Your favorite LF camera machinists and repair services

**Asher Kelman** · 23-Sep-2011, 13:34

There are some references to repair and machining services here but I'd like to know those that people rely on. I have an English wooden sled type camera with a worm drive that would be nice to have rebuilt as well as source for building gadgets that I think of.

I use S.K. Grimes for lens mounting and machining. They are reputable, reliable and accurate. In fact so much so that there's always and 8 week or so waiting list.

Still, for some jobs, it would be great to have a variety of alternate sources, especially if the lead time happens to be less when I need something for a job.

I heard there's one, for example, in Culver City Ca, but couldn't locate it.

Thanks,

Asher

**Mark Woods** · 23-Sep-2011, 13:48

I'd contact Clairmont Camera in North Hollywood. They use to do the maintenance on my motion picture camera. They also build a lot of rigs for their own use. They may or may not do outside work for others. Most motion camera rental houses have a relationship with a fine machinist or shop. Clairmont is large enough to keep a really quality in house facility busy.

Good luck.

**false_Aesthetic** · 23-Sep-2011, 17:51

Asher, you might be thinking of Steve's Camera on Sepulveda Blvd in Culver City. We use them frequently for fixing cameras students break. For what we use them for, they're great. I have no idea how they'd compare to Grimes though. There has to be some awesome machine shops + such in the LA area though. I can't imagine that film industry could exist w/out em. Lemme ask one of my friends, he's a DP, I'll get back to you with his answer.

**false_Aesthetic** · 23-Sep-2011, 21:37

Mel Pierce in Hollywood was the response I got.

**Asher Kelman** · 23-Sep-2011, 22:50

Thanks Mark and False_Aesthetic, (I'd love to know your flesh and blood name, LOL!

I'll check out your great suggestions. I do have some simple thing like drilling lens boards and a fast turn around would be so helpful. Still, none of them advertise the machinist skills of SK Grimes, but for making lens boards, a 10 day turnaround would be marvelous.

Asher

**cdholden** · 24-Sep-2011, 07:09

Richard Ritter (forum member here, also lg4mat.net) just bored out a handful of Sinar boards and fit flanges to them for a very reasonable price. There was also a trade involved, so I'll leave it to you to inquire about pricing for your needs.

Henry Ambrose (forum member here) has also offered to do similar work for me. He is local, so my preference would be to support a local craftsman. I was sending things to Richard anyway, so it was just convenient for me to ship the lensboards along with the other.

Fleming Machine & Welding Shop in Knoxville, TN has bored out some lensboards for me in the past. While they are not camera savvy, if you define the work to be done, they can perform the work to your spec within very tight tolerances. I would not hesitate to ask them to do custom machine work, but with a clearly defined scope of work. They were even, as a walk-in, willing to work me into getting my lensboards fit to flanges while I waited. They were hard pressed to quote me on the job, but were willing to work it T&M (time and material). They milled 2 boards in about 20 minutes, so the cost was reasonable. I still had to mount the flanges. They just bored out the center hole.

**E. von Hoegh** · 24-Sep-2011, 07:11

E. von Hoegh.

Meaning, I do it myself.

**IanG** · 24-Sep-2011, 07:42

Originally Posted by E. von Hoegh

E. von Hoegh.

Meaning, I do it myself.

Agree, I do much of my own work and there's plenty of specialist craftsmen around locally who can do the jobs I can't do myself.

A local carpenters shop made a missing front standard, a forum member missing brass parts for one rstotation

Small wood repairs, refinishing etc I do myself, and I french polish rather than lacquer, I restore shutters, make new curtains, also new bellows, focus screens etc.

In the past I had access to a good machine shop, precision enginners, and they could make just about anything. They disappeared when the parent company closed a few years ago and I need to find a new facility soon.

Ian

**Asher Kelman** · 25-Sep-2011, 16:32

Originally Posted by IanG

Agree, I do much of my own work and there's plenty of specialist craftsmen around locally who can do the jobs I can't do myself.

Let's give them credit where we can!

Originally Posted by IanG

A local carpenters shop made a missing front standard, a forum member missing brass parts for one restoration.

I'm especially thrilled to see old cameras put to good use again. Often the missing movements, if any, will not limit creativity as much as we think. Even the limited ones had at lest rise and shift.

Originally Posted by IanG

Small wood repairs, refinishing etc I do myself, and I french polish rather than lacquer, I restore shutters, make new curtains, also new bellows, focus screens etc.

The roller blind shutters are most interesting to me to repair. I always wonder if one should also try to replace the spring too. I've collected a bunch of Thornton shutters I'd love to restore.

Asher

**Leigh** · 25-Sep-2011, 16:44

I am a machinist, with a large well-equipped machine shop.

I get my stuff from SK Grimes. They do excellent work at a reasonable price.

It's not worth my time to set up the equipment for a one-off.

- Leigh