MingMingPhoto
Allowing Ads
hi everyone,
I have this beseler enlarger that was given to me and I'm seeing now that it is not level.
It seems like it's super unlevel actually. How would I go about leveling this enlarger? it seems to be coming from the tracks, not the more common re leveling points
Would you mind explaining your method in clear detail? I have 0 expertise. And if you wouldn’t mind actually direct linking the products necessary so I get the right ones please
There are gadgets that are advertised to make enlarger alignment simple, but they are unnecessary and sometimes not as good as just aligning the baseboard, film carrier, and lens mount until the four corners of the image on the baseboard re perfectly sharp with the enlarger lens wide open. Some enlargers have adjustments to make this easy. Others may require shimming of the baseboard, lens mount, and film holder.
the negative stage of the enlarger is typical about 4"......by putting a long rigid object....(18-20") piece of glass in the place the negative holder goes......& measuring the distance from each end to the baseboard.....you see if the negative stage is level,
I worried over this too before realizing that it doesn't need to be level. It just needs to be level relative to your print easel. The enlarger could look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and as long as your print surface leans the same way, no worries.
But it simplifies things a little if you start w/ a level surface. I just use a straight edge metal rule, and 4 small bubble levels (you could get by w/ just one or two, but you have to move them around more often).
I take the ruler, press it flush to the metal surrounding the front of the enlarging lens, and lay one bubble level on top of the straight edge. Then I make sure the print easel is the same as that. You can use anything to shim it. Next, I take the straight edge and press it on the same place of the lens, but at a 90 degree angle from the first time. Then I shim the print easel to match that. Everything should be OK then, but I double ck things w/ the 4 levels at each corner just to be sure.
There is a sizable amount of DOF once you stop the lens down to working aperture that will cover most any errors.
Alignment between the film carrier and the lens stage is more critical than beweeen either of these and the baseboard (or easel). How much more critical? in proportion to the respective distances.
That is not quite what I wrote. At a given enlarger setting, say the lens board is 60mm from the film holder, and 300mm (5x more) from the easel (just round numbers, and I know, in the real world, it is not a thin lens); then a misalignment of 0.2° film/lens has about the same effect on edge sharpness as a 5x larger (1°) misalignment easel/lens.So the further the lens is the form the easle the more critial right?
The simplest tool is to take a piece of over-exposed and developed film (i.e. as black as it can be) and scratch a grid of fine lines right across it on the emulsion side using a pin or the tip of a knife. Put this in the negative carrier (emulsion down) with the lens at full aperture, and try to focus all the lines at the same time. The lines will be much easier to see and to focus crisply than the details of a normal negative. This should give you a clue as to which direction things need to be straightened. I had to insert shims of cardboard (from a breakfast cereal packet) under one edge of my negative carrier, and after a long trial period I finally glued them (two thicknesses) in place, where they have been for about 20 years. Note that - depending on your lens - the outer field may not focus crisply at full aperture, and you may not be able to see whether this improves when the lens is stopped down. So ultimately you will need to do a test print of your scratched grid with the lens stopped down.thanks. I ended up jsut taking a hard look and figured it out.
But would you mind eltting me know - are there any very useful tools? like for example a grain focuser that like vry big durface so yo ucan see if the enarger is level without moving the grain focuser? or are there some techniques you can put me on to?
The simplest tool is to take a piece of over-exposed and developed film (i.e. as black as it can be) and scratch a grid of fine lines right across it on the emulsion side using a pin or the tip of a knife. Put this in the negative carrier (emulsion down) with the lens at full aperture, and try to focus all the lines at the same time. The lines will be much easier to see and to focus crisply than the details of a normal negative. This should give you a clue as to which direction things need to be straightened. I had to insert shims of cardboard (from a breakfast cereal packet) under one edge of my negative carrier, and after a long trial period I finally glued them (two thicknesses) in place, where they have been for about 20 years. Note that - depending on your lens - the outer field may not focus crisply at full aperture, and you may not be able to see whether this improves when the lens is stopped down. So ultimately you will need to do a test print of your scratched grid with the lens stopped down.
If you want more technical tool, Ralph Lambrecht describes how to make a laser alignment tool (similar to the commercial one in Greg's post #7) in his book Way Beyond Monochrome. I tried to do this, but failed - you really need precision metal-working machinery to align the laser in the first place! I think I managed fine without it anyway.
I don't know Beseler enlargers, but I have the impression that they are quite well engineered. My experience with a lesser enlarger was that even when the thing was aligned at a moderate height, it was out of alignment again if the head was raised to the top of the column, because the column drooped under the weight. In the end I dispensed with the enlarger baseboard, bolted my enlarger foot directly to the bench, and fastened the top of the column to the wall via a threaded rod, allowing adjustment until everything was aligned and rigid. That solved my problem, but with luck you won't need to do this!
Very skeptical.Here's a DIY laser alignment tool that looks interesting. I've never built it so can't comment on how well it works, but it could be a fun project.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?