Wow! Tough crowd tonight!
I think if the OP is satisfied with his purchase, we should be too. Now, it has been a long time for a set of grips so, working to get the project back on track is definitely good advice.
As far as the 1911 vs the Astra, I don't think we have enough info. What if the 1911 was a $1000 Kimber? If the 'smith directed him to that gun with the premise, "You don't want to waste your time with THAT gun!", then we might just as easily be reading about the 'smith's taking advantage of the OP's noob-i-ness for more $$$. I don't think we know enough to make those judgements.
Keep working to move the grips forward and if you decide to continue working with the 'smith again, be up front and do what you can to ensure that you don't wind up holding the bag for 8 months. Sometimes, how you handle a bad situation (BOTH parties involved) can have very positive, or negative results on any future interactions. Only you can tell whether that's worth pursuing at the time. Good luck with the grips
Also, for future reference, a good dremel can be had for well under $100. So long as you aren't using some North Nigerian Coco-petrified, submerged since the dawn of time type of wood, you could have a lot of fun making your own. Now, it might not be perfect, or even as pretty. But you might have had the gun back at the range about 6.5 months ago. Many times, fear can have a dollar amount and in this case, the education might have cost less. Which isn't always the case. .02
And as far as the weak spring, couldn't you just stretch it a little? Sure, it's not a permanent fix, but if it "fixes" the problem immediately after doing it, then at least it identifies the problem.