Durst L1840 Enlarger 8x10 10x10--Everything you wanted to know...

[ic-racer]

Remove the worm-gear and a bronze bar that holds the camera on a groove in the shaft. The groove is difficult to see in the picture. There is a cord resting in it.

Much of the anxiety of my move has been relieved with this post!!!!. I believe with the camera off the column I can get the column over to the new house with one helper. Good news is the new house is only 8 houses away on the same street. I'll be pushing it down the sidewalk on two dollies. I'd rather do that than have "movers" take it out of the basement and put it in their truck to go down the street. I trust them with the couches and tables and chairs, but not with this enlarger.

[ic-racer]

I have a picture of the actual room for the proposed darkroom. I suspect that somehow the drain for the sink can get through the wall and meet up with the existing drain to the sink in that bathroom.

185345

[ic-racer]

My mistake on the last darkroom was to be limited by the counter tops they had at Home Depot. I used their un-assembled base cabinets but was really limited by the few pre-sized counter top pieces.

Now, the same style cabinets are not available, so I'll leave them in the old house.

I like these cabinets and my plan is to put the base cabinet assembly kits exactly where I want them then pay a kitchen installer to make the counter tops for me, rather than use the Home Depot counter tops.
These cabinet bases are a lot nicer than what I had before:

185346

[Cor]

, I was un able to figure out how to get the camera off the column.

185283

Pardon my ignorance, but is there a camera atached to a L1840 enlarger ? Why ?

Best,

Cor

[ic-racer]

Pardon my ignorance, but is there a camera atached to a L1840 enlarger ? Why ?

Best,

Cor

Just 'technical jargon.' One of the service manuals refers to the part with the bellows as the "camera." Maybe a poor translation, more are probably accustom to knowing it as a "carriage."

[Helcio J Tagliolatto]

Ten years in the same location and it looks like it might be time to move. Just to refresh my memory of how I got the enlarger into my darkroom I was reviewing these pictures:
185279

185281
185282
185280

Moving can be almost tragic, especially after a divorce, when you had a whole house dedicated to the darkroom, assembly room, exhibition gallery ... and lost everything.
It spilled oil, I do not know how, on the boxes containing the LPL columns, and the solution was to wash them.

185479

[Tin Can]

My condolences.

[ic-racer]

Offer on new house did not go through. So...I'm putting the L1840 all back together and giving it a cleaning and inspection. I have it flipped on its side to get to the lamp and reflector.
188929

[ic-racer]

Image not showing in Post 509. Re-loaded here:

188938

[Tin Can]

Is it off the shelf repurposed?

Is there a scientific theory for the 'ridges or spirals' instead of a simple parabola.


Image not showing in Post 509. Re-loaded here:

188938

[ic-racer]

Is it off the shelf repurposed?

Is there a scientific theory for the 'ridges or spirals' instead of a simple parabola.

An original from a 2506 Horizontal Durst was used for the mold, so this replica is the same shape as the original. Turns out it is exactly the same as the one in my CLS2000 too, so I was helping out checking if the replica coating would hold up in a vertical position. I think they had to make over 100 minimum order. Not all had adequate coating, some flaked.

I believe the ridges help diffuse the light as it is not a point source, it has to spread the 2000W light over the 10cmx10cm square area where all the activity takes place: exposure shutter, heat absorbing glass, accessory filter, intensity control blinds and the 3 dichroic filters.

The dichroic reflector acts like a "Cold Reflector" where the visible light is reflected toward the target and the heat and infrared pass through, and the powerful fan removes the heat. The notch is for cooling and has to face the fan.

Reproduction on the LEFT, original on the RIGHT.
188987
188986

[ic-racer]

To feed my Durst equipment I have my darkroom wired with these 6-20R 220V US outlets and use an adapter like this for items in which I want to retain the original European cord. If one does not want to use the adapter a 6-20P plug can be put on the end of the existing cord.

190689
190690

190691

[Drew Wiley]

Yep. That's exactly what I did for my internal fan on the CLS colorhead on my L184, when I isolated it from the 115V remainder of the system in order to avoid rebuilding the complicated dual-voltage power supply. But never do this kind of plug switch until you've confirmed the Euro voltage.

[William Whitaker]

190690


The chart is interesting. But the configuration of the plug for my fan is a simple bi-pin with no ground. The fact that it is bi-pin is, in fact, more suggestive of 115V than 220V as there is no connection for the third leg.

[Drew Wiley]

William - you need to look at a chart having the European convention. What ice-racer posted is the chart of domestic NEMA options, in which he identified the correct replacement plug to match that volt/amp receptacle configuration here in the US. And no, a ground is not necessarily required just because it's 220V, any more than it is on properly insulated 110V equipment here, which could just as easily electrocute you if improperly insulated. In many countries 220V is used for everything, even a hair dryer. Here it is more frequently used for powerful motors like in heavy iron shop equipment, or for high-wattage steel appliances like electric ovens and dryers, where specific grounding is essential, usually accompanied by a dedicated circuit breaker or fuse box.

[Drew Wiley]

There are all kinds of instant-click websites illustrating how to identify such things, such as "Plug and Receptacle Types - World Standards". My very first Google click came up with a picture of your plug identifying it as 220V. It's pretty darn easy.

[ic-racer]

The white 'adapters' in the picture in post #512 will accept your two-prong European plug. Home wiring is subject to local codes and these might preclude you from installing the European sockets, thus the need for adapters or cutting the end of the cord and re-wiring the plug to US standard. One reason for pointing all of this out, is that, of course I'd recommend an electrician work with you on this, but you need to tell him exactly what you need. Otherwise he (or she) might install a three-phase 220 outlet for a Stove or Oven, that will not be correct for your Durst equipment.

[ic-racer]

The reason I asked about how you power the rest of the enlarger is that even if you have a condenser head, if you have the L1840, there is an accessory 220v outlet and your LAFAN would plug right in there with no adapter. See picture socket AUX "E" is a European socket.

190704

[Drew Wiley]

What so-called electrician would accidentally install a 3-phase outlet? That would be like a dentist accidentally amputating your leg! Most utility services won't even run 3-phase lines to residences or home shops; maybe to a big farm building, but even then it's darn expensive. 3-phase is for sake of big-motor equipment, not for dryers or ovens or even big commercial darkroom gear.

[ic-racer]

I don't know of any electrician that knows anything about big darkroom equipment or its power requirements. The building from which my enlarger came had 3 phase and I suspect most 8x10 enalrgers would be installed in similar commercial buildings. Ansel Adams was the only person anyone ever know that had an 8x10 enlarger in his home.

This some so-called electrician's handy work when faced with big darkroom equipment.
190706

[SUNdog]

I notice Durst recommends using an acid free grease on the vertical adjustment shafts of a L184 enlarger. Does anyone have a recommendation as to a brand of grease?

Thanks

[Tin Can]

These are shafts with sliding bearings?

Perhaps chrome plated steel shafts running vertically with no large load, only alignment of platens?

Perhaps the bushing is metal, not plastic?

Perhaps bronze?

Nobody answered so you got me, a mechanic.

I imagine you want very little grease of whatever type as you don't want a mess.

Grease viscosity varies.

The desire is to ease movement and not wear the chrome plating.

Now somebody will pipe up and tell you their way.

I would have to see the darn thing.

https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/29062/different-grease-types

[ic-racer]

191325

[Tin Can]

191325

Ok, I see now.

Is it steel on steel?

Don't breath Spray Dry teflon
,
This is perhaps another option Spray Dry Graphite (https://www.zoro.com/crc-graphite-dry-film-lubrcnt-aerosol-10-oz-03094/i/G0965221/feature-product?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4MTjosmd4gIVULXACh0GqwvHEAQYASABEgKFH_D_BwE) don't breathe it either.

I tested both years ago as our company made both.

Both will wear off producing dust.

An actual sticky grease may be better.

Any grease that is not too hard to clean off. As it will need replacing as it scrapes off the critical surfaces. They could have used oiled wool wipes

We also made the now banned 'Clean Off' which was spray Trichlorethylene. That stuff killed a coworker. It vaporized any oil or grease so he could breathe it. RIP.

[SUNdog]

I added some pics so that folks maybe can get a better idea of the areas where grease should be applied.

[ic-racer]

191358

[Cor]

We also made the now banned 'Clean Off' which was spray Trichlorethylene. That stuff killed a coworker. It vaporized any oil or grease so he could breathe it. RIP.

Trichlorethylene is great stuff for cleaning shutters (a stuck gear train of a Copal shutter for instance), BUT it's dangerous & toxic, I use it very sparsely, in a FUME HOOD, gloves and face protection.

Best,

Cor

[Tin Can]

We had huge high volume vent hoods everywhere, he loved cleaning his desktop every few hours with the poison.

I tried to get him to stop 100's of times. He worked in his own office/laboratory.

I was foreman, it was night shift, and nobody would have done anything even if I went up the chains of command.

He also was a good friend for 20 years.

A building maintenance man cleaned the large Trichlorethylene dip tank, he also died early. That process was shut down.




Trichlorethylene is great stuff for cleaning shutters (a stuck gear train of a Copal shutter for instance), BUT it's dangerous & toxic, I use it very sparsely, in a FUME HOOD, gloves and face protection.

Best,

Cor

[Drew Wiley]

1:1:1 trichloro was actually first concocted as an anesthetic. Later it became known as "safety solvent" due to not being flammable. Well, put two and two together. I had a huge argument with a Dow chemist once over safety issues. It was in all kinds of products before it was banned, and then, not due to itself, but due to dioxin contamination. Janitors would mop floors with it; and it did a wonderful job getting gum off and other stickies without damaging vinyl flooring. But then the janitors would get woozy and pass out; and since trichloro is heavier than air and displaces oxygen, they'd be found dead the next morning, lying on the floor asphyxiated. When certain smoggy solvents were banned from siding stains, 1:1:1 was directly substituted, and painters would get dizzy and fall off ladders; and in one instance, I recall an electrician getting goofy and accidentally burning down a house. At one time, it was the main ingredient in film cleaners.

[Tin Can]

Maybe, as I have many dead friends, so many died before 21 that I never thought I would live past 21.

But just now I saw a Red Cardinal burst from under my porch.

