Hello! I didn't find this in old messages, so I figure I'd better ask the experts. The leather handle on my 'dorff is getting rather elderly, but what really has me concerned is that the rivets that hold the metal straps that in turn hold the handle on are loosening up. Can anyone recommend a place to take my camera to for repairs on the west coast? Some place where you've sent your own camera in for repair? While its in the shop, I might as well send my lens in for a clean& adjust. Is there any place you care to recommend on the west coast or would I be better off sending it to S.K Grimes? Its in a no.5 Universal shutter. By the way, in an old thread I read the Ilex shutters are not supposed to be lubed. Is that true? and is it common knowlege or should I specify this when I send it in? Thanks for all the great advice the forum provides.

-- John Kasaian (www.kasai9@aol.com), January 26, 2002

Answers

Take it to a leather shop where they can take out the old leather handle & put in a new one that will match what is removed.

-- MaryAnne (MaryAnne@mywebnet.com), January 26, 2002.

Any decent shoe repair shop can make a handle that is close to the original. I'm having that done to my Deardorff now. However, I doubt that a shoe repair shop or similar place would undertake to remove and replace the rivets. A friend of mine is doing that for me but in the absence of a friend or any places closer to your home, I'd ask Steve Grimes if he can do it. Ken Hough could easily do it but even the simplest tasks from him seem to take months to accomplish.

-- Brian Ellis (bellis60@earthlink.net), January 26, 2002.

I have replaced two of them by getting identical handles from woodworking supply catalogues. I then saddle soaped the end pieces, the pointed ones, and got them very wet & they would slip through the metal stays with some effort. After getting them through the metal pieces I saddle soaped the whole handle well so the leather wouldn't show staning from only being wet in one area. They dried just fine & work well.

-- Dan Smith (shooter@brigham.net), January 26, 2002.

Thanks to all of you! The leather handle isn't such a big problem as there are cobblers and saddlemakers who could make the leather for me, but the rivets are going to be a problem. I just came across two names of people who work on large format cameras in my area--- Jim Galvin and J. Albert. Has anyone had any dealings with either of these two gentlemen?

-- John Kasaian (www.kasai9@aol.com), January 26, 2002.

Patrick Alt in L.A. works on Deardorffs, as Ken Hough does in the Midwest. Either could do better than a cobbler, is my hunch. Best,

SL

-- Stephen Longmire (spyglasses@earthlink.net), February 01, 2002.