Friends-

OK, before I piss off a few folks that post on the board, let me say that I am venting so, if this hits too close to home for other readers and posters, be warned!!!!

I have been trying to restore a Browning Safari in .264 Magnum for approximately a year now. I was trying to have it ready for Pronghorn Antelope season in New Mexico last weekend. Needless to say, I used other rifles.

I acquired the base rifle approximately one year ago. I handed it over to a gunsmith who rebarreled the rifle and refinished the stock and things were looking good.

I then had the bright idea to have the caliber, the barrel manufacturer and try and have some proof marks on the barrel re-created. That's when my plan went into the crapper. Long about April, after phone calls e-mails and PM's to an engraver of good reputation, said engraver said, "Send it on, I think I can work it in."

Friends, that was my first mistake. After a few e-mails, calls and private messages along the lines of, "Hey, how's it going?" Round about August, I got a, "I am really too busy doing large projects, I cannot work on yours."

I then confer with gunsmith and we jointly come up with some names and we send it to someone who has had a good reputation and is somewhat local. We (gunsmith and I) ship the barreled action to engraver and after several conversations, I get the following: "No problem, I'll have it done in a couple of weeks."

Six weeks later I have a conversation with Engraver Number 2 and the conversation went like this:

Engraver: I getting ready to box it up and send it back.

30 Cal: So you are finished?

Engraver: No, I had to talk to the ATF on another matter and I asked them about "Proof Marks" and they told me I couldn't recreate Proof Marks.

30 Cal: So, you have finished or done the other engraving?

Engraver: Huh?

30 Cal: The caliber and the other notation on the barrel?

Engraver: Oh, I have that laid out already, I can get right on it and finish it in no time.

Need I say more?

Guys, I know that you are artistic and every character that I have noted in my docu-drama has been doing this for a long time.

Give us slugs that help pay your bills a fair shake and tell us the truth.

OK, now that I have vented, I feel better. If I have offended anyone, my apologies.

For years I have said that the only person on the face of the earth who can lie better than a custom gunmaker is a taxidermist . And yes, I include engravers in the "gunmaker" catagory.

I am very sorry to hear about you missing the hunt with the rifle. I can understand how it happens (I have been the cause of it before) and have been on the recieving end of it before too. All I can say is I hate it for you and hope you can hunt with it next year.

Mark, three or four months is NOTHING. I waited two YEARS for one job that was promised within 6 months. The worst I've heard of is a guy who waited 3-1/2 years then got his rifle back without a bit of work done to it. I've found one single guy who will live up to his promises and will stick to his quoted price; he stays on my Christmas card list.

I like modest amounts of very high quality engraving. The best engravers are booked with elaborate full-coverage commissions but they often like having little jobs to fill in when they have spare time or need quick cash. It seems like they'll commit to these small jobs but certainly don't give them priority.

Marc, Duane Wiebe told me they teach you to lie at gunsmithing school.

quote:

I've found one single guy who will live up to his promises and will stick to his quoted price; he stays on my Christmas card list.

Any chance you would PM me his name?

It took, believe it or not, FIVE years to get two Krag triggers from Canjar. They had been originally promised in six weeks and paid for in advance. Of course now that I have them I don't know which Krags to put them in, or, for that matter, why I ordered them in the first place........ I should probably frame them and put them up on the wall of the gun room.

This behavior is not limited to engravers. I've been waiting now for over 9 months for bottom metal that I paid for in advance and have been told on 6 differnt occasions, roughly once ever month, that it would be "about 3 weeks."

I tell people right up front how long I expect a job will take and I update them as that estimate changes. I do not think men of honor behave otherwise.

TTT, I agree with you re. a raftsman being professional and honest with clients --- it can make or break you. Take hope and shop around, there are men of honor that will keep del. dates close to their estimate. Ken

Ken - Why didn't you tell that young fella that YOU are one of the better engravers around? (Actually, one of the very best.)

I know you'd be my first choice if I needed any more engraving done!

Best wishes,

AC

AC, that's very kind of you but I can't claim that prestige. $8 years of cutting guns only earns me old age and questionable looks from people who wonder why I didn't stay in structural enggineering or as my old mom use to say "a real job." I meant to hit the K instead of L for my name but wasn't wearing my bifocals when typing. Best regards, Ken

Ken, welcome to AR. You don't need to claim the prestige but it is bestowed on you. You do top class work.

You should start typing your name here as Len. It will give you a head start on some of the guys looking for a "good deal." (What do you mean you want to make enough to eat?)

LD

ken,
LD is a doctor out in the boonies in Idaho. He will trade you an operation, even if you don't need it, for some engraving. He might use duct tape instead of bandages and stitches to seal up the cuts but that is vintage stuff from him.

Thank you guys for the welcome, I'm just an occasional lurker with little to add. Mostly I visit to learn from y'alls opinions on any given subject. Can't spare much time as I work seven days a week and ten to twelve hours a day. Time I'm finished with gun scratching, I;m close to being ready for the sack. I'm 68 now & have to get to bed earlier than you young'uns. Best regards to all, Ken

Well, M'suieur, I see that you realize these people are ARTISTE'S! C'est bon!

quote:

ken,
LD is a doctor out in the boonies in Idaho. He will trade you an operation, even if you don't need it, for some engraving. He might use duct tape instead of bandages and stitches to seal up the cuts

I'm on a super glue kick this month.

The indication for an operation is ownership of a scalpel, and the presence of a patient.

The next time I visit my youngest boy in Greenville, I'll stop by and bother both you and Marc.

LD

Marc Stokeld recently did work for me no a 375 H&H. He did the work on time and $125.00 less than the next closet quote. He did a good job and I got the gun back in six weeks not 5 to 14 months quoted buy others. Bryan

LD, I am 20 miles north of Greenville in a rural country town and you are more than welcome. I offer any and all an open invitation when coming thru the area. Ken