Disgusted.

Brian22

Brian22

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This business is an embarrassment, think twice before sending them your firearm for service or work!

"ARMCO MACHINE & PLATING" and there contracted shop "BUMBLBEE CUSTOM MACHINE" located in Prince George BC

I don't know if they lack the proper machinery, or lack the experience, but I assumed and trusted that they were a professional company, capable of refinishing, but when I received my 1911 Slide back from them..I was appalled at what I was seeing!
It resembles a terrible "hand job" Corners are visibly rounded and curved, lines aren't straight but "wavy" I've never seen such terrible work on a 1911. I could have ruined it myself in my garage, but I wanted a good and proper job done, that's why I sent it too them.

I just wanted it too be lightly refinished too rid of holster rash.

The company refuses too take any ownership of this.
The owner of Armco sent me an email and I quote:

"A firearm is not a piece of jewelry, I see no problem" (that really offends me, what a low standard you have for your customers..there are guns I shoot and don't care if they get worn, then there are ones I keep in mint or factory condition that are worth $$ and mean a lot

I have opened a case with the Better Buisness Bureu hoping too get somewhere here.

And now I have too see if my 1911 can be fixed by a different company?

Here are pics, what do you all think? I paid $350 for this crap!

What are your thoughts people, I don't think asking for half of what I paid refunded, to be unreasonable.




 
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Gunner has had Clarence as his apprentice for over 12 years, and when Gunnar finally retired he sold all his equipment to Clarence. Gunner no longer gunsmiths, he may forward work to Bumblebee.

The pics actually look like they took a small amount off the flat surfaces or were polished down to remove scratches. If you have problems with the work, I would contact Clarence directly at bumblbee1@shaw.ca

Complaining to the BBB means squat, it's just a false sense of security that charges the retailers for no support of any type
 
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Ok dr. Phil but the lines are obviously not straight and he's looking for recourse on what's usually a recommended smith not a psych evaluation. There are lots of threads like this usually met with people saying call the shop first which he's already done.
 
Cosmetically its fu*ked. Both Gunnar and Clarence are aware of this, but like I said, do not see any issue. Props too those people that actually see what I'm talking about
 
Frankly, I sympathize with the OP. This is simply not up to a reasonable standard of craftsmanship. Sadly, to the OP, it's probably not economically repairable anymore. To remove enough slide material to re-straighten the transition lines, you would remove the roll mark. It COULD have micro-tog metal deposits added and re-shaping done, but it would cost more than that gun is worth.

I'm confused how they did that so poorly. It's like they sanded the flats with something soft as a backer for the emery paper they used to get to final grit. Like a foam sanding block or something? It's to avoid situations like this that I use either a piece of flat stock or a mill file as a backer for the emery paper I use to apply the final finish.

Nothing like that would ever leave my bench. The smith who did that work should feel like chumps and deserve the public shaming the OP is delivering.

For $350, on a stainless slide, if all you asked for was a refinish, it should have been PERFECT. All that thing looks to have needed is a re-bead blast of the slide and a flat polish of the flats. Heck, it's a $150 job at best and should still have ended up perfect. $350 is a full bluing refinish price.
 
Claven2 said:
Frankly, I sympathize with the OP. This is simply not up to a reasonable standard of craftsmanship. Sadly, to the OP, it's probably not economically repairable anymore. To remove enough slide material to re-straighten the transition lines, you would remove the roll mark. It COULD have micro-tog metal deposits added and re-shaping done, but it would cost more than that gun is worth.

I'm confused how they did that so poorly. It's like they sanded the flats with something soft as a backer for the emery paper they used to get to final grit. Like a foam sanding block or something? It's to avoid situations like this that I use either a piece of flat stock or a mill file as a backer for the emery paper I use to apply the final finish.

Nothing like that would ever leave my bench. The smith who did that work should feel like chumps and deserve the public shaming the OP is delivering.

For $350, on a stainless slide, if all you asked for was a refinish, it should have been PERFECT. All that thing looks to have needed is a re-bead blast of the slide and a flat polish of the flats. Heck, it's a $150 job at best and should still have ended up perfect. $350 is a full bluing refinish price.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your comment. My only option to repair it to a standard that is acceptable, is to have a "French Border" cut with a Milling machine, along the upper flats, to "cover it up" guess who will have to pay for that?.
 
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I am a bit surprised as fussy as you are about this piece, you didn't draw polish it yourself (a couple of hours) rather than leave the perfection required to someone else...

Unless you showed them the piece before hand and explained exactly how you wanted it to look when finished and explained the straight lines required - you own it... it can't be fixed now...
 
guntech said:
I am a bit surprised as fussy as you are about this piece, you didn't draw polish it yourself (a couple of hours) rather than leave the perfection required to someone else...

Unless you showed them the piece before hand and explained exactly how you wanted it to look when finished and explained the straight lines required - you own it... it can't be fixed now...
Click to expand...

We don't know what he said he wanted to the smith but that line of thinking is pretty flawed. Not everyone has the skill or the guts to do something irreversible to the gun like sanding or polishing which is the exact reason why people bring things to pros or why pros even exist in the first place. In a day and age where some people can't even do simple things like changing a tire something straight forward to you may not be to all.
 
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