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Beseler 45M Light bulb replacement

Greg Heath

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Jul 13, 2008
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Location
Racine, Wisc
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I use the Beseler 45M. The bulb still works but I was thinking of replacing the bulb with a CREE brand LED bulb ... Has anyone tried this yet ? Cree does have a 75 watt bulb. What would be better suited ? Soft white 2,700K, or the Daylight Bulb at 5000K ?




Greg
 
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If you do go with an LED, let us know how it performs. I haven't tried one in the enlarger, but over the years, as performance of LED's improved and their prices have come down, we have replaced almost all our household incandescents with LED's. Big help with the electric bills, but I have noticed; a) they are not quite as instant "on" as incandescents, and b) there is a faint after glow once they are shut-off.
 
I'm going to go to Home Depot tonight and get the soft white version. Then I'll try it on a print. Like 2 prints. See how it compares.

I'll post them when I get done.
 
My Beseler 45 came with an exceedingly anemic 15w lamp in it.

I just bought a generic 150w lamp from HomeCheapo. Took some SoftScrub on a scouring pad and rubbed the printing off the end of the lamp.
 
Are you printing with variable contrast filters? If so, the colour will be different, and therefore the contrast will be different.

And if you are printing colour, all bets are off.

This website (Modern Enlarger Lamps) might be interesting to you, although I note with disapointment that he appears to have removed his variable contrast head from his line: http://www.modernenlargerlamps.com/Modern_Enlarger_Lamps/Welcome.html
 



Cree 75W LED bulb. 1100 lumens (13w)

As you can see from the test it did not work. Maybe it's not frosted enough, but the LED's are made to throw light out, just not down. The inner structure of the bulb blocks the top of the bulb which casts a small shadow.

No harm done. At least I have a new garage bulb.

Greg.
 
Greg Heath said:
Cree 75W LED bulb. 1100 lumens (13w)

As you can see from the test it did not work.
Click to expand...


Greg,

I spent many hours trying to find the right combo for the Beseler condenser head. The stock bulb from Adorama was nearly useless in providing even light.

Return that bad boy to Home Depot and get this one from SuperBrightLEDS.com This worked very well for me and shows even grades using a step wedge and Ilford MG filters. Plus, it's 150W equivalent, so you aren't giving up any light. Plus, no heat!

In addition you will need some diffusion material (like etched glass) between the bottom condenser and the negative. This is very easy to find at a local glass shop.

You will NOT be able to cover 4x5 with this, but every other format should be fine. One last thing you need to do is make a star shaped piece of 1/2 stop neutral density gel to place on the top condenser to reverse any hot spots.

Let me know if you need more info.
 
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