Work continues - have been able to simulate the phosphate finish used on Romanian rifles;
Basecoat of black Krylon camo, then multiple very thin sprays of truckbed liner. Was very, very important to test a few times on scrap parts to get the technique right! Too thick and you get big blobs, too thin and it's like regular paint.
I did sand/stain and varnish the lower handguard to a nice orange/red finish, but for some reason the stain has bleached out and it's a dull brown again. I'll be hitting up canadian tire for some amber shellac (hint from the Red Alliance boards) tomorrow to see about getting the finish for that part back on track.
Waiting on pistol grip and selector lever...