previously it looked like this, just basic laminate, I went with trans tint alcohol dyes and Starbrite teak oil, then finished it with odies wood butter should be super easy to work out any future blemishes, also a very nice feeling satin finish present.
I seriously DOUBT if the metal & wooden parts looked that well when it was new. = LOTS of AK "furniture" LOOKS as if it was made out of assorted pieces of scrap metal & old packing crates/pallets.
I've seen NEW "locally assembled" AK-clones in SE ASIA, that looked like JUNK but that shot OK.
(In 1973 troops of the AMERICAL DIV. found a "Popular Front jungle repair depot" where "unserviceable" AK47 were being repaired/rebuilt & W/O any electricity, power tools and by a group of, at best, "semi-skilled" girls/women.)
Yeah actually, it looks far better then when it was "new" thats why I did it. its an 86 parts kit century build from Yugoslavia. The picture of the fore grips in my safe "the crappy looking ones" are what it shipped with. I found an unfinished un used yet someone sold online I believe it was apex, and refinished them in red. so yeah your right, my AK looks bad ass now. thanks. All the metal parts came new from Yugoslavia like that.