Basic airsoft toolkit

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In this Mechbox Monday, we look at the basic toolkit and items you should have on hand before attempting to upgrade, repair or modify your airsoft gun.

This guide is primarily focused on the basic toolkit needed for beginning work on your AEG. Some specialized tools may be required for pistols and other airsoft guns.


Tools:

Most of you should be able to find the basic tools in your home, dorm, garage, shop or borrow them from a friend. Below is a list of the tools we recommend before starting any airsoft (AEG) work:

  1. Screwdrivers (assorted slotted and phillips)
  2. Allen/hex wrenches (metric)
  3. Hook and pick tools
  4. Needle-nose pliers (snipe-nose pliers)

Screwdrivers are fairly obvious, but these will help in disassembling the body and the internal components of the mechbox.

Allen or hex wrenches are essential for disassembling some AEGs and for adjusting motors. (Be sure the kit you buy has a 1.5mm Allen wrench).

Torx drivers are more specific to the Tokyo Marui (TM) mechbox, be sure to have a T10 torx driver if you’re opening TM mechboxes.

Hook and pick tools are really great to have for all kinds of situations. We regularly use the picks for releasing the anti-reversal latch, removing small parts, etc.

Needle-nose pliers are great for holding small parts in place or reattaching springs.


Miscellaneous:

Every job may require something specialized, but the general airsoft toolkit should also include the following:

  1. Silicon lube (various weights)
  2. Lube gel
  3. White lithium grease
  4. Multi-tool/knife

Silicon lubricants can be purchased locally at many hobby shops or online from most airsoft retailers. Make sure that you get 100% silicon, other oils can have adverse reactions with certain rubber components in airsoft guns. Silicon lubricants come in different weights (viscosities) for many uses including cleaning barrels, lubricating pistol slides and general magazine maintenance.

Lube gel is a great substance for lubricating the inner wall of the cylinder, tappet plate rails, air nozzle and the seals of the piston head. We also use lube gel to hold parts in place (like the head of a small screw). Superlube and Radio Shack lube gel are great alternatives to the Systema cylinder grease.

White lithium grease is a great lube for AEG gears, bushings and shims. You can find lithium grease in spray or tube, I recommend the tube form as it’s much easier to apply (spray lithium is really too thin and messy to be effective). Systema and others sell airsoft specific gear greases, we can’t find any obvious reason to pay more for them.

Multi-tools come in very handy and sometimes have just the right blade or other tool you’ll need when your mechbox is wide open and realize you don’t have the right size tip on your screwdrivers. Many times we have resorted to the Leatherman or Gerber multi-tool to get us out of tight spot during open-mechbox surgery. You’ll be glad you bought one anyway, if you haven’t already.


In closing:

There are plenty more tips that didn’t make it into this “essentials” list. Some other great things to have around are storage bins, even old jars or bowls to sort your parts as they are removed. Anything you can do to keep yourself organized will seriously contribute to a less stressful repair and reduce the chances of losing small parts. Stay tuned for more in-depth articles in the future including a list of spare parts we recommend you keep on hand.

Image used in header by: Schiller Garcia

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15 Comments


  1. I’ve found that taking a low profile box, like a shoe box lid, and working out of it prevents screws from running away while working on a mechbox.

    by Millhouse February 2nd, 2009

  2. I’ve found that the best way for sorting screws is an ice mould. It’s very handy if you are accurate enough.

    by Phirius February 2nd, 2009

  3. Is it alright to use spray lube for your mechbox? Also, where can I find basic maintenance for the mechbox (I plan on getting a jg g36c)?

    by Ben February 6th, 2009

  4. CAN you use spray silicon white lithium to lube the cylinder and piston? i cant find any silicon gel locally.

    by Dub March 24th, 2009

  5. can you use spray silicon or white lithium for the cylinder and piston? i cant find any silicon gel locally.

    by Dub March 24th, 2009

  6. Hi Ben!
    No, DO NOT USE SPRAY LUBE!! What you need is some good quality gear grease- Guarder, G&P, and such. White Lithium also works. Spray lube will evaporate. “Hey, where’s the lubrication?” However, ONLY USE GEAR GREASE ON THE GEARS!! I’ve heard that it deteriorates o rings such as the ones on the piston head and cylinder head.

