What was the original finish on a Belgian StG 58?

[STG_58_guy]

Mine look blued. But I have one with a replacement barrel (by the armorer) that looks parked.

I had an Imbel kit where the lower was painted black, and an Argy barrel that was painted black.

Sorry, I should know this. Please advise.

[gunplumber]

First, Parked. Then when retrofitted with the short gas system, they were blued. You can tell because the blued guns have a heavy ring of solder - it is for a threaded tube. The later ones were also parked, but with a sleeved (not threaded) gas cylinder and a much neater almost invisible ring of solder.. Replacement parts were painted and early 60s (?) all started to be painted, but those would be Austrian made, not Belgium. So it is possible to have an Austrian gun in service with all three finishes.

[STG_58_guy]

But I know you know your stuff. I like black. Black as can be black. How do I make my Stg (Austrian) black again? And a parked Imbel gear logo as black as the rest?

[brunop]

Send it to Mark (GunPlumber) for Metacol in black. You will not be disappointed.

Signed,

One Satisfied Customer

[BUFF]

Mark Graham assembled my IMBEL on IMBEL fixed/folder convertible with his proprietary black Metacol paint finish over Park. It is as black as Barack Obama's heart and just as hard.

Sledgehammer rebuilt an Aussie kit on an IMBEL upper for me, bobbed to 18 inches, PNG flash suppressor, Hythe sights, and some other ceramic paint over Park. It is as black as Eric Holder's soul.

If you want black, those two gents can give you black.

[STG_58_guy]

thanks

[adam762]

I'm going to disagree with Mark on the parked first part. I think FN was hot bluing EVERYTHING in the late 50s. The Belgian StGs came out about the same time as the G1/BGS model C rifles, and they were originally blued, as were their immediate predecessors, the models Bs that we all are loving right now.

Steyr did park their rifles (zink phosphate I'd say) and there's plenty of evidence to support the fact that they did have arsenal level maintenance as well, but given what FN was doing at the time, I'm leaning toward bluing as their original finish.

Yes, FN certainly did switch to paint over park, I suspect sometime around 1960. Maybe late 59. Late enough to miss the StG/G1 production but just in time for the finishing of spare parts runs for the G1 rifles.

Of course there are no records, so this is speculation based on years of observing parts, talking to other folks interested in the history, and watching related threads here.

I think the Border Guard rifles and FN StGs were blued from the factory. It makes more sense than anything else.

ETA: I'd add that my rifle, S/N 1177, has the original full length gas tube, and is NOT soldered. It is blued, in about 95 percent condition. Not every rifle was converted to short tube, which indicates not EVERY rifle was refinished. Still, it is all historical speculation based on limited evidence and observation. I'm still going with blued.

[jugrunner]

Originally Posted by adam762

I'm going to disagree with Mark

are you crazy ... ??? ...

[John Crusher]

Originally Posted by STG_58_guy

But I know you know your stuff. I like black. Black as can be black. How do I make my Stg (Austrian) black again? And a parked Imbel gear logo as black as the rest?

I like manganese park. Got 2 going out soon to get done.

[gunplumber]

I've learned to never say "never" or "always" with anything FAL related.

I have built over 3500 fal rifles and seen a lot more kits than that - I used to buy FAL parts by the pallet.

So I will equivocate. I have seen a lot of StG parts kits and I have never seen a blued one that did not also have evidence of being an arsenal rework (heavy soldered, threaded, short tube).

Now on commercial guns, the bolt crrier is black oxide and the hinge pin is blued.

Interestingly, I took in a rifle yesterday that came with 5 polished blue magazines - one of them was Israeli marked. Originally I thought the magazines had been refinished. But on one of the magazines, the inside rear reinforcement strip was bare metal and the welds on the back securing it were not blued. This suggests to me the magazine body was blued before it was completed - such as having the sheet metal blued. The other 4 had this back reinforcement strip blued. Point is, either one mag has a strip made of stainless and the other 4 are carbon steel, or the mags were not refinished.

So anyway, never say never.

[STG_58_guy]

I picked up an FAL magazine at a gun shop that was sitting in a box of parts. It has a very fine, blued finish. It looks polished like you said. However, it doesn't work. The reinforcing part you describe is missing from the magazine! And there is no evidence it was ever there.

Without that "spacer", the cartridges drift backward and collide with the BHO, which jams the rifle.

It makes a really nice prop though so I'm holding on to it. Not a mark on it anywhere. Looks brand new.

A failed magazine project? A prototype?

Edit: The floor plate is painted black. The follower is blued.

[Abominog]

I believe Adam to be correct about the earliest StG58s- blued.

The first batch of G1s (not just "C" but "G1") also were blued. Later the G1s were parked. Not sure if complete G1s were ever delivered painted, but spares were paint over park. Completely off topic, somehwere starting about March 1957 the G1 receivers got dated and NSNs.

[jimmbob]

Originally Posted by Abominog

I believe Adam to be correct about the earliest StG58s- blued.
.

I'll second that