I’ll second the recommendation for Pigeon Creek Camera. TJ services my Bolexes and lenses. He was trained by Jean-Louis Seguin and has worked with LIFT for years. He is prompt, reliable, and responsive, a vital resource for North American filmmakers.
Derek On Wed, May 20, 2026 at 12:39 PM Sandy McLennan <[email protected]> wrote: > TJ Ediger is an expert and definitely someone you ought to talk to. > HOME | Pigeon Creek Camera <https://www.pigeoncreekcamera.com/> > Sandy > > On Wed, May 20, 2026 at 11:32 AM Warren Cockerham < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Hi Frameworkers! >> >> We’re in need of Bolex service here at my new job at Dartmouth College. >> My go-to person when I was in this area before was Abdul (Abderrazak >> Setoua) in Astoria at [email protected], but he hasn’t gotten back to >> us. I’m guessing, like many Bolex techs, he already has a bench full of >> work. >> >> I sent a few Bolexes from my former job in Tampa to DuArt two years ago, >> and the service was not great. In fact, one of those cameras now runs very >> slow and jams film. So I’m hesitant to go that route again. It’s like a lot >> of this kind of work: you think, “Well, I could do that,” but what I’m >> really looking for are service techs who are true experts. >> >> I’m also looking to apprentice with someone, somewhere, so I can >> eventually handle more of our service in-house. Like many of us, I’ve been >> doing light service on Bolexes for nearly 20 years. But with resale prices >> where they are now — maybe four times higher than they were ten years ago — >> and with service getting harder to find, I’m ready to invest real time in >> learning from someone who knows these cameras deeply. >> >> As I told our Kodak rep in Tampa after he discontinued 20 years of stock >> sponsorship — about 1,000 feet a year of Tri-X and 250D — he said, “I can’t >> give it away anymore. Film is hot again.” I said, “And who do you have to >> thank for that? Could it be all of us who kept teaching it and pulling >> equipment and prints out of dumpsters for decades?” He said, “Touché,” but >> never re-upped the sponsorship. >> >> Right now, we’re having the same issue with two Rex-4 10x viewfinders. >> The viewfinder focus adjusts, but it does not lock. I’ve disassembled and >> cleaned both assemblies, but there still isn’t enough tension to hold focus >> in place. For the moment, I’ve added a fiber washer, which slows the >> movement down and almost locks it, but I suspect we may need to source full >> replacement viewfinder/focus-lock assemblies for both cameras. And, of >> course, parts are hard to find. I’m new here, and there aren’t a few milk >> crates of old Bolexes sitting around like there were at my old job. >> >> Any recommendations for expert Bolex service techs — or anyone willing to >> let me apprentice, visit, observe, pay for training, sweep the floor, >> whatever it takes — would be greatly appreciated. I’d also be grateful for >> any leads on reliable parts sources, donor bodies, or people who may still >> have parts and assemblies available. >> >> All the best, >> >> Warren (upper valley VT/NH) >> -- >> Frameworks mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org >> > -- > Frameworks mailing list > [email protected] > https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org >
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