A sign of luck and romance. :)

and now I go to pluck a Lily for still life...



death follows him like a starving rat

[Drew Wiley]

I've probably saved thousands of lives by steering them away from toxic materials and solvents. Darn near got fired for it a few times - all that stuff was serious money at one time, and the ownership didn't like lost sales - pentachlorophenol, creosote, 1:1:1, lacquer solvent, toluene, benzene, lead paint, even asbestos board. Now Round Up is in the crosshairs, and should be. All of this stuff was once brazenly marketed as "harmless". So, if someone wants to make a smart-ass remark that death follows me, that's fine, because I'd sure to prefer to be ahead of it in the race, rather than have it prematurely catch up! The last incident before I retired was when I refused to sell someone a carbide circular saw blade rated at 4500RPM when I knew he intended to put it on a grinder which ran 11,000RPM to make a poor man's toeplate saw. He cussed me out, told me that's what everyone does, and said he'd never shop there again. I said, Fine, I'd far rather see you walk out of here forever than walk back in with a lawyer and missing a hand or eye. The very next month six workers in a SF boatyard got maimed doing that very thing.
I'd seen it all already.

[Chuki]

Ok, I see now.
Is it steel on steel?
Don't breath Spray Dry teflon
,
This is perhaps another option Spray Dry Graphite (https://www.zoro.com/crc-graphite-dry-film-lubrcnt-aerosol-10-oz-03094/i/G0965221/feature-product?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4MTjosmd4gIVULXACh0GqwvHEAQYASABEgKFH_D_BwE) don't breathe it either.

I tested both years ago as our company made both.
Both will wear off producing dust.
An actual sticky grease may be better.


Is that on sold a lot for bikes? I used that little for enlarger chassis and rather often at home for bike fork and suspension.
After your note got worried as children might be around during bikes cleaning.

[SUNdog]

I’m wondering if a light application of petroleum jelly might work, providing it being acid free?

[Tin Can]

That’s not grease.

I have a small tub or red bearing grease.

It would work.



I’m wondering if a light application of petroleum jelly might work, providing it being acid free?

[Drew Wiley]

Wipe on a light amount of lithium grease. Not the cheap auto store type. I use something else, but it's harder to get. As usual, consult the tech specifications in something like the McMaster site for appropriate usages.

[AndreasOlesen]

Hello all,

I wanted to see if there was still some life in this thread. I work as a tech for an art school in Copenhagen, DK, which has Durst Helmot 8x10 enlarger, the kind with the motor to drive the head. I've done a lot of research, and can see many others have the same problem we do, which is a shattered nylon gear which is the safety gear between the motor and the worm shaft. The safety switch didn't engage and a student drove the motor to the bottom setting and broke the gear. This would not be a problem if parts were readily available, but alas it's not so easy. I've seen people mention Durst USA (can't get a hold of him) as well as a french company which makes replacements (As Durst used a standard). But I wanted to hear, has anybody managed to find a gear and buy it? If so, can you tell me where and what the part number is? There is also the option to get one manufactured, but it's pretty pricey. Does anybody have any experience getting a hold of the gear?

[George W.]

Hello,
i am located in luxembourg europe. Among other materials, i
have two durst enlargers, an l184 and an l1840.

My background is electromechanical engineering and hamradio
operator.

The problem you mentioned is well known, and there are several
solutions.
I will give you per pm my phone number, so you can give me a call.


George h. Wagener
gwagener@pt.lu
00352/671/547.500

...





hello all,

i wanted to see if there was still some life in this thread. I work as a tech for an art school in copenhagen, dk, which has durst helmot 8x10 enlarger, the kind with the motor to drive the head. I've done a lot of research, and can see many others have the same problem we do, which is a shattered nylon gear which is the safety gear between the motor and the worm shaft. The safety switch didn't engage and a student drove the motor to the bottom setting and broke the gear. This would not be a problem if parts were readily available, but alas it's not so easy. I've seen people mention durst usa (can't get a hold of him) as well as a french company which makes replacements (as durst used a standard). But i wanted to hear, has anybody managed to find a gear and buy it? If so, can you tell me where and what the part number is? There is also the option to get one manufactured, but it's pretty pricey. Does anybody have any experience getting a hold of the gear?

[Tin Can]

Hopefully once a solution is found, it is posted to this thread.


Hello,
i am located in luxembourg europe. Among other materials, i
have two durst enlargers, an l184 and an l1840.

My background is electromechanical engineering and hamradio
operator.

The problem you mentioned is well known, and there are several
solutions.
I will give you per pm my phone number, so you can give me a call.


George h. Wagener
gwagener@pt.lu
00352/671/547.500

...

[AndreasOlesen]

Hello,
i am located in luxembourg europe. Among other materials, i
have two durst enlargers, an l184 and an l1840.

My background is electromechanical engineering and hamradio
operator.

The problem you mentioned is well known, and there are several
solutions.
I will give you per pm my phone number, so you can give me a call.


George h. Wagener
gwagener@pt.lu
00352/671/547.500

...

Hi George,

Thank you for the quick answer, I will write you a mail now.

[AndreasOlesen]

Agreed - If I find anything resembling a solution then I will of course share it.

Best,

Andreas

[George W.]

I plan to do a write up on durst 8x10 enlargers, there fore i
need your input.
I will feed back all information to this forum.


First i made an educated guess, on how many durst 8x10
enlargers are still around in working condition.

For europe my best guess is 20 plus minus two sigma.
This includes l184 and l1840, with various color heads.

1. What durst enlarger do you own, l184 or l1840 ???
2. What colour head is fitted ???


Thanks for your cooperation...

George w.







hello,
i am located in luxembourg europe. Among other materials, i
have two durst enlargers, an l184 and an l1840.

My background is electromechanical engineering and hamradio
operator.

The problem you mentioned is well known, and there are several
solutions.
I will give you per pm my phone number, so you can give me a call.


George h. Wagener
gwagener@pt.lu
00352/671/547.500

...

[George W.]

Having been working twenty years on gas turbines, i want to apply
this methodology to durst enlargers.

Gas turbines have yearly preventive maintenance, after 7 years, there
will be a major revision, called time zero rebuild.
After this the turbine is ready for another 7 years of service.

A gas turbine is expected to undergo several time zero rebuilds,
in its life.

My project consists of applying this concept to enlargers.

Deliverables are sparepart kits to keep the enlarger in
working condition.
Ideally this will be n.o.s. New old stock
otherwise a turnaround needs to be engineered.

I want to know from the users which spare parts they would like to have,
but are not available.???????


thanks for your input
i will feedback your answers to this forum...

George w.


.

[ic-racer]

From my decade of ownership of the L1840, I'd rate the items like the following. Interesting to see Drew's list of importance too, I think he has a different model.

Failure rate for items on my enlarger (all these items were replaced or repaired on my enlarger, this list is a guess at the order in which the failures occurred):

1) Indicator lamps
2) Main Lamp (COLAMP2000/Thorn HX27)
3) Main Lamp Reflector
4) Negative Carrier AN Glass
5) Connector cables and multipin connectors (Siemens)
6) Bellows
7) Power supply
8) Electric shutter
9) Push buttons on the controller (Mountain)

[calebarchie]

Hi,

Is it possible to remove the baseboard arm from the 1840 chassis?

Bests,
C

[AndreasOlesen]

Hi everybody,

Just a little update here - I’m in contact with a fellow who might be able to sell me the missing gear, which he had 3D printed. I will get back to you when I have a confirmation.

[George W.]

Andreas,
could you please post a photo to the forum. Thanks.
Possibly with a ruler included for scale.

I would be interested to know what plastic is used.

I remember the originals ere made of delrin or nylon.
These plastics are very soft and shock absorbing.

The warning i was posting was related to the return
steel spring.
This spring is under high tension, and durst had published
a warning, after several people had been severely wounded...

[Drew Wiley]

Something more akin to Delrin or UHMW nylon, which machines well and is durable. Ordinary nylon is soft in a bad sense, and wears out quickly.

[AndreasOlesen]

Hi George and Drew,

I will absolutely share a photo once I hear back from the fellow who has had them made. If he doesn't follow through and nobody else has any, then I will try to have one manufactured, and then the questions will start about what to make them in. It's obvious that it needs to be a quality version of nylon which can properly replace the broken gear. I'm looking for a proper solution here.

There has previously been mentioned that there is a French company which makes these gears, but I haven't seen any part numbers or other useful information. That would be amazing if it could be bought from somebody who makes it, but I'm not sure I have the time to try and track that information down.

I will keep everybody posted on the project.

Best,

Andreas


Andreas,
could you please post a photo to the forum. Thanks.
Possibly with a ruler included for scale.

I would be interested to know what plastic is used.

I remember the originals ere made of delrin or nylon.
These plastics are very soft and shock absorbing.

The warning i was posting was related to the return
steel spring.
This spring is under high tension, and durst had published
a warning, after several people had been severely wounded...

[calebarchie]

Hi,

Is it possible to remove the baseboard arm from the 1840 chassis?

Bests,
C

Nobody knows?

[Drew Wiley]

The manufacturer got the arm onto the lower column, so there has to be a way to get it off. It looks like the easiest way would be to removed the foot first, then slide the whole table mechanism off it. That's just a hunch. I'm not going to be the guinea pig to try it. But what is the point? What are you trying to accomplish? Replace a damaged arm, or turn the enlarger into a different sort of beast? If you're trying to make a huge print with the enlarger vertically oriented, you're still restricted to the center of lens to front of column distance. What you can do is separate the top column from the lower, and design a strong offset support for the entire upper half to get more forward reach from the lens position, if that is what you have in mind. Contact Glenn Evans at Glennview and see if he has tried it.

[ic-racer]

Is it possible to remove the baseboard arm from the 1840 chassis?

This is NOT my enlarger, the picture is from my archive of L1840 information. This picture from a For Sale ad. I believe the picture shows that the arm for the baseboard has indeed been removed.

196441

[dsphotog]

I have two of the 184's, I think if the gear is metal it would live a lot longer.
Maybe brass. On both of mine, the failure point is the hole where the drive pin engages the gear.

[Chuki]

1) Indicator lamps
2) Main Lamp (COLAMP2000/Thorn HX27)
3) Main Lamp Reflector
4) Negative Carrier AN Glass
5) Connector cables and multipin connectors (Siemens)
6) Bellows
7) Power supply
8) Electric shutter
9) Push buttons on the controller (Mountain)

I had all these problems as IC write. Except for electrical shutters (yet).

Also I had to replace all Fraco condensers in my 2506, 2501 and Optromat machines. Siemens almost all still alive.

And also Operation Ampl. in the light sensor circuits. Looks like they tend to die just from time. What is bad - they do not die completely - but tend to float in parameters so filtersystem goes crazy compensating this floatation. And they if need to be found new coas 50usd per chip (from Ali).

Also AN glass. I had 20 packs of original ones. They all were wrapped in some paper from factory. This paper with years came into chemical reaction with glass making stains in glass. So they are useless now :(

As for Colamp and Reflectors. As dead Mr.Jenses cheated us on supplying those we had to investigate and produce our own to survive. I had sent some for testing to IC racer.

We had to destroy one original reflector to make metal mold (minus few k-money) and produced small series for ourselves (40-50 Reflectors) on China factory.

