Thank you @Obi-Juan I had made an educated guess at that era, so it's nice to have possible corroboration on that. I had seen the article previously and it's really useful!
I have a rather nice pair of Marzocchi XC700 that, although they are lovely, I would like to have in black.
Is paint the answer? Or anodising? Is it a foolish endeavour? Is dinner ready? All commentary appreciated...