Very Disappointed with The Epp's Bluing Process

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I've made many purchases from Epp's. And plan on making more. Never been dissapointed. But I like to hear the good and bad about a dealer. Trying to blow off the OP is ? Well not "COOL" !!!!
 
And that is the sort of FU attitude you can expect from Epps. BS about Smurf Blue and crayons in the blueing tank.

I've seen a couple of Epps blueing jobs and agree with the OP. I wouldn't let them work on any of my guns.


Claybuster! Where have you been? We've missed you!

By the way, the Smurf Blue comment was actually part of the conversation between our manager and the customer. But thanks for your input.
 
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Claybuster! Where have you been? We've missed you!

By the way, the Smurf Blue comment was actually part of the conversation between our manager and the customer. But thanks for your input.
Where have I been? Dealing with reputable gun dealers I trust where the staff don't lie and with gunsmiths that do quality work not crap. This would explain why you've missed me.

Thank-you for letting us know however that anything a customer might say to an Epps employee can be openly shared on a website for the purposes of public ridicule (if in fact the conversation ever took place.)

Does that work both ways? I can relate some interesting very comments from Epps staff and owner that certainly wouldn't enhance the company's reputation.
 
I was just reading and minding my own.
But based on Harriers comments my business will go elsewhere.
Not a good way to do business.
If you worked for me and made a comment like that you wouldnt anymore.
 
When you are one of the largest privately-owned businesses in the industry, you expect to hear both the good and the bad from customers. Take a look through the boards here and you will find plenty of reviews from customers who are more than satisfied with the service we provide on a day-to-day basis. Strangely enough, no one wants to jump on that bandwagon when someone says "Hey, they did great!", yet every single negative review never fails to blow up into multiple-page rants from the same few individuals who decide to contribute to the nonsense.

Charles U Farley: Funny you should post that picture. I overheard the conversation between our manager and this client. He was specifically asked if he expected his firearm to turn out in Smurf blue. His response was a "Yes". Go figure.

I guess we'll have to tell our gunsmiths to a few melted crayons to the bluing tank next time.

this is certainly not a very professional post, and I disagree with you, people jump on the bandwagon on this site all the time in reference to GOOD reviews, its not just bad ones, judging by the attitude perhaps you are just more familiar with the bad ones.
 
The final color of the bluing depends on the steel alloy of the parts being blued, and on the bluing salts that are used. It will be a different color or shade on different parts.

Exactly.

It also depends on the condition of the beads: new or well broken up and the air pressure used. A high pressure blast with newer beads produces a highly stippled surface which will appear very dark after bluing.

If you want a polished slide you have to polish it, or to be more precise, you emery paper it, preferably with the emery paper glued to a flat stick so that your squishy fingers don't push the emery over or into corners and depressions and round those over in a way they were not finished originally.

In short, if you want an original finish, you have to finish in the original way.

Buffing wheels are dangerous weapons in unskilled hands.

Everyone who's ever seen a run of the mill hot tank reblue knows it doesn't duplicate the sort of straw blue you see on original 1911s. Never mind the polishing vs. beading issue.

If you want an original type finish you send the pistol to someone known to do that kind of work and achieve those results, but that kind of work won't come cheap.

We haven't been told anything about the discussion with Epps before the work was done, if there was any discussion. Nor have we seen any photos.

I don't see any sign that glass beading or sand blasting was any part of the original finish on Colt 1911s, which should be fairly obvious to anyone who spends five minutes looking at photos of originals online.

You get what you pay for, and what you ask for.
 
The gun was a WW1 .455 and in terrible shape. It was very pitted.
Here are some photos of the bluing job. I did neglect to say that I paid for a medium polish as well as the glass bead and bluing.

If there is any sign of blue on the gun it is from the daylight and not seen by eye. The result is flat black.


 
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