Also we worked with another China factory to reproduce original Colamp 2000. +/- we were good. But first run was only 10 and next had to be 100+. That was expensive - so if somebody wish to share costs on new run, we could make it. I have sent a lamp for testing to IC also, cause manufacturer told that it might not work 100 hours in vertical position due to filament overheat and prolongation. I have tested 2-3 over last year's with our 2501-2506 and only this year put one inside Optromat vertical machine.

If produce 100 minimum run the production price is about 40- usd I can't afford 4000- usd spent now on this just spare. Maybe 30 lamps max.

Sergey

[ic-racer]

I have a printing session coming up this week and I'll take pictures of the reflector and lamp to compare. Since I only enlarge my own negatives, my volume is low, but this may be similar to others on this forum. For that matter, the reproduction lamp and reflector will likely last many years.

[Eric Woodbury]

Pretty hard to stain glass. You might try various things to remove. NEVER MIX ANY OF THESE CHEMICALS TOGETHER. Do everything outside.

I'd start with chlorine bleach. Then oxalic acid. Lime away or equivalent. If oil based (non-polar), then naphtha or acetone. TSP is a good solvent. I don't think any of them will damage glass.

Probably a chemist here that knows better than I.

NEVER MIX ANY OF THESE CHEMICALS TOGETHER.

e

[ic-racer]

The glass mentioned in post #553 might be damaged from fungus. All the glass from my MFA thesis exhibition in 1988 was saved so I could use it to for framing. Around 2006 I examined the glass I had kept in the basement and all the panes were etched from fungus (mold, mildew, mycosis, etc).

[Chuki]

I don't think that fungus was there. No smell, wrapping paper is dry without signs of anything wrong. I think problem is with something iside durst wrap paper. I would make pictures when(if) come to lab (stucked with atomatic transmission dead in Turkey 2500 km from home).

[Andrea Gazzoni]

fiddling with my freshly acquired Nega 205 carrier, I am not sure I understand what the small window with the hairline cross is meant for and how do I use it.
this is what the manual says about it. Looks like a focus register post of some sorts, but maybe someone here can shed light.

also, any info on where to buy some sheets of light seal material to replace the ones around the carrier?
what I am finding on Ebay is small sheets, the Nega is about 12" square, I would like to cut strips that lenght instead of joining shorter strips

thank you for any info

[Drew Wiley]

Assuming everything has been properly aligned and leveled, which is fairly easy with that Durst model, you place a negative in the carrier and very precisely focus on either your baseboard or easel itself. Then, without changing any of that focus position, you shift the carrier position so that the crosshairs come into the middle of position rather than the center of the real negative itself. Then you fine-tune the adjustment of the crosshair device itself so that it too comes in acute focus, and therefore exactly corresponds to the correct positioning for any negative itself in the glass carrier, that is, emulsion-down. So this becomes a convenience option. You can thereafter assume that if the crosshairs are in correct focus, any negative itself will be (it's easier to focus the crosshairs).

[Andrea Gazzoni]

thank you Drew, will give this a try

[LFPete]

Is this post missing pictures? I don't see anything. I am looking for pics of a complete and working Laraneg with glass in it. Can someone point me to pics? I'm still looking...


Please post some pictures of your enlarger if you get a chance.

Here are the components to my Laraneg.

[LFPete]

I see, this almost looks like mine, but yours has the two tabs with screw-nuts on the sides; mine does not.

How does the glass fit within the insert? Can you post pics?

My L184 / L1840 came with the Laraneg 10 x 10 holder and a hinged insert (and other random parts I suspect are from another holder), but the Laraneg insert does not have glass. How does the glass fit in there & how is it held in place? Am I missing parts?

In this pic (below) the lower left is the Laraneg carrier. The middle two parts are the top and bottom hinged insert. How does the glass fit within these??

I think the 3 parts on the right are from another system; I don't believe they fit with the Laraneg.

197557

[Andrea Gazzoni]

so I've just managed to move my L184 to his new home, well...storage...
one think I was not able to figure out during the moving is how to remove the lamp assembly + condensors drawer.
the manual talks about four securing bolts (ref. 14) but the picture is not clear enough.
anyone can help locating such bolts? thank you

forgot to add, I have found what seems rust inside the colums and onto many of the bolts.
shouldn't this be stainless steel? and should I worry about this?

[Andrea Gazzoni]

the not so clear manual page and where the rust is

[LFPete]

Looks like a little superficial rust, those are thick pieces of steel, it would take lot for that superficial rust to become a structural problem. You could brush it out with soft steel wool, and put a little WD40 on it. As for the bolts, I can't see them, but those might be easy to replace. But stainless is weaker (and more expensive) than other types of non-stainless steel, so Durst could have used stainless, but that I don't know.

[calebarchie]

The manufacturer got the arm onto the lower column, so there has to be a way to get it off. It looks like the easiest way would be to removed the foot first, then slide the whole table mechanism off it. That's just a hunch. I'm not going to be the guinea pig to try it. But what is the point? What are you trying to accomplish? Replace a damaged arm, or turn the enlarger into a different sort of beast? If you're trying to make a huge print with the enlarger vertically oriented, you're still restricted to the center of lens to front of column distance. What you can do is separate the top column from the lower, and design a strong offset support for the entire upper half to get more forward reach from the lens position, if that is what you have in mind. Contact Glenn Evans at Glennview and see if he has tried it.

Hi Drew,

Just determining whether it may be possible to have a movable drop table on castors similar to the papermot arrangement. Although it may present challenges with alignment, would anybody have any experience regarding this? Not necessarily with dursts but with LF enlargers in general?

Also found this picture where the baseboard column appears to be removed.
197706

Bests

[Drew Wiley]

Hydraulic lift tables, or "scissor lifts", are convenient. Only the better ones can be expected to faithfully stay level with elevation change adjustment. And naturally, the better ones are also more expensive and basically ridiculous overkill for holding up something like an enlarging easel. Suitable one typically are rated at hundreds of pounds or even over a thousand. But don't let that scare you. Just hunt around for a bargain at a used warehouse supply, or at the auction sites. They are common items. Otherwise, adjustable slot retainers or shelf clips and pins are easy to make for a three-sided base enclosure as an ordinary bookshelf, if you find that route more convenient. ... Sorry to be a bit of an old grump; but we old grumps do sometimes have some experience, and with relation to a previous post, never use steel wool on a nice piece of machinery like this; it will leave behind troublesome fragments. Use Scotchbrite with stainless polish, and pick a high-quality lube. WD-40 actually traps moisture under it, and encourages rust. See if you can find LPS lube instead (not LPS contact cleaner). If you need any new bolts or screws, you can find what you need at McMaster. They offer not only a far bigger selection than at hardware stores, but also higher quality stainless, which you should use.

[calebarchie]

Yes that is what I was planning to use but I don't think I'll bother with a 8x10 enlarger for now, 4x5 is more than enough. Have you actually used said setup though? Please check my signature for link to my project, I am pretty capable when it comes to design and fabrication.

Bests

[Andrea Gazzoni]

so I've just managed to move my L184 to his new home, well...storage...
one think I was not able to figure out during the moving is how to remove the lamp assembly + condensors drawer.
the manual talks about four securing bolts (ref. 14) but the picture is not clear enough.
anyone can help locating such bolts? thank you


so any hint on how to remove the condensors head?
thanks

[Andrea Gazzoni]

this is what the clamping knobs looked like and how they are now

[Andrea Gazzoni]

restoring the two Nega 205 carriers includes paint retouching and overall velvet/felt replacement up to the small tabs that touch the glass

[Andrea Gazzoni]

had to renew the felt on the handles, hairdryer and acetone helped removing the old adhesive

[Tin Can]

Very nice!

[Christopher Nisperos]

had to renew the felt on the handles, hairdryer and acetone helped removing the old adhesive

Bravo, Andrea!

[LFPete]

Nice jobe restoring it.

Is the nega 205 a 10 x 10 format? Is it the housing that accepts the negative carrier, or is it the negative carrier itself? Does it have glass in it? Does it work with the Laraneg housing or is it something else entirely?


restoring the two Nega 205 carriers includes paint retouching and overall velvet/felt replacement up to the small tabs that touch the glass

[Andrea Gazzoni]

what you see is the carrier itself. it takes a sandwich of two sheets of glass 253mm square x 3mm thick. the glass is simply put over the silver rim, then the four small pods and their spring frame help keeping it pressed once inserted in the enlarger. I think this has nothing in common with the Laraneg, which should be less primitive

[LFPete]

Thanks Andrea, Can you describe how the nega 205 fits on the Durst 184? Or show pics? Is this a generation preceeding the Laraneg? My Laraneg is sort of incomplete & slightly broken; so perhaps if I could purchase a nega 205 and attach it to my 184, then I'd have a working negative carrier system.


what you see is the carrier itself. it takes a sandwich of two sheets of glass 253mm square x 3mm thick. the glass is simply put over the silver rim, then the four small pods and their spring frame help keeping it pressed once inserted in the enlarger. I think this has nothing in common with the Laraneg, which should be less primitive

[Andrea Gazzoni]

it slides in place until the two pegs under the handles engage the holes onto the chassis. here's the manual page with description

[LFPete]

Thanks! Very helpful. I've come across a couple manuals, but they are more product brochures. Can you point me to the full text manual for the 184 with all the details?


it slides in place until the two pegs under the handles engage the holes onto the chassis. here's the manual page with description

[Andrea Gazzoni]

http://www.galerie-photo.com/manuels/durst-l184-operating-manual.pdf

[LFPete]

Thanks!


http://www.galerie-photo.com/manuels/durst-l184-operating-manual.pdf

[Tin Can]

Yes, thanks. The manual is a big help!


http://www.galerie-photo.com/manuels/durst-l184-operating-manual.pdf

[Andrea Gazzoni]

so any hint on how to remove the condensors head?
thanks

it was easy, bolts n.14 are below the head much obviously

[Andrea Gazzoni]

does anyone know how to remove the bellows from the L184 ? screws on bottom are easy, but I cannot see the head of the ones on top. looks like these are a bit hidden below the negative carrier stage. thanks

[Drew Wiley]

Yep, ouch! You might have to remove everything above, and even the carrier stage itself. But that's not such a bad thing to have to do, because at the same time, you can check the squareness, tightness, and lube of the hidden masking blades. Just part of a basic overhaul.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

Only the Durst Lord knows why do one has to disassemble 80lbs of equipment to take off a bellows

[Drew Wiley]

No worse than having to pull the engine of certain BMW's to change the spark plugs. Psychopaths apparently have as much a right to an Engineering degree as anyone else.

[LabRat]

Only the Durst Lord knows why do one has to disassemble 80lbs of equipment to take off a bellows

Yea, Durst does throughout their enlargers and their line... (NOT SERVICE FRIENDLY, even to get at common stuff...)

