VZ58/VZ2008 Improvised Folding Stock Retaining Nut

[TJNewton]

I have a WTB ad for a folding stock bolt and retaining nut and I'm still looking, but as nobody seems to have those spare parts, and haven't had them for a while, I did some hardware store tinkering and came up with a functional and hopefully temporary solution. 

The threads on the retaining nut were shot, but the threads on the bolt were still decent.  After trying numerous 5mm nuts, I found an acorn nut that would give me about one turn with finger pressure.  Not all 5mm nuts worked -- I guess the machining tolerances vary enough that I had to be choosey.  I then simulated the original thimble-shaped retaining nut from two parts:  Some 11.1mm x 0.355mm brass tubing cut to about 5mm in length as a spacer, with a 6m fender washer (about 15mm diameter) as the top.  I also got a newer and weaker spring as the original one is extremely stiff and would have been a serious hassle to keep compressed while trying to attach a nut that needed some finagling to accept the bolt's threads. 

After some filing and fitting and testing, I cleaned the threads of the original bolt and put on a drop of Blue Loctite.  I placed the brass spacer and spring around the bolt, compressed the spring with the fender washer, and was able to gently attach the acorn nut.  I tightened the nut with a crescent wrench until it just bottomed out and am now waiting for the Loctite to cure.

It functions perfectly.  Pushing on the acorn nut easily disengages and firmly locks the stock in both folded and open positions.  The weaker spring seems to do the job well.  When the gun is upside down, the spacer will drop to expose maybe 1-2mm of the spring, but when the gun is upright the spacer drops back down as a dust shield.

It does look somewhat unusual, but function is what I care about until I find some original replacement parts.  I'm also on the lookout for black versions of the hardware and if I find them I may just redo it and keep it that way as it wouldn't be such an eyesore.

Since this seems to be a common problem, I hope it helps someone out.

[Wtex]

Very resourceful, if you don't like the silver you could always paint it black.

[Sheepdog]

Very resourceful, if you don't like the silver you could always paint it black.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Nice work TJNewton.

I've looked, but haven't been able to find those parts for sale by themselves.

[TJNewton]

Thanks very much.  As it seems to be almost as difficult to find black oxide hardware in the sizes I need -- at least in lots of less than 1000 -- I've been working on different techniques for blackening the parts, with mixed results.  I'll post results if they're acceptable.

[jwc007]

As it seems to be almost as difficult to find black oxide hardware in the sizes I need -- at least in lots of less than 1000 -- I've been working on different techniques for blackening the parts, with mixed results.  I'll post results if they're acceptable.

Just mask things off and use some flat black automotive engine paint.  Very little fuss and no Rust! 

[Sheepdog]

As it seems to be almost as difficult to find black oxide hardware in the sizes I need -- at least in lots of less than 1000 -- I've been working on different techniques for blackening the parts, with mixed results.  I'll post results if they're acceptable.

Just mask things off and use some flat black automotive engine paint.  Very little fuss and no Rust! 

That's what I would recommend too.  Until you find the parts. You can simply touch up the paint as needed.

[TJNewton]

Thanks for the advice, but I did some tinkering as I didn't have any paint on hand and wanted to see if I could solve this.  Here are the final results.








I subjected the brass spacer to heat, to sanding, to heat again, and while it never got darker than a brownish-bronze, the abuse did make it accept a sharpie marker whereas initially the sharpie would just wipe off.

The flat washer responded well to heat and quenching in canola oil.  It never got completely black, but dark enough to blend in well.

The acorn nut was more difficult.  The chrome finish was resistant to heat and no matter how hot I got it, it would revert to its reflective sheen.  I then soaked it in a baking soda bath overnight and it came out dull and flat.  I first thought that the baking soda had eaten away the chrome, but I think it had instead changed the composition.  I subjected it to heat and it sooted up quickly, but when wiping the soot away with a paper towel it would remain only a golden brown.  I tried that four or five times, and thought that instead of paper towel it would be easier to wipe the soot away with an alcohol pad.  When I used the alcohol pad, the finish instantly became a deep, flat black -- a permanent finish.  The baking soda + heat + alcohol did the job.  I don?t know what alchemy I?d performed, but a happier accident I couldn?t have asked for.

I glued the washer and spacer together, so now it performs very much like the original retaining nut.  I also filed down the acorn nut a bit for clearance.  I?m very happy with the appearance now, and even more so with the function, and am going to keep it this way as I think that it may be more robust than the original design.  When pushing on the original retaining nut to release the stock, the pressure would likely ?rock? the nut back and forth on the threads, stressing it over time and stripping it out.  With this set up, the pressure is 100% downward on the bolt, and the threads stay intact.

That was a lot time and effort, and probably not the most efficient way to spend it.  I could have worked the equivalent in overtime and bought another folding stock, and maybe even another rifle.  Overall, however, it?s nice to be able to fix it and make it right, especially when the parts aren?t available.  If it doesn?t perform as expected, I?ll post an update.