Beseler 32C 11 help needed..

[fiddle]

Hello all, I am ready to start printing, have my eye on a Beseler 23C 2 thats up for sale semi-local to me.. From looking at this picture, does
it look okay.? It looks like its missing a set of bellows.? Is this possible.? Should have bellows above the neg carrier, and one under the carrier, am i correct.?
Thank you for any help...
Fidel

 

[sdotkling]

Nope, only one set of bellows. It looks complete to me. And, for what its worth, I think these things are bulletproof, unless you see some visible physical damage to it (like it was dropped and the upright part is bent, for instance), you can hardly go wrong. Lower the bellows and remove the condenser unit, with lenses, make sure nothing is cracked or weird looking in there. Turn the crank to see if the head moves without effort or strange noises.It those are okay, you're good to go.

 

[fiddle]

Thank you,
Heading to your neck of the woods from NJ this weekend to look at it (Maybe not, I'm generalizing, NY).
Hopefully I can assess ok, and come home with my first enlarger....
Thanks again for the info..

 

[Ektagraphic]

If you turn either of the two knobs that are used for focusing (they are close to where the lens goes), you will see the emergence of another set of bellows, unless they were removed.

 

[John Koehrer]

Two sets. One to adjust the lamp for different formats, the other for focus

 

[mgb74]

You should be able to find a manual online. If not, PM me with your email address. Also, suggest to make sure it has the negative carriers you need.

 

[fiddle]

Thank you all for the help.
I downloaded the manual already.
It comes with a 35mm carrier, good enough for now, will be looking for a 6x7 as soon as I give it a look through and pick it up, also comes with 3 lens boards, a 50 and a 75 lens, and a focuser.
Thanks again

 

[mklw1954]

Obviously, raise the negative stage and insert a negative holder to check that the plastic cams on each side raise the stage. I've seen these broken on a couple of 23CIIs. Also make sure the elevation lock is off before moving the head up and down.

This thing is heavy to carry fully assembled. You can remove the head from the frame/baseboard by slipping out the solid bar in the back that the head pivots on for doing wall projections. You'd have to remove a couple of thin retaining clips that hold the bar in place. I never bothered to replace the clips afterwards. Just make sure the elevation lock is on before removing the head.

 

[fotch]

bring a negative & white sheet with you & try it out there.