One thing to be careful of while servicing (esp their "sheet metal" enlargers) that there are hidden screws in strange places not easily accessible, and of different critical lengths that need to be replaced EXACTLY as you removed them, so work out a system when you start... And different panels may not fit when you try to reinstall, so expect difficulties!!!

Steve K

[Drew Wiley]

Indeed. Diagram and number every little thing with removable tape or separate plastic bags when disassembling, so it can be replaced in exactly the same position afterwards. But overall, having done several major Durst reconditioning projects, none of them have been particularly difficult.

[interneg]

Every time I have to get at a problem part in a professional Durst, it makes me appreciate the easy to adjust, service etc, unfussy yet high precision engineering of De Vere's 504/507/5108/515...

[LabRat]

Every time I have to get at a problem part in a professional Durst, it makes me appreciate the easy to adjust, service etc, unfussy yet high precision engineering of De Vere's 504/507/5108/515...

I completely agree!!! If I were just looking for an enlarger, I would turn down Durst and keep searching for a DeVere...

The cast metal models are much better, but the sheet metal models are a nightmare to service!!! Not too horrible when they are newer, but I had to service a # of used/abused sheet metal units, and because of an inefficient cooling system, there was MUCH distortion of metal components, critical plastics failure, even panels that popped into new hole spacing and fit etc... And now there are no spare parts available!!! And before it was Jensen, and many knew what that was like...

And their (I forget #) horizontal mural enl was uselessly complicated and hell to service...

Don't mind my rant... ;-I

Steve K

[ic-racer]

Which were the sheet metal models?

[interneg]

Which were the sheet metal models?

I think L1840 etc vis-a-vis the L184/ L138s



And their (I forget #) horizontal mural enl was uselessly complicated and hell to service...

H2501 or something like that? They seemed to have been meant for highly automated operation & output, not creative printing! They had a data printout or something like that too - which sometimes still crop up taped to neg sleeves handed to me for scanning or darkroom printing.

[Drew Wiley]

I find the Durst L138 and L184 series brilliantly engineered and built. Just look at how long they last, and all the built-in features to fine-tune them and keep them precise decade after decade. You'll never see that kind of machining again - it would simply be too expensive in the current era of CNC anodized aluminum, nylon, and 3D printed paper mache paste. The self-focussing units and horizontal-only units were separate critters with deservedly bad reputations when it comes to maintenance, and too electronically complicated to interest me. But these were also out of the commercial division, which even once made a monster 12X16 in. vert/hor convertible L. "Sheet metal" is obviously a sneer at the anodized alum. units out of the remaining amateur products division, one of which is a darn nice 4x5, but not equal to the ole machined 138 5X7 units, which were the smallest chassis made in the commercial division. There's not a bit of sheet metal, anodized anything, or plastic on any of my Durst enlargers, except for some darn tough bakelite dials, knobs, etc. No different than microscopes, table saws, you name it ... the era of machined high-quality alloys and stainless metals reached its peak in the 70's, and has gone downhill ever since. Who need an enlarger that lasts a hundred years when the average digital selfie is forgotten within 15 seconds.

[Luis-F-S]

Which were the sheet metal models?

I suspect some of the 4x5 and smaller models. The commercial division started with the largely cast L-138. L

[LabRat]

I should have specified 4X5, but mostly, stay away from the CLS 501 color head!!! And any of the more recent (80's+) electronics...

Misery and grief!!!

Steve K

[interneg]

the CLS 501 color head

The horror, the horror.

After opening one up I always wonder if they feared somebody wanted to steal the dichroics or stuff their fingers in the fan & thus needed to make the head as damned awkward to open as possible.

The other headache (ha ha) is the Ilford MG500 - a lot of power in not a lot of ventilated space - I've seen one blowtorch the heat filters...

[LabRat]

H2501 or something like that? They seemed to have been meant for highly automated operation & output, not creative printing! They had a data printout or something like that too - which sometimes still crop up taped to neg sleeves handed to me for scanning or darkroom printing.

I think it might have been a 2501 or 3... (I don't remember, I have sweats and PTSD just thinking about it!!!) It had a huge box underneath stuffed with enough pcb's and electronics to land this beast on the planet Mars, but not even an RS-232 port to create any output!!! All this just to drive the filter wheels, readouts, and timer... Meanwhile, the control board button switches that didn't always make good contact, so users would mash or hammer the start buttons, causing microcracks to the motherboard below (failure and $$$ replacement)... And the hi-output bulb ($$$) needed to be replaced frequently before it melted or shattered into many bits and fall right into the filter drive gearbox directly underneath... Bad!!!



Don't mind me... :-(

Steve K

[Drew Wiley]

Don't you guys know that those assembly lines employed elves and skinny little midgets with especially long fingers. I can appreciate that fact every time I lift the hood of my wife's Prius, trying to figure out how all of that got packed into such a tight space. And stop worrying about the cost of high-output bulbs. Ever see the parabolic quartz mirrors behind the bulbs on the 2000W CLS 300, which cost $1200 per pair way back then, and needed asbestos pads behind them, and spalled off their dichroic coatings due to heat, needing to either be replaced or recoated every six months? No problem... if you can afford to get a Ferrari serviced every six months, you can afford to do it with a Durst too. Just relax, let somebody else do the work, and sip wine at your villa in Tuscany.

[interneg]

Ever see the parabolic quartz mirrors behind the bulbs on the 2000W CLS 300, which cost $1200 per pair way back then, and needed asbestos pads behind them, and spalled off their dichroic coatings due to heat, needing to either be replaced or recoated every six months?

The De Vere approach in comparison used 4, 8 or 16 ELH's depending on system. Rather more sensible, but a hell of a lot of dichroic filters...

[ic-racer]

My L1840 does not have any sheet metal components. Unless you mean the 3mm thick cosmetic shell that holds the vanity bellows and covers the lifting mechanism?

No asbestos in any of the CLS2000 I have seen.

Dichroic reflectors and lamps are re-manufactured and available. My original reflector is from 1993 and still looks pretty good compared to the new one.

198970
198971
198972
198973

[ic-racer]

All the Durst electronics I have encountered were modular, discrete and comparatively easy to service.

198974

[Drew Wiley]

Asbestos pads were in the 2000W CLS 300, a relatively early colorhead. I replaced them with mineral board. The lamps and reflectors bore no resemblance to the CLS 2000 system illustrated in a previous post. I really didn't like either of those heads. My own design is far less expensive to maintain, runs dramatically cooler, and gives better color. But the head is huge and heavy, requiring a custom column too.

[interneg]

Drew - what bulbs are you running in your custom head?

[Drew Wiley]

six EVW.

[interneg]

six EVW.

Are they wired as pairs, run off a transformer & with fixed filtration in front of each? I've been contemplating using 3x 82v bulbs in a project as I could probably get away with wiring them in series & running them off the mains - one of those cases where you're very lucky to have the ELH bulb!

[Drew Wiley]

These are pulsed in, 2ea RGB narrow-band dichroic with a feedback loop. Each set is separated into a V-head design, then mixed in a diffusion chamber. This allows for very efficient cooling, but requires a very heavy bulky head. The chassis is custom too, and massive. The voltage control is related to the complex nature of the system. Hard-wired ELH for YMC subtractive use is a much simpler option, but was not possible in this additive case.

[ic-racer]

A few tips on focusing when projecting printing close to 1:1. I have a number of images to print on 8x10 paper with a white border; to match a series of images produced in formats smaller than 8x10. This requires a slight reduction.

IMPORTANT:

1) There are NEGATIVE to PAPER distances that will never obtain focus by moving the lens.
2) FOR EVERY LENS to NEGATIVE distance there always will be a focal point that can be found by moving the paper (or head).

The way I do it is to define a LENS to NEGATIVE distance and then obtain focus by moving the enlarger head. If the image is too small or large, I make a small change in the lens stage position. Then re-focus by moving the head.

Why do it this way? When you are close to 1:1, you can easily move the negative and paper too close together into the Zone of Impossible Focus. When in this zone it may confuse and frustrate you to no end!

Why is this? The answer is that as one makes an enlargement smaller and smaller by bringing the head down, after 1:1 is reached, RAISING THE HEAD back up is needed to make the reduction! When in the 'reduction zone' raising the head makes the image smaller and smaller.

199119

[ic-racer]

For every negative to paper distance that can be focused for an enlargement, a reduction can be focused at the same negative to paper distance.

This is easier to experience with 8x10 enlargers, many smaller enlargers don't have enough bellows draw to actually do this. It is very easy on a Durst 8x10 with its massive bellows draw.


199120

199128

[Andrea Gazzoni]

will a CLS 1840 color head fit on a L184 chassis by simply removing the condensors/lamp assembly? or do I need some exotic named adapter?

[ic-racer]

will a CLS 1840 color head fit on a L184 chassis by simply removing the condensors/lamp assembly? or do I need some exotic named adapter?

I believe the CLS heads mount with the same 4 bolts that hold the condenser head in place.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

also wondering if the CLS1840 mounted on a L184 chassis will take the Nega 205 carrier in the same fashion the condensor head does.
every picture of this head shows it with a Lagraneg carrier.
I'd expect the height of the slot formed by the head assembly and the carrier stage to be the same.

[ic-racer]

also wondering if the CLS1840 mounted on a L184 chassis will take the Nega 205 carrier in the same fashion the condensor head does.
every picture of this head shows it with a Lagraneg carrier.
I'd expect the height of the slot formed by the head assembly and the carrier stage to be the same.

The below is a quote from the technical literature.


[L184 chassis with CLS1840 head] Accepts NEGA184, AIRNEG, GRAHALON, LARANEG, PRONEG negative holders.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

cool, thank you IC

[Drew Wiley]

(General info): just remember that certain of these carrier, namely the two pin-registered versions, each required two distinct components. Sometimes just half of what is necessary shows up for sale.

[ic-racer]

Hi,

Is it possible to remove the baseboard arm from the 1840 chassis?

Bests,
C

Updating the answer to this question. I found the following quote in one of my Durst L1840 manuals:


Remove the entire baseboard and baseboard arm in minutes for floor projection or roll easel operation.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

again on fitting a CLS 1840 on a condensors 184: will I need just the EST 1000 unit to power up the head or is there something else? The 1840 manual shows both a power supply and the EST 1000 as a voltage stabilizer. thanks

[ic-racer]

When you get the CLS1840 you should get the EST1000 with it and some light box diffusers. The light box diffusers are in two parts, upper and lower. You will need a timer, as the timing unit is incorporated into the power supply for the L1840 chassis, rather than the CLS1840 head. From what I recall, just about any timer will work. The timer does not actually control the 1000W lamp, it triggers a relay in the unit which starts the exposure process (fan on, lamp pre-heat, shutter open, shutter close, etc.)

