VFC AK cosmetics upgrades
Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:38 amHello folks. as you know from another thread I did a side by side comparison of a REAL STEEl Krink and the VFC AK74UN. As neat as the VFC was there were a few areas I wanted to change; The wood and the Muzzle booster!
The Wood was done in Typical AK style Covered with Varnish, The Muzzle booster had been Painted to cover the Safety tip. Lucky the Muzzle booster is steel:
OK in case anyone wants to do this themselves heres what you will need.
Sand paper- 220,320, and 400 grit
0000 STEEL WOOL
Spray on Paint stripper is recomended but optional
Wood stain (for this I used Light Pecan. Russians use a dark plum
Deft spray on Varnish, High Gloss or satin*
(1) Ok following the Guns direction remove the wood, and the small steel spring loaded tensioner
(2)Using the 220 paper lightly scuff the varnish
(3) apply the paint stripper avoiding you skin and anything else thats has paint on it
Let sit and come back in 10-15 Min. it will look like
remove the bubbled up finish with a soft bristle brush or a plastic scraper..you may need to reapeat this several times. When satisfiesd rinse with cool water and let dry (DONT SOAK IT)
(4) sand it with the 220, then progress to each finer grit untill you get to the 0000 Steel wool check for any wool sticking to it It will look like this
(5) Apply the stain with the grain and allow to penatrate, and dry.
(6) apply varnish in several light coats, after third coat is dry, buff with steel wool, remove dust and recoat. allow to dry 1-2 Hours before handleing.
OK, Now for the Muzzle booster. I wanted to remove the poorly applyed Black paint used to cover the Blaze Orange tip When It started it looke like this
So I ran it through My bead blaster to remove the paint and any factory coating..the factory coating was pretty tough so it took a while to get it to look like this
After it was clean It was submeregd in a container of Manganese Phosphating acid AKA PARKERIZING SOLUTION the Acid is held at about 190 degrees and the Part is hung in the fluid until the Off gassing stops as seen here
.
Once removed from the Acid it is rinsed in cool water, scrubbed with a brush,and coated with a special oil mixture. Here is the finished products the Wood and the Booster for your Veiwing.
After
Before
The Wood was done in Typical AK style Covered with Varnish, The Muzzle booster had been Painted to cover the Safety tip. Lucky the Muzzle booster is steel:
OK in case anyone wants to do this themselves heres what you will need.
Sand paper- 220,320, and 400 grit
0000 STEEL WOOL
Spray on Paint stripper is recomended but optional
Wood stain (for this I used Light Pecan. Russians use a dark plum
Deft spray on Varnish, High Gloss or satin*
(1) Ok following the Guns direction remove the wood, and the small steel spring loaded tensioner
(2)Using the 220 paper lightly scuff the varnish
(3) apply the paint stripper avoiding you skin and anything else thats has paint on it
Let sit and come back in 10-15 Min. it will look like
remove the bubbled up finish with a soft bristle brush or a plastic scraper..you may need to reapeat this several times. When satisfiesd rinse with cool water and let dry (DONT SOAK IT)
(4) sand it with the 220, then progress to each finer grit untill you get to the 0000 Steel wool check for any wool sticking to it It will look like this
(5) Apply the stain with the grain and allow to penatrate, and dry.
(6) apply varnish in several light coats, after third coat is dry, buff with steel wool, remove dust and recoat. allow to dry 1-2 Hours before handleing.
OK, Now for the Muzzle booster. I wanted to remove the poorly applyed Black paint used to cover the Blaze Orange tip When It started it looke like this
So I ran it through My bead blaster to remove the paint and any factory coating..the factory coating was pretty tough so it took a while to get it to look like this
After it was clean It was submeregd in a container of Manganese Phosphating acid AKA PARKERIZING SOLUTION the Acid is held at about 190 degrees and the Part is hung in the fluid until the Off gassing stops as seen here
.Once removed from the Acid it is rinsed in cool water, scrubbed with a brush,and coated with a special oil mixture. Here is the finished products the Wood and the Booster for your Veiwing.
After Before