Beseler 67C help?

Hey guys & gals... anyone disassembled a 67C? I want to remove the negative holder-shelf-plate-thing. ("Negative stage and rivet assembly" per the manual).

It looks like the 4 aligning screws and the bellows clips would allow that piece to lift out... but the owner's manual shows it as part of a much larger assembly.

I don't want to damage the bellows - anyone have tips for removing the clips? Anyone ever repaired or worked on a 67C?

Basically, I want to play with making a carrier that's pin registered to the neg stage. (And with all due respect, let me pre-post some expected responses: "Why don't you just buy brand X Model X 4x5 enlarger?" Answer - well, I'd love to, I will someday, but not just yet... and "the 67c isn't stable enough to register anyway" - I have some ideas for that, and I've had some luck in the past with "this will never work" situations.) (See my post on using 8x10 Velvia as a dupe film.) May be true but I won't rest until I prove that to myself!

Thanks for any help!

Could you drill out or grind the heads off the rivets holding the stage in place? Assuming it's riveted, of course.

In the case of expected responses. "It can't be done" didn't bother the Wright brothers, Edison, Ford etc.
The only one that folks couldn't repeat was Tesla & some of his magic.

Not sure John - hoping to find someone who's familiar with it... I can start messing but it's nice to go in with some knowledge! I have it very well aligned and don't want to damage anything. I hate that "take the wrong screw out and a dozen pieces clatter to the floor" scenario...

FWIW, I think my 67C is extremely stable - at least at the negative stage.

MattKing said:

FWIW, I think my 67C is extremely stable - at least at the negative stage.

Click to expand...

There's also some threaded holes at the top of the column, maybe from manufacturing or shipping (and I've seen pics where there's sort of a box-trim piece up there, mine doesn't have this but might have once). Should be easy to connect the top of the column to my ceiling framing to lock it in even tighter - I pulled the baseboard and have the threaded column bolts going through my table.

I have extra heads n stuff if you screw it up?