I got my L1840 and CLS2000 from two separate locations with a total of 4 years searching. This is a picture I took in the service elevator of the studio from which I got my CLS2000 head. There are actually two power supplies in that picture, but one is a spare. You only need the EST1000 to run the CLS1840 head.


199220

[Andrea Gazzoni]

very helpful info, thank you so much

[Andrea Gazzoni]

Reading the manuals, it looks like the CLS1840 doesn't have a cooling system, while the CLS2000 has two separate fans.
Is this because of the different bulb (1000w vs 2000w) or just a matter of older design?
And most important, are these non-cooled heads as good as the cooled ones?

[gary mulder]

You are mistaken the CLS 1840 has a cooling system.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

You are right

[ic-racer]

From what I can tell, the CLS1840 is similar to the CLS2000 pictured here.
199325

[resummerfield]

The CLS1840 is similar to that picture, except... only 1 cooling fan (the upper one), and the top sheet metal "lid" has no provision for an exhaust hose (no metal flange to connect the hose). The exhaust air on the CLS1840 exits the "lid" through louvers.

[Drew Wiley]

Efficient cooling is essential to any colorhead.

[ic-racer]

The CLS1840 is similar to that picture, except... only 1 cooling fan (the upper one), and the top sheet metal "lid" has no provision for an exhaust hose (no metal flange to connect the hose). The exhaust air on the CLS1840 exits the "lid" through louvers.

Yes, I found the CLS1840 schematic and it only shows the single Lufter (fan).

199337
Out of curiosity does the CLS1840 have this opening that blows on the negative holder?

199335

[ic-racer]

Here is a CLS2000 setup on the "Footprints" brokerage site. Not too bad at $4000USD. I got just about the same setup with the Negateil, the mixing boxes and a box of lenses with around $2000USD involved. That was about ten years ago.

199338

[gary mulder]

Out of curiosity does the CLS1840 have this opening that blows on the negative holder?


No

[Michael Kadillak]

You are mistaken the CLS 1840 has a cooling system.

Confused. I just acquired a CLS 1840 enlarger and it came with a top plate that connects to a 90 degree hose mount to connect to flexible metal pipe so that an external blower motor can push air into the top of the unit. How do I check if it already has a blower motor in there. Is this overkill and could I have a higher wattage bulb requiring this configuration? Thanks.

[gary mulder]

Confused. I just acquired a CLS 1840 enlarger and it came with a top plate that connects to a 90 degree hose mount to connect to flexible metal pipe so that an external blower motor can push air into the top of the unit. How do I check if it already has a blower motor in there. Is this overkill and could I have a higher wattage bulb requiring this configuration? Thanks.

Pushing air into a exhaust with a extra blower don't seem a good idea.

[ic-racer]

Optional CLS2000 Air Extractor Hose:
199409

The hose directs the hot air away from the enlarger, for worker's comfort. Otherwise the hot air just comes out the rectangular opening at the rear of the lid.

Don't confuse the CLS2000/1840 hose with the LAFAN. The LAFAN was a blower unit that directed cold air into the Condenser head when using higher wattage opal lamps. One would not want to connect a LAFAN to the CLS2000 exhaust hose.

199407

[Drew Wiley]

Duplicate post

[Drew Wiley]

Any supplementary system should PULL air out and away from the housing, to be vented outside and thus prevent temp buildup of ambient air around the colorhead. Recommended. Equip lasts longer, risk of hue shifts due to overheated filters is reduced, room comfort improved, etc. A suitable heat-resistant hose and inline squirrel cage fan doesn't necessarily have to come from Durst; any AC supplier like Grainger will have a more affordable selection.

[ic-racer]

I just acquired a CLS 1840 enlarger... How do I check if it already has a blower motor in there.

The blowers on the CLS2000 are pretty loud, hard to miss. Like two hair blow-driers.




Could I have a higher wattage bulb requiring this configuration?

Check you bulb. It should be a 1000W 120V Colamp1840 like this.


199408

The 2000W Colamp2000 (Thorn HX27) takes 220V.

[Drew Wiley]

2000 watts of halogen is a LOT of heat. An effective exhaust system should be a high priority. Reminds me why I replaced my 2000W Durst head with my own design which runs cooler. Of course, 2000W is extreme overkill for anything less than mural work, so interchangeable lower wattage bulbs might be a wise option. And again, Durst is not the only source for such things. Photo suppliers are likely to be far more expensive than an overall specialty bulb supplier.

[Michael Kadillak]

2000 watts of halogen is a LOT of heat. An effective exhaust system should be a high priority. Reminds me why I replaced my 2000W Durst head with my own design which runs cooler. Of course, 2000W is extreme overkill for anything less than mural work, so interchangeable lower wattage bulbs might be a wise option. And again, Durst is not the only source for such things. Photo suppliers are likely to be far more expensive than an overall specialty bulb supplier.

Thanks Drew and ic-racer. This information is very helpful. The wall power plug that I had an electrician put into my darkroom for this enlarger I believe is 220V which conveys to me that I have a 2000 watt halogen. Is it possible to change out to a 1,000 watt halogen bulb? I will check later today as to the bulb and the blower. I have not yet fired up the unit because I am taking the time to figure things out properly.

[ic-racer]

Thanks Drew and ic-racer. This information is very helpful. The way power plug that I had an electrician put into my darkroom for this enlarger I believe is 220V which conveys to me that I have a 2000 watt halogen. Is it possible to change out to a 1,000 watt halogen bulb? I will check later today as to the bulb and the blower. I have not yet fired up the unit because I am taking the time to figure things out properly.

The 1000W Colamp 1840 will likely fry in an instant at 240V! I don't think it will fit in the socket anyway.

Why do you think it is too bright, The CLS2000 is only one-stop faster than the CLS1840. In any case you can set the density knob to 30 and have the same output as the CLS1840.

[Drew Wiley]

Yes, if you identify the specific bulb contact profile, and select an equivalent bulb of lesser wattage, but of the same voltage and burn position. Again, checking with a specialty online bulb house if the best way to do that. There are a number of such suppliers. Those original Durst bulbs were mighty expensive. Remember to handle them with gloves, lest one instantly blows up from finger oil. When inquiring, you need to know the actual designated bulb classification to identify the same class and fit of bulb of lesser wattage. "Colamp" was just a Durst marketing term for something else. It should be imprinted somewhere on the base (nearly legible in the posted picture).

[ic-racer]

Thanks Drew and ic-racer. This information is very helpful. The way power plug that I had an electrician put into my darkroom for this enlarger I believe is 220V which conveys to me that I have a 2000 watt halogen. Is it possible to change out to a 1,000 watt halogen bulb? I will check later today as to the bulb and the blower. I have not yet fired up the unit because I am taking the time to figure things out properly.

Did you start a thread on your enlarger? Otherwise, pictures please, post them here! One little mistake plugging things in wrong could lead to tears!
All the L1840 power supplies take a 220V input, irrespective of lamp voltage (120V), shutter voltage (24V), Fan voltage (220V) etc.

You should know what you have, one can't miss the bold letters "CLS 1840" or "CLS 2000" on the front of the lamphouse.

199413

[Michael Kadillak]

Below are some pics of my Durst CLS 1840. the enlarger front, the front of the power module, the top box which has a connector bolted to the top and an opening in front as well as the blower motor. I looked at the top of the light head and did not see how to get the halogen light out but it looks pretty big.



199414199415199416199417

[ic-racer]

Ok, this is what I see:


The chassis is a L184

The head is CLS1840 1000W

The power supply is for the CLS2000 2000W.

The fan is rigged up to suck.

So, maybe you are correct, in that you have a CLS1840 modified to 2000W with the second fan being external.

However, I'd be very scared to plug a CLS1840 head in to an EST2000N!

[ic-racer]

Here are the pin-outs for the connector (EST2000 on LEFT and EST1000 on RIGHT). It does look like they may match up. Still scary.

199433

[ic-racer]

I looked at the top of the light head and did not see how to get the halogen light out but it looks pretty big.



Remove the two thumbscrews and the bar which holds the lamp will lift out. The lamp is not attached to the reflector.


199434

[Michael Kadillak]

Thanks a bunch. The previous owner only turned it on when he acquired it over 10 years ago and never used it. That is why I am being so cautious. I will take a run and carefully removing the halogen lamp and see if it has any markings.

[ic-racer]

At first I thought the best thing would be for you to try an get a working EST1000 to match that CLS1840 head. But these things are so rare these days, maybe getting your two units working safely is the way to go.
I presume someone did an "upgrade" to the CLS1840 head you have to make it 2000W and run with a 240V lamp and extra fan.

First thing would be to really check the connections on the EST1000 vs EST2000 plug that nothing will fry in the CLS1840 head by plugging it into the EST2000. I posted a clip of the schematics, but you probably need the whole schematics. Did I ever send you the EST1000/CLS1840 schematic and service manual? If not I can send you that and the EST2000N/CLS2000 service manual.

This is the kind of question that Jens (RIP) would be able to answer. Every time I contacted him he was very helpful and e-mailed back even more information than I asked.


199448

[Michael Kadillak]

At first I thought the best thing would be for you to try an get a working EST1000 to match that CLS1840 head. But these things are so rare these days, maybe getting your two units working safely is the way to go.
I presume someone did an "upgrade" to the CLS1840 head you have to make it 2000W and run with a 240V lamp and extra fan.

First thing would be to really check the connections on the EST1000 vs EST2000 plug that nothing will fry in the CLS1840 head by plugging it into the EST2000. I posted a clip of the schematics, but you probably need the whole schematics. Did I ever send you the EST1000/CLS1840 schematic and service manual? If not I can send you that and the EST2000N/CLS2000 service manual.

This is the kind of question that Jens (RIP) would be able to answer. Every time I contacted him he was very helpful and e-mailed back even more information than I asked.


199448

Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this topic. I was told that this enlarger was refurbished at Durst USA some time ago and the original owner of it and the second owner (prior to me) never really used it. My friend that I got it from said that be was able to plug it in and it fired up. I am going to try to take out the bulb and see if that helps me figure out more of what I have.

Retrospectively speaking I would have to agree that the work I would like to do with this enlarger is not mandated by a 2,000 watt bulb but until I can see what bulb I have (I was told it is a 1,000 watt halogen bulb but that does not appear correct) I am still looking for answers. Will report what I find shortly. Many Thanks!

[Drew Wiley]

Just make sure your wiring is up to that task. Nobody needs another Chernobyl.

[ic-racer]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this topic. I was told that this enlarger was refurbished at Durst USA some time ago and the original owner of it and the second owner (prior to me) never really used it. My friend that I got it from said that be was able to plug it in and it fired up. I am going to try to take out the bulb and see if that helps me figure out more of what I have.