    As for piston/ Piston head grease, go for silicon lube or some other specified “cylinder lubricant” such as CA.

    If you ever lube your barrel, use 100% silicon spray lube. If you don’t want to wait, go get some DuPont silicon spray at Ace Hardware. Make sure it is the rubber- safe kind (it’s in a relatively large orange spray container).
    R7

    by R7 April 13th, 2009

  7. hello i was just wondering what i would need for and upgrade on my V2 gearbox so it would shoot a faste FPS

    i have a M4A1

    thank you

    eric forest

    by Eric Forest April 30th, 2009

  8. Hi Eric Forest,
    You can increase FPS some without upgrading the spring-
    INCREASE AIRSEAL
    1- Airseal nozzle
    2- Tight seal with cylinder with pisotn head o ring
    3- Tight seal with cylinder with cylinder head
    4- No air loss between nozzle and bucking inside hop chamber.
    5- One piece hop unit for decreased air escape. Get one with an o ring on the feeding tube too keep air from escaping from the mag.
    6- Tighter inner barrel
    7- Higher diameter PRECISION bb (KSC/ Tokyo Marui/ Airsoft Elite)
    8- Wrap bucking in teflon tape if you can squeeze any insie the unit!!
    USE THAT CYLINDER GREASE!
    Teflon tape can help seal things better if you wrap it around air- loss spots.
    CONFIRM:
    1- Barrel is lubed with silicon spray (Du Pont orange spray can or just pure silicon spray)
    2- Bucking in top condition
    LONG RUN:
    1- You will have better FPS (your spring will remain stronger) if you get ball bearing spring guide+ piston head.
    All this should give you +65 fps (probably more!)If you are having air leak problems, however, it could increase, like, 90+ fps.
    IF YOU WANT TO INCREASE FPS ALOT:
    1- Get a stronger spring. However, you will have to cope for it with sorbothane padding for piston head/ cylinder head. You will also have to get some torque gears and a stronger piston along with some metal bushings. A lighter piston head+ piston combo will help also.
    If you are upgrading to about 600+ fps, make sure to get a reinforced gearbox case and an STS unit, too. Ball bearing spring guide+ piston head would be a GREAT idea (almost necessary), too!
    R7

    by R7 May 8th, 2009

  9. Or you could just use an upgraded spring but that also helps just properly lube everything and you should be just fine. if u cant find any lube grease just use white lithium grease but just a very little and that is all u need just go to home depot to buy more o rings

    by joshua lubrico July 11th, 2009

  10. hey one of my freinds sprayed WD-40 instead of silicon spray and it wont work can someone help me with this probelm i have i tried cleaning it but that wont work

    by chance orvin August 18th, 2009

  11. WD-40 eats away at any of the rubber or plastic components in the aeg, so basically all his air seals and hop up unit are wrecked, that gun needs sum luvin’

    stick with silicon spray, its a safe lubricant for general use such as cleaning your barrel. inside the gearbox, as mentioned here, requires different types of lubericant

    by Hooch August 27th, 2009

  12. can i do anything about it?

    by chance orvin September 2nd, 2009

  13. WD-40 is not really a lubricant. its ‘Water-Displacing Spray’ meant for unjamming things like locks. NEVER EVER EVER whatever you do use it in a gearbox, IT IS NOT A LUBRICANT. I didn’t know this and used it in my first real AEGs gearbox… I finally gave up trying to clean it and replaced the gearbox. Look up on google ways to clean WD40 out of things.

    by Andrew September 4th, 2009

  14. To the airsoft community: Please learn how to spell/read. It’s “SILICONE” lube, not “silicon”. Why do so many people make this mistake? Silicon is an element used in semiconductors, whereas silicone is a chemical compound containing oxygen and carbon. It can be made into lubricants, cell-phone cases, etc.

    I sure hope you guys aren’t using pure silicon.

    by goatmonger September 5th, 2009

  15. hey guys! im having problem on my JG m4a1. It keeps firing on auto mode even the selector is in semi. what shoul i do? i tried opening my gearbox but everything looks fine. everything is still in place. please help me with this one.

    by renan October 20th, 2009