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)
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