Retrospectively speaking I would have to agree that the work I would like to do with this enlarger is not mandated by a 2,000 watt bulb but until I can see what bulb I have (I was told it is a 1,000 watt halogen bulb but that does not appear correct) I am still looking for answers. Will report what I find shortly. Many Thanks!

That would be another version of the story. That is, the EST2000 was modified to only power a 1000w bulb at 120V.
I'd think changes to an EST2000 to reduce it to 1000W might be very difficult, compared to adding a new socket and fan to a CLS1840, I'll put my money on a 2000W lamp in the head. But let us know.
If you can post more pictures of the lamp assembly that would be great.

[Michael Kadillak]

That would be another version of the story. That is, the EST2000 was modified to only power a 1000w bulb at 120V.
I'd think changes to an EST2000 to reduce it to 1000W might be very difficult, compared to adding a new socket and fan to a CLS1840, I'll put my money on a 2000W lamp in the head. But let us know.
If you can post more pictures of the lamp assembly that would be great.

Thanks for the assistance. Will attempt the disassembly to see what bulb I have this evening. I saw the fan with the white plastic blades in the back of the light section. The fan fins did not look to me to be very large but maybe the motor driving it is a screaming meamie.

[Michael Kadillak]

199474199475199476

I have attached some pics of my light head. I took the halogen bulb out of the globe and measured it. It is 3 3/4" long from the white base to the tip of the globe and is 0.9" (23mm) in diameter. The white electrical connecting wire does not really look that thick to me. The last pic is the special plug that I had to get a special receiving base plate to plug it in.

[ic-racer]

Looks like the 220V 2000W lamp. If this was a Durst-Pro 2000W conversion, then I suspect it is probably done well. Again, all my dealings with Durst-Pro were favorable, and Jens was helpful and knowledgeable whenever I contacted him.

[ic-racer]

I don't know what that brown is at the base of the lamp. I'd probably get a new lamp.

If found the most "on time" for my lamp was during composing and cropping. So, I have created tables for all my popular enlargements with easel markings, head and baseboard height and focal length lens. So, I can set up the enlarger head and baseboard based on the centimeter scales before I even turn the lamp on.

[Drew Wiley]

You might be the first person on this forum whom Jens didn't burn at some point or another. I know it's disrespectful to speak ill of the dead, and that's not my point anyway. He was an excellent machinist and cerrtainly knew what he was doing with Durst, but one was lucky to get complete delivery unless they paid an awful lot up front, and signed an expensive long-term service contract, which is what he was really after. Ironically, I got one of his big Durst enlargers for free second-hand; but the original owner paid dearly for it. So that slightly makes up for the 4K of gear he still owed me before he passed.

[Luis-F-S]

I don't know what that brown is at the base of the lamp. I'd probably get a new lamp.

IC, is it possible for Michael to use a 1000W lamp? I believe replacements may be easier to find than the 2000W lamp?

[Michael Kadillak]

You might be the first person on this forum whom Jens didn't burn at some point or another. I know it's disrespectful to speak ill of the dead, and that's not my point anyway. He was an excellent machinist and cerrtainly knew what he was doing with Durst, but one was lucky to get complete delivery unless they paid an awful lot up front, and signed an expensive long-term service contract, which is what he was really after. Ironically, I got one of his big Durst enlargers for free second-hand; but the original owner paid dearly for it. So that slightly makes up for the 4K of gear he still owed me before he passed.

I met Jens at the first Large Format View Camera Conference in Albuquerque New Mexico in 1999 and eventually I got into a squabble with him 10 years ago over some supposed under billing for some items. We worked it our fortunately. My son was considering going to Portland State five years ago and when we made a trip over to see their shop and we had lunch with Jens. Things seemed to be going OK for him and then shortly he was gone. I have no idea whatever happened to all of the equipment they had at their shop.

[Michael Kadillak]

IC, is it possible for Michael to use a 1000W lamp? I believe replacements may be easier to find than the 2000W lamp?

Was about to ask that question myself. Luis. I also need to find a place to find a spare bulb based upon the discoloring of the existing bulb have. Maybe the folks that sell these bulbs can validate the wattage of the existing bulb I have?

[ic-racer]

If the EST2000-N is putting out the 220V that it normally would, then the 120V 1000W lamp will fry!

I'd just use the setup you have now and try to get a spare 220V 2000w lamp. There is one on ebay now.

In a post-apocolyptic situation, one could just wire 120V from the wall socket up to the 1000W lamp and turn it on-and-off with an appropriate rated 1000W timer or a relay/contactor. Just leave the CLS1840 shutter open and use the external fan. In that situation you would not need any power supply.

[ic-racer]

Was about to ask that question myself. Luis. I also need to find a place to find a spare bulb based upon the discoloring of the existing bulb have. Maybe the folks that sell these bulbs can validate the wattage of the existing bulb I have?

You have the 2000W 220V lamp like this one that is currently for sale:

199526

[ic-racer]

Again, knowing Jens put your system together makes me feel more comfortable about seeing the CLS1840 mated to an EST2000-N. I had initially thought you just got a hodge-podge assembly of components that won't work together.

Here is an advertisement from an old Durst-Pro document. It has very little information about your setup, only that it confirms it was available through Durst-Pro.

It reads:


"Upgrade kit, for [CLS1840 to] 2000 watt lamp operation"

199527

[Andrea Gazzoni]

this last document clearly states that the CLS 1840 will not work with the Nega carriers. Quite the opposite I was reading some pages back. Only way to know is probably find someone with such head and sending him my carrier to test. Confused by Durst literature.

the only picture I have found is a unit a broker is selling, which shows what seems a Nega carrier under a CLS 2000

[Andrea Gazzoni]

also found this picture, website no more available

[ic-racer]

I believe the negative carrier will be dictated by the chassis on which the CLS head sits. L184 vs L1840 vs FOTAR or other.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

why then should Durst Pro specify that although the head can be mounted on all chassis, the old negative carriers do not work? I mean apart from selling more of the newer carriers

[Andrea Gazzoni]

will a 1000w or 2000w lamp require a special timer? I read each timer has maximum watt specs, not sure if a timer with "500w max" label on the enlarger plug will work with a higher wattage lamp.

also, this is the rear of the EST 1000 unit, where do I connect the timer exactly? do I need special cables or this one will do the job?

thanks

[Luis-F-S]

[QUOTE also, this is the rear of the EST 1000 unit, where do I connect the timer exactly? do I need special cables or this one will do the job? thanks[/QUOTE]

Where it says Timer Input. Looks like its meant for 120 or 220 since the label says 100-240v but has a 120 plug. Looks like the green power cord you have is a 220 cord with a 120 plug male end, so it makes sense. The timer should be fine with the 1000W bulb; should be relayed in the EST. My 120 EST/TRA 301 used a 120 power feed, a 120 timer and a 220 fan. There were jumpers inside the unit to set the input voltage. Likely the same in the EST 1000, so check it! L

[ic-racer]

The 'timer input' of the EST1000 triggers the exposure sequence which includes bulb-preheat, shutter opening. I believe the Triacs in the unit control the lamp. I believe very little current flows through the 'timer input.' And, as indicated, the voltage to tirgger the exposure sequence can be quite variable (120 to 220V).

[Drew Wiley]

Andrea - a custom shim or baseplate could be made to fit any previous head, but there are apparently match limitations as-is.

[stkbliew]

i bought a new DURST L184 from Jens back in 2015. i searched everywhere and i couldn't find a replacement bulb for my enlarger. I'd really appreciate it if you guys can point me to the right direction. see the attached pics. 201279201280Thanks!

[ic-racer]

i bought a new DURST L184 from Jens back in 2015. i searched everywhere and i couldn't find a replacement bulb for my enlarger. I'd really appreciate it if you guys can point me to the right direction. see the attached pics. 201279201280Thanks!

What type of light source is on your enlarger?

[stkbliew]

Never mind. I found the bulb at bulbamerica.com. thanks.

[stkbliew]

By the way, I didn't know anything about the bulb because Jens from Durst pro america purposely erased the model num and info on the bulb. He charged me $360 for one bulb. And bulbamerica has it for $23.....

[Drew Wiley]

Jens' business ethics was questionable at best. You're lucky he even shipped the bulb.

[Tin Can]

But his ads were fantastic, literally!

That bulb is most likely a projection bulb

Too bad it remains a secret...

[Michael Kadillak]

Finding a replacement for the 2,000 watt bulbs would be a god send. Anyone have any ideas? Is the used market and being patient the only option?

[Chuki]

Jens charged me about the same for few dozens laps + reflectors. And shipped none.

I have custom producing them in China after that.
With reflectors, I am equipped for the whole life but with lamps I mannaged to make only 10 for tests.

Production run now is a minimum of 100 and price is 35 at the moment. Can't afford 3500 to spend just to produce 100 Colapm2000.

[Greg]

Coming in from totally left field and having absolutely no experience with an 8x10 Durst enlarger or any bulb over 500 watts, I offer the following: Theatrical lighting people everyday deal with high wattage bulbs. Especially the ones who predate the beginning of the present LED generation. A friend needed to acquire a high wattage bulb and told me that he seemingly hit a brick wall in his quest. He befriended a lighting person at a local performing arts theater. The lighting person was able to give him several theatrical bulb suppliers to contact. He then easily acquired the bulb he sought plus spares for very reasonable prices.

[Michael Kadillak]

Coming in from totally left field and having absolutely no experience with an 8x10 Durst enlarger or any bulb over 500 watts, I offer the following: Theatrical lighting people everyday deal with high wattage bulbs. Especially the ones who predate the beginning of the present LED generation. A friend needed to acquire a high wattage bulb and told me that he seemingly hit a brick wall in his quest. He befriended a lighting person at a local performing arts theater. The lighting person was able to give him several theatrical bulb suppliers to contact. He then easily acquired the bulb he sought plus spares for very reasonable prices.

I am going to take some measurements of the pins on mine and hope to go down the same road to see if I can find a proper "fit".

[ic-racer]

Coming in from totally left field and having absolutely no experience with an 8x10 Durst enlarger or any bulb over 500 watts, I offer the following: Theatrical lighting people everyday deal with high wattage bulbs. Especially the ones who predate the beginning of the present LED generation. A friend needed to acquire a high wattage bulb and told me that he seemingly hit a brick wall in his quest. He befriended a lighting person at a local performing arts theater. The lighting person was able to give him several theatrical bulb suppliers to contact. He then easily acquired the bulb he sought plus spares for very reasonable prices.

Post #202:

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?32852-Durst-L1840-Enlarger-8x10-10x10-Everything-you-wanted-to-know&p=552883&viewfull=1#post552883

[ic-racer]

This is a clip from the Thorn product book. It shows that even when in production, the HX-27 (Coolamp2000) was 'special order.'
201371

[Michael Kadillak]

I am going to take some measurements of the pins on mine and hope to go down the same road to see if I can find a proper "fit".

