the pivot pin into the receiver from the left side, through the trigger/disconnector and seat the head into the left side hole all the way intil it touches the receiver. The small shoulder slot on the head should be inside the receiver. Now, install the hammer by turning it sideways, insert above the trigger and slide it forward in the hammer position, and turn it rightside up. Position the spring tails over the two tails of the trigger rear, and install the pivot piun for the hammer. Might have to wiggle the hammer to get the head to seat.

Now, install the retaining spring. First,, stick the tail end UNDER the trigger pin inside the head's shoulder slot on the left, and over the hammer pin, push it back and then under the center support until it clicks into position.

Check each pin th make sure they will not slide out, meaning the retaining spring is in position in the heads. You are done.

[horatio]

Tantal,

thank you for the detailed explanation!! I will attempt to detail my rifle soon, and your instructions will be crutial.

Thanks again!