Looking for a Beseler 23c II bulb socket replacement.

[SilverHorn]

Hey! I’m working on bringing a Beseler 23c II enlarger back to life and need to track down a bulb socket replacement. I pulled the existing 75w-125v on and can’t find a replacement online. Does anyone have one they’d part with, or know where I could find a replacement? Attached is a photo of what it looks like.

Drake 4357-005 part number.

 

[ic-racer]

If that is the enlarger head that takes PH111A lamp, then a BA15 socket would likely work:

 

[SilverHorn]

If that is the enlarger head that takes PH111A lamp, then a BA15 socket would likely work:

View attachment 425822

Thanks for the recommendation! I checked it out and it takes the PH140 bulb. Close, but I don’t think it will work properly.

 

[chuckroast]

Hey! I’m working on bringing a Beseler 23c II enlarger back to life and need to track down a bulb socket replacement. I pulled the existing 75w-125v on and can’t find a replacement online. Does anyone have one they’d part with, or know where I could find a replacement? Attached is a photo of what it looks like.

Drake 4357-005 part number.

Check with these guys:

Lamp-Bulb Sockets without Lenses | Surplus Sales of Nebraska

Bayonet lamp sockets and miniature lamp holders,OEM, vintage and new surplus in stock and ready to ship from Surplus Sales of Nebraska. Wide selection of miniature bulbs and socket available!

www.surplussales.com

 

[chuckroast]

Thanks for the recommendation! I checked it out and it takes the PH140 bulb. Close, but I don’t think it will work properly.

Something is amiss. The socket you display is for a BA-15d push type base bulb, but the PH140 is an enlarging bulb with a normal E26 incandescent base thread found in common bulbs. That bulb will not fit in that socket.

I had one of those enlargers and I am pretty sure they took the PH140. So unless someone modified it, that socket you display makes no sense.

Of course, someone may indeed have modified it to take, say, halogen bulbs in BA-15d mounts since they're pretty bright output. there are also retrofit LED bulbs that will fit in that socket to give you the equivalent of a PH140 amount of light but run much cooler. Because of the look of the socket, my bet is on halogen.

 

[MattKing]

It may be that this is an early, 23C II enlarger - not the XL model.
It appears from the manual on the jollinger site that that early model did use a PH111A bulb.
See the parts list: http://www.jollinger.com/photo/cam-coll/manuals/enlargers/beseler/Beseler_23C(newer).pdf

Also, on page 5 of the Manual:
Lamp House (2)
The Beseler 23C lamphouse may be opened for
lamp replacement by loosening the screw at the
top, and lifting the lamphouse cap up from its base. To remove, push in on the bulb and turn
counter-clockwise. Always replace the standard lamp supplied with the enlarger with a PH111A
lamp (75 watts), Beseler Catalog #8104.

 

[Ian C]

The Beseler 23C and the early version of the 23CII uses the bayonet base PH-111. The original PH-111 was rated as having an average life of 15 hours. The newer PH-111A is rated for a 25-hour service life.

Later versions of the 23CII and the 23CIII use the 26 mm diameter E26 screw-in lamp. E26 is the standard screw-in base used on the majority of household lamps in the US and Canada.

The PH-111, PH-111A and PH-140 are 120-volt 75-watt opal photo lamps.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...osram_11624p_ph111a_75w_125v_lamp_6_pack.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._osram_11625p_ph140_75w_120v_lamp_6_pack.html

Both lamp holders, the units that mounts on the top of the lamp house, look identical from the outside. They can be used interchangeably with the 23C, 23CII, and 23CIII enlargers equipped with condenser heads. I find that the PH-140 is easier to change lamps.

 

[SilverHorn]

Something is amiss. The socket you display is for a BA-15d push type base bulb, but the PH140 is an enlarging bulb with a normal E26 incandescent base thread found in common bulbs. That bulb will not fit in that socket.

I had one of those enlargers and I am pretty sure they took the PH140. So unless someone modified it, that socket you display makes no sense.

Of course, someone may indeed have modified it to take, say, halogen bulbs in BA-15d mounts since they're pretty bright output. there are also retrofit LED bulbs that will fit in that socket to give you the equivalent of a PH140 amount of light but run much cooler. Because of the look of the socket, my bet is on halogen.

I dug the bulb back out and you’re totally right. It’s not a PH140 bulb. It had a Sylvania 111a bulb in it. The bayonet style socket is correct.

I’ll look closer into the BA-15d mounts. Thanks for the help!

 

[SilverHorn]

It may be that this is an early, 23C II enlarger - not the XL model.
It appears from the manual on the jollinger site that that early model did use a PH111A bulb.
See the parts list: http://www.jollinger.com/photo/cam-coll/manuals/enlargers/beseler/Beseler_23C(newer).pdf

Also, on page 5 of the Manual:
Lamp House (2)
The Beseler 23C lamphouse may be opened for
lamp replacement by loosening the screw at the
top, and lifting the lamphouse cap up from its base. To remove, push in on the bulb and turn
counter-clockwise. Always replace the standard lamp supplied with the enlarger with a PH111A
lamp (75 watts), Beseler Catalog #8104.

You’re right about it having a PH111a bulb! Similar sockets I see online are for automotive headlights. Do you think something like that could be used here? The main difference I’m seeing is that they aren’t ceramic like the one I’m replacing.

 

[chuckroast]

I dug the bulb back out and you’re totally right. It’s not a PH140 bulb. It had a Sylvania 111a bulb in it. The bayonet style socket is correct.

I’ll look closer into the BA-15d mounts. Thanks for the help!

And based what @MattKing and @Ian C have noted above, that is consistent with one of the early models of this enlarger.

Finding a generic BA-15 socket is easy on places like Amazon, but finding one in ceramic which high heat wiring may be tricky.

I had one and it's a terrific machine. The only reason I needed anything else was because I wanted to print 4x5. Enjoy it.