As was pointed out in this exchange, it is apparent that substitute bulbs appear to be available but the limiting factor is getting them through the top opening in the reflector. Some crude measurements show that this opening would need to be expanded a bit over 1/3" to make this work. Not sure what the best tool would be to accomplish this objective or if there is any risk of damaging the reflector itself which would not be good.

[ic-racer]

I was able to use the Dremel diamond bit to bevel some AN glass I cut down from 5x7 for my 4x5 enlarger. I do have a spare reflector and believe I would be able to enlarge the opening with that Dremel bit.

201401
201402

[Michael Kadillak]

Seems like a manageable task to undertake albeit slowly and not being to aggressive with it. My next question is to ensure that the G38 Mogul bi post pins will work. I will probably have to pull my bulb and make some measurements. Below is the specifics of the bulb I am looking at.

201403201404

[ic-racer]

Not that one. It is FTL that will fit the socket as the COLAMP2000. See how the two pins are different sizes:
https://www.interlightus.com/light-bulb/FTL

I bought one of those FTL lamps about ten years ago, but I can't find it now. Maybe I sent it back when I found it did not fit through the reflector.

[Michael Kadillak]

Not that one. It is FTL that will fit the socket as the COLAMP2000. See how the two pins are different sizes:
https://www.interlightus.com/light-bulb/FTL

I bought one of those FTL lamps about ten years ago, but I can't find it now. Maybe I sent it back when I found it did not fit through the reflector.

Thanks for the info. Any idea of the diameter of these bulbs?

[Chuki]

This are specs for COLAMP 2000 that I used when was playing with producing new ones:

type Projection Lamps
Length 140 mm
52000 lum (4141 cp)
Col.Temperature 3200 K
Voltage 240 or 220/230V
A 9.09 A (220V)
Av.Life 300H
Filament CC-8
40 x 7.5 (H x W)
Glass Diam 13/8 "

Base GY 16 2-pin
Light Center Length 3.35 inch (85 mm)
Maximum Overall Length 5.71 inch (145 mm)

Maybe that helps somebody.
Check focal point and filament size or reflector wouln't work correctly.201421

[Michael Kadillak]

This are specs for COLAMP 2000 that I used when was playing with producing new ones:

type Projection Lamps
Length 140 mm
52000 lum (4141 cp)
Col.Temperature 3200 K
Voltage 240 or 220/230V
A 9.09 A (220V)
Av.Life 300H
Filament CC-8
40 x 7.5 (H x W)
Glass Diam 13/8 "

Base GY 16 2-pin
Light Center Length 3.35 inch (85 mm)
Maximum Overall Length 5.71 inch (145 mm)

Maybe that helps somebody.
Check focal point and filament size or reflector wouln't work correctly.201421

My bulb length checks out close to yours (just shy of 4" from the end of the bulb to the beginning of the white ceramic base) but the bulb diameter spec of 1 3/8" listed above for the COLAMP 2000 listed above seems wide to me and at this diameter this bulb would not fit into my reflector as I see it. My halogen bulb has a diameter of 0.9". I can also see how only about the top half of the halogen bulb physically goes "into" the reflector on my unit but I guess it gets the job done.

[ic-racer]

Colamp2000 are about 26mm in diameter and the hole in the reflectors about 32mm. The FTL bulges to about 36mm in the middle (see below). So it is very close, not much glass would need to be removed from the reflector.

[ic-racer]

Going back through this thread it really amazes me how time flies. Posts from 2009 seem like yesterday.
Anyway I did find one of my FTL (CP43) 2000W lamps I got in 2009 and it does indeed fit in the hole in my reflector without enlarging the hole.
So, it looks like there were two different versions of the FTL, one with the bulge and one without.

What I cannot answer right now is if the FTL (CP43) without the bulge is still in production.

The picture below shows two different FTL (CP43) lamps from different sources. Top one is 36mm, the bottom one is 26mm.

201698

201703

[ic-racer]

Potential substitutes for Colamp2000

201721

201720

[fix_se]

I have a Coolamp and/or Thorn, if you are interested?

[philcedozphotos]

So, I just got a Durst 184 and got it home. The upper column would not raise or lower and it looks like the worm gear in the hand crank is shot.

Does anyone have the specs necessary to order a new one? I don't know how to measure for these things, ratio, pitch, etc...

204017

[Michael Kadillak]

Durst ceased production of their enlargers in 2006 because of lack of demand. Durst Pro USA continued to fill that void until its owners untimely death recently where the inventory was allocated to a few interested takers and the rest hauled off so there is no option to order a new one. Your option is to find a used part because trying to find a machinist to reproduce such a complex part to that tensile spec will be prohibitively expensive. Hope you got the unit for the effort of hauling it off because without the ability of raising and lowering the column it is a repository of parts unfortunately. I know that is not what you want to hear but it is what it is. What you learned is that you always make sure that the enlarger is capable of its basic functions before you proceed forward. Onward!

[Tin Can]

Anything can be hacked, meaning adapted

Find the right local person, most likely not here

The part is very difficult to make, a local retired machinist is a start

Do not give up, or give up and sell your parts




So, I just got a Durst 184 and got it home. The upper column would not raise or lower and it looks like the worm gear in the hand crank is shot.

Does anyone have the specs necessary to order a new one? I don't know how to measure for these things, ratio, pitch, etc...

204017

[Tin Can]

2 seconds on google found this, not the same design, but can do the same thing

A far heavier duty Saltzman uses this type with chain

https://www.rushgears.com/gear-types/worm-gear?referrer=GoogleWorm&gclid=CjwKCAjwk6P2BRAIEiwAfVJ0rGgRmsx3dgEnRCMKbzIrf09K4-riMioNHX35G68bm9H8cNzahM_CCRoCSQUQAvD_BwE

and this https://www.mcmaster.com/gear-boxes

[Luis-F-S]

Looks like it's shot. Usually happens from trying to raise or lower above the stop, or forcing it. These gears have a single hole for a through pin; may be necessary to drill a second hole in it.

204026204027204028

[ic-racer]

For ten years in this thread I always recommend the L184 if one is not an electrical hobbyist (like myself), because 'mechanical items are easier to fix.' So maybe this is not the case for you guys with the bad gears?

I know not many have read all 695 posts, but my enlarger was a big paper weight when I got it because without a working electronic motor control board, THERE IS NO MANUAL FOCUS KNOB.

[Luis-F-S]

IC, I'm fortunate in that I have both the Hemot motor and the manual head crank, both with good gears!!!

[philcedozphotos]

I've looked through these and boston gear and the main issue is this gear has 17 teeth and that the pin is on the collar above the gear. These 2 things are apparently a holy grail of gear design.

[philcedozphotos]

Anything can be hacked, meaning adapted

Find the right local person, most likely not here

The part is very difficult to make, a local retired machinist is a start

Do not give up, or give up and sell your parts

I’ve got a guy who may be able to 3d print a new one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[philcedozphotos]

For ten years in this thread I always recommend the L184 if one is not an electrical hobbyist (like myself), because 'mechanical items are easier to fix.' So maybe this is not the case for you guys with the bad gears?

I know not many have read all 695 posts, but my enlarger was a big paper weight when I got it because without a working electronic motor control board, THERE IS NO MANUAL FOCUS KNOB.

I’ve been looking for a large format enlarger for a while. Like you said I wanted one that had no circuits. This gear was a total surprise and probably the hardest thing to replace.

Any ideas on converting to a bulb that doesn’t get hotter than the sun?


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[Andrea Gazzoni]

I’ve got a guy who may be able to 3d print a new one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

now this starts to get interesting... which materials? cost per unit?

[philcedozphotos]

now this starts to get interesting... which materials? cost per unit?

I don’t know. Once I get a new one I’ll send him the old one with the new measurements. We’ll go from there.


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[ic-racer]

I’ve been looking for a large format enlarger for a while. Like you said I wanted one that had no circuits. This gear was a total surprise and probably the hardest thing to replace.

Any ideas on converting to a bulb that doesn’t get hotter than the sun?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What head/bulb do you have? There were 5 different Durst heads and many other brands fit too.

[philcedozphotos]

What head/bulb do you have? There were 5 different Durst heads and many other brands fit too.

It’s the Laborator condenser head. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200523/3ac7a9e6ee76c4f112964402b8cd0ee4.jpg


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[Michael Kadillak]

Maybe you can take the width and thickness of the stripped gear as well as what is on the other side mating it and replace them both concurrently as a pair? The shaft thickness can be adjusted as necessary as is the cotter pin hole. Sure might be easier than finding the original specs. By the way I have two brand new Lacon 380 184 condensers in their boxes and another barely used from a day long ago.

[philcedozphotos]

Maybe you can take the width and thickness of the stripped gear as well as what is on the other side mating it and replace them both concurrently as a pair? The shaft thickness can be adjusted as necessary as is the cotter pin hole. Sure might be easier than finding the original specs. By the way I have two brand new Lacon 380 184 condensers in their boxes and another barely used from a day long ago.


That was one option I have considered. I have 2 Lacon 380s and 1 350. This pic was just taken in the middle of reassembly in my darkroom. I usually do 6x6. Will the condenser size matter that much?

[philcedozphotos]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200523/626f4181e77621a3c5ce0f99b5d29746.jpg
The people selling it were an environmental planning company. They used to get aerial negatives and blow them up to make maps, etc. It came with this 2 glass carrier that is marked Foto-Optical Corp. anyone know anything about these?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200523/cd07a16f8f930f56dec8fb6448e2e1c5.jpg


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[ic-racer]

Condenser focal length and lens focal length need to be coordinated via the chart in the manual to ensure even distribution of light. The way I think of it is the condensers are focusing the light at a certain spot and the lens needs to be at that spot. If the lens is too long or too short, it will not be in the right spot. If you are just using the center of the light (6x6cm) you might be able to violate this and get good results. That is you could try those 380 condensers with a 80mm or 105mm lens and see how even the projected field is.

[ic-racer]

Every time bulbs for that head are discussed I always post the same thing. Consider using an diffusion disk as the target for the condensers (rather than the globe of the hard-to-find lamp) and illuminate the diffusion disk from behind with any light you want. That is how my Philips condenser color head works. You could use LED or Halogen or anything else for illumination behind the disk.
204058204057

[philcedozphotos]

Every time bulbs for that head are discussed I always post the same thing. Consider using an diffusion disk as the target for the condensers (rather than the globe of the hard-to-find lamp) and illuminate the diffusion disk from behind with any light you want. That is how my Philips condenser color head works. You could use LED or Halogen or anything else for illumination behind the disk.
204058204057

Awesome, where do i get one? Is it special material or just a translucent plastic.


