I had contracted T & D Metalworks to refinish a pistol with bluing and nickel plating. I was…read moreinformed by "Tony" that he foresaw no problems with the work that I had requested he perform. When I received the pistol after 6 weeks and opened the box, I really had expectations of being "dazzled"...but I really wasn't. I sent Tony pictures and narratives of what I found wrong with the job. Please refer to the uploaded pictures as I explain. I hope they come through.
Now, let me be the first to say that I'm not a plater/refinisher of firearms, and I may not understand all the nuances of the trade due to my own ignorance of the various steps and processes involved. I'm what's called, "results-oriented".
Prior to any work being performed, I had submitted several pictures of an identical pistol, and I had specifically requested that my pistol look "exactly like the pistol in the pictures". The pictures I submitted had an even, consistent nickel plated finish. The pistol I received back from T & D Metalworks did not. The finish of the frame assembly was uneven, of different shades of nickel, NOT consistent. I sent Tony a picture of another plated pistol of mine alongside his work (uploaded). I pointed out the consistency and evenness of the plating in contrast with his work, and wondered why he could not achieve the same type of finish.
The magazine release was a really poor plating job. If you refer to the uploaded picture, it seems the mag catch is "kind-of" plated; it's also "kind-of" blued. Regardless, I have a hard time understanding how this would pass muster with them and be allowed to leave the shop. Granted, it's in a rather obscure location, but that's no excuse: Either it's done correctly, or it's not. This is completely unacceptable.
Likewise with the hammer. There's clearly some kind of "line" or blemish where the hammer is surrounded by the slide when resting in its forward position. Again, I have other pistols whose hammers are set up similarly, but there's no inconsistency like this in any of them. This is another example of incorrect plating, which should've never passed a quality control inspection.
There are areas of the slide in which I would liked to have seen more attention to detail in removing tool marks incurred at the factory. I did not specifically direct that such imperfections be removed prior to bluing, but I didn't think I should've had to. It should've been a "no-brainer" to make the surface as "clean" as possible before rebluing the slide. It just appears unsightly to me.
In summation, I can't honestly say that I'm happy with the end result of this project. I neither wanted nor expected a "safe queen", but I did want/expect a better result than which I had received. I certainly don't believe it was worth the overall expenditure of $850. I now need to spend a similar amount of money to have the pistol refinished by another company.
Naturally, I had sent an e-mail with pictures to Tony and pointed out all the areas of my disapproval. I thought that I would give him a full 7 days to respond; but I received no emails, phone calls, nor communication of any kind. I made it clear that I'm not going to invest another $200 in shipping to get the job redone to my expectations. Of the dozens of pistols I have in my collection, I had truly anticipated this pistol to be among my favorites. Unfortunately, it's not. And I'm very disappointed in the job performed and in the company.
If it were my company, I wouldn't be able to sleep nights knowing that my customer was not satisfied with my work. I would make every reasonable effort to rectify the situation and make it right. No effort of any kind was made by T & D Metalworks.
A few simple questions need to be asked of T & D Metalworks: Was the customer crystal-clear in what he expected the results to be? YES. Was the customer happy with the work performed? NO. Was the work performed in accordance with what the customer requested? NO. Did the customer feel as if he got his money's worth? NO. Was the customer contacted and the problem discussed? NO.
If you value your firearm, do not sent it to T & D Metalworks!
Respectfully submitted,
Rob August
GySgt/USMC(Ret.)
