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3/8/2008 11:50:34 PM EDT
Wondering how AKs were originally finished.

I've got a few builds from Troy at INRANGE which are amazing. I'm not sure what he does when refinishing, but it's great.

Thinking of building a "battle field pickup" like rifle and don't want the super duper finish commonly found. I'd just like to have the rifle finished as it would have been originally.

Bluing over matte (bead blasted) metal?

Parkerizing?

I don't know. Can you please help.

Oh, the kit is Romanian, kinda like how Russians look too.

3/9/2008 9:00:53 AM EDT
[#1]
parkarized is not original by anymeans...its just a simple, fast, cheap way to finish AKs.
3/9/2008 9:03:27 AM EDT
[#2]
from what i have seen its black paint over park

edit to add, but thats bulgarian, im not totaly sure but i think the romainians blued theirs but not 100%
3/11/2008 7:52:21 AM EDT
[#3]
Thinking the Romanians are just blue (black) over a bead blasted type surface.
3/11/2008 8:17:27 AM EDT
[#4]
Chinese and Yugos have a blued finished. The metal on some parts (like the barrel) is left in it's shiny "as-machined" state, but most of the parts that are either forged or cast are given a "brushed" finish wither with an abrasive or a wire wheel of some type.

Most other AKs have a black painted finish, seemingly usually over zinc phosphating (grey Parkerizing).

Romanian AKs, I don't know for sure. My first PSL was very crudely phoshate coated, but here and there it did have tiny little bits of brittle black paint left over here and there. Kind of like the old "stoving" on Britsh rifles. I've seen WASRs with the same appearance. However, my current PSL has a decent, thick phosphate job on it and it's pretty consistant, with no traces of any paint.



Basically, both Chinese and Yugo AKs should have a shiny blued finish, and all others should have a black painted finish.



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