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[Luis-F-S]

Not a very convenient enlarger for 6x6. What bulb does it have?

[philcedozphotos]

Not a very convenient enlarger for 6x6. What bulb does it have?

Currently an opal 300w incandescent.

I’m hoping to find a suitable alternative as I can’t really find those anymore.


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[Luis-F-S]

I’m hoping to find a suitable alternative as I can’t really find those anymore.


See the thread below which discusses bulb choices for an L-138. Same bulbs for the L-184.

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?74895-Durst-138S-Replacement-Bubs&highlight=lafan

L

[philcedozphotos]

See the thread below which discusses bulb choices for an L-138. Same bulbs for the L-184.

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?74895-Durst-138S-Replacement-Bubs&highlight=lafan

L

Thanks! I got a g40 and an LED panel on the way to try out.

The manual says that the condensers should be curved sides toward each other. This results in the nameplate on the top condensor being upside down. That is the correct orientation, no?


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[ic-racer]

Yes that would be correct to have the two convex surfaces toward each other.

[Luis-F-S]

now this starts to get interesting... which materials? cost per unit?

Got an Email from rushgears.com, and this is what they said about the nylon gear on the handcrank/motor:

This is an injection molded Spiral Bevel Gear.

This is the most difficult type of Gear to reproduce and the most expensive to machine in small quantities regardless of material.

Figure $5k to $10k in tooling, engineering and setups.

It is just not a practical proposition.

So, if you've got a source, I'd be interested to hear about it, unless you have 10G's burning a hole in your pocket you'd like to donate to the cause!

[Andrea Gazzoni]

not sure for who your question is, anyway as a quick reference a specialized company here in Northern Italy was asking me about $150 for a nylon/delrin gear and $320 for an aluminum one, cnc lathe machining. prices were much decreasing for 5 units, halved for ten pieces. this is for production only, you have to provide the technical sketch or CAD file.

[ic-racer]

Again, I don't have that gear in my enlarger, but I still don't see why it can't be 3D printed. This guy 3D printed a gear for a friggin lettuce washer.


https://youtu.be/vuJmWKsCYcU

[Bleachedfan]

I have a case of the opal bulbs, if anyone is looking.

[philcedozphotos]

Again, I don't have that gear in my enlarger, but I still don't see why it can't be 3D printed. This guy 3D printed a gear for a friggin lettuce washer.


https://youtu.be/vuJmWKsCYcU

I’m sending my old gear off to a buddy who has a 3d printer (well, buddy of a buddy). I hope he has better news, but due to the helical nature and the bevel, it’s apparently very geometrically complicated.

Does your column go all the way up?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200527/af291f808d5018209b78c24d01dafe45.jpg

Per the manual it says the max height is 108.5” and it stops here. I didn’t want to force it with the new gear.

I did a first round of test prints just to gauge the setup and it took about 35 seconds with the grade 2 filter at f8 for a correct exposure with the g40 150w.


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[ic-racer]

My ceiling cuts off about 2 inches of maximum height. The thing about 8x10 enlarging is with the relative small magnification ratios, that 2 inches is the difference between a 30" and a 40" print with the table all the way down and 300mm lens. Since the biggest I can wash is 20x24 print, I have not cut a hole in the ceiling yet :)

[philcedozphotos]

My ceiling cuts off about 2 inches of maximum height. The thing about 8x10 enlarging is with the relative small magnification ratios, that 2 inches is the difference between a 30" and a 40" print with the table all the way down and 300mm lens. Since the biggest I can wash is 20x24 print, I have not cut a hole in the ceiling yet :)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200527/9eadcd78b96475a8b74e0e5f860a48a0.jpg
Breakthrough! Luis was kind enough to sell me a spare gear! It worked until a certain point and I got a little frustrated. So I looked again and if you turn the bearing (which is the part the whole column rides on) you can raise the column. I can now get it 2” shy of the top until I move my light fixture. I ordered a bearing wrench that can make the process easier. So, I have a backup and it’s functional if not ideal.


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[philcedozphotos]

Update!
I got some frosted acrylic. I put it where the Wahal is. (Gotta love these stupid Durst names). This let me mount a 30W LED panel (https://imgur.com/O9cKUdy). It fits on the same screws as the bulb base so the movements still work (https://imgur.com/x4xKpds).
I currently have the Laborator setup to do 16" and larger so the downside is its not enough light. Here is a test print at 1:45 (https://imgur.com/jYSQvIw)at 5.6 with my EL Nikkor 105. No filters.
I do have a 100W panel coming tomorrow that I am going to try so I can at least stop down my lens a bit.

[philcedozphotos]

Update!
I got some frosted acrylic. I put it where the Wahal is. (Gotta love these stupid Durst names). This let me mount a 30W LED panel (https://imgur.com/O9cKUdy). It fits on the same screws as the bulb base so the movements still work (https://imgur.com/x4xKpds).
I currently have the Laborator setup to do 16" and larger so the downside is its not enough light. Here is a test print at 1:45 (https://imgur.com/jYSQvIw)at 5.6 with my EL Nikkor 105. No filters.
I do have a 100W panel coming tomorrow that I am going to try so I can at least stop down my lens a bit.

Update to the Update!

The new 100w panel came and now the times are far more reasonable at f/11. https://imgur.com/1U89VXr


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[ic-racer]

I'm not that familiar with the condenser head. Can you post a picture of the light panel and how it is installed?

[philcedozphotos]

I'm not that familiar with the condenser head. Can you post a picture of the light panel and how it is installed?

Its very old school. https://imgur.com/O9cKUdy


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[ic-racer]

Oh, I see. You have replaced only the lamp with the LED panel. The condensers are still in place. Nice solution.

Tin can had done some experiments with LED panels too, but from what I recall he was using larger ones that cover the whole negative and not using condensers.

[philcedozphotos]

Oh, I see. You have replaced only the lamp with the LED panel. The condensers are still in place. Nice solution.

Tin can had done some experiments with LED panels too, but from what I recall he was using larger ones that cover the whole negative and not using condensers.

That’s exactly what I was looking for! So long condenser coverage issues!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200530/d14e0e1319c94af0301d455af93c9dfe.jpg


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[Andrea Gazzoni]

almost done with the cleaning of my 184, which included fungi removal over both bellows (inside/outside), rust on the exposed part of many bolts, repainting parts where friction or scratches had left a mark.
I am left with a doubt.
Since the unit will be in storage for a long period, should I mount the upper part in vertical position on the stand, or can it be left horizontal without harming the couterweight springs? I understand these are not "working" now.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

some more cleaning porn...

[philcedozphotos]

some more cleaning porn...

Man, that is clean! Im scared that i didnt even look down my bellows...


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[Luis-F-S]

Since the unit will be in storage for a long period, should I mount the upper part in vertical position on the stand, or can it be left horizontal without harming the couterweight springs? I understand these are not "working" now.

I store mine horizontal. No issues with the springs.

[ic-racer]

Looks nice!

[ic-racer]

All the images from the first part of this thread are long gone. I'll repost them as I can. Since we are in cleaning up, here are some before and after pictures from over ten years ago:

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[ic-racer]

The cosmetic bellows on my column was pretty messed up but I was able to repair it:
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[Andrea Gazzoni]

I store mine horizontal. No issues with the springs.

head must be set all the way up the column, right?

[Drew Wiley]

The lower column bellows is not just cosmetic. It's intended to minimize shiny support reflections on the baseboard. If you remove it, substitute some black flocking etc.

[Luis-F-S]

some more cleaning porn...

Is that fungus on the inside of the bellows? Never seen that before. L

[Luis-F-S]

head must be set all the way up the column, right?

Yes, plus the camera is off. Just the two round rails, the top spring housing and the camera carrier.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

Is that fungus on the inside of the bellows? Never seen that before. L

much likely

[Drew Wiley]

After cleaning the fungus reasonably off, those areas of the bellows can easily be re-blackened with Black Cat India ink if you need something more liquid than a black permanent marker.

[ic-racer]

I recently upgraded my old silver Componon lenses (150mm and 210mm) to new Componon-S lenses. I thought all these years I'd need to stay with the old silver Componon lenses because to those fancy mounting flanges you can see on the right. Those flanges don't fit the newer lenses. However, I was able to find two of the newer lenses in the correct mounts. But it took many years to find clean lenses in those sizes (150mm and 210mm) then find matching mounting rings for the Tripla.

I don't do 5x7"; the 210mm is for 4x5" and the 150mm is for medium format.

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[Drew Wiley]

Almost any modern enlarging lens can be fitted on the Tripla with a correct ring unless it's longer than 300 and huge. For any lens really big, use the Unipla dic instead of the turret - or make one, since those are much harder to find than the Tripla. Better yet, simply use smaller even better corrected f/9 lenses like Apo Nikkors. But in your case, there's no issue, because you apparently aren't working with larger than 4x5 film yet.

[ic-racer]

because you apparently aren't working with larger than 4x5 film yet.

Oh, just the opposite. I have more 8x10 coverage lenses than I know what to do with. I only recently got those shorter lenses and this winter was trying the L1840 with 4x5".

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[ic-racer]

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I got a set of the Laraboxes, so I outfitted the L1840 with the UBER and UNTER Larabox 450. Usually I use my Omegas for 4x5 but wanted to print the rebate and it is a little difficult to do that with the Omegas.

[ic-racer]

Almost any modern enlarging lens can be fitted on the Tripla with a correct ring unless

Of course, but that is easier written than done. In my quest for the 210mm Componon-S, I came across modern 210mm Componon-S lenses with 4 different configuration.
The lens I wound up finding had a flange, which I replaced with a Durst M55/0.75 ring at some moderate expense. (read 'crazy-ass' price).
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[Luis-F-S]

This is the only 240 Componon-S I own. I bought it for the Compur 3 shutter. Since it had an extra set of threads, I had a Lapla mounted on on the back end so I can use it on my enlarger. Not used it nor am I sure what version it is. Usually use my 240 Rodagon in barrel Any idea of the version?

Luis

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[ic-racer]

I have a 240mm Componon-S like that. I was always under the impression that was the latest and last 240mm Componon-S they made. I don't think they ever made the 240mm in the plastic bodies with the illuminated aperture....but...see next post...

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[ic-racer]

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I did find this Schneider PDF showing the 210mm in a barrel with illuminated aperture, so I presume they also offered the 240 in a similar barrel. There is nothing to suggest the lens formula changed, however, just looks like an updated barrel.

[Luis-F-S]

If you read the fine print, it says that the illuminated barrels are in FL 135,150,180 & 210. I guess the 240, 300 & 360 were in plain barrels. Since mine is in shutter, it's a mute point. Would like to pick up a barrel for the lens if you know of one.