Bought first enlarger!

BetterSense

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Yay! I bought a Bessel pro 35 (I think) on craigslist for $30. I seriously have no space to set up a darkroom or even store this thing right now, but I couldn't pass it up. I don't even know how to use it. It comes with a big nearly hemispherical lens and a little plate thing, but I don't see any negative holder. Later maybe I will fiddle around with it. If I could get a darkroom set up, I might could cut out a nearly $200 scanner purchase.
 

Anscojohn

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Can you post a picture of it for us? No space for a darkroom, you say. Do you have access to a bathroom.......?
 
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BetterSense

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A very small bathroom. I don't have a proper digital camera but I actually just got a sd card for my phone so I'll try to get some pics later.
 
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BetterSense

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Here's some pictures. The one plate says 'filter holder' on it. Both it and the other one with the lens can slide in the top. The bulb turns on but there is a severe light leak around the bottom of the chamber thing as you can see. Right now I don't see where you are supposed to put the negative; would the negative go inside of the top?

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n78/daravon/lensage.jpg
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n78/daravon/lightleak.jpg
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n78/daravon/shootinmatch.jpg
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n78/daravon/whatsthis.jpg
 
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BetterSense

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I think there is no negative carrier.

Where does the negative carrier go, in the top or on the thing below the lens?

Possibly I could make one. It seems they are very expensive to buy.
 

mwdake

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It looks like you are missing the negative carrier, that is where the light leak is coming from.
The negative goes in the carrie; emulsion side down.
If you lift the lever on the left the head will move up allowing you to insert the carrier in the gap between the head and the bellows.
You should be able to find negative carriers easily enough on the bay or used photo dealers.

The
'what is this'
Click to expand...
below the lens is a holder for below the lens filters.

You may want to track down a user manual, maybe some APUG member has a copy they will share?

Good luck.
 

MattKing

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I think that this is a Beseler Printmaker 35 enlarger.

The big nearly hemispherical lens is a condensor lens. If it is a Printmaker 35, you just need one, and it rests inside the lamp housing, on the bottom.

The little plate thingy is a filter holder, for using filters in the lamphouse.

As mentioned above, the other item is a below the lens filter holder.

The Printmaker 35 is still sold new by Beseler - here is a link to their website:

http://www.beselerphoto.com/

You can even get an expansion kit later to permit use of 6x7 negatives.

The negative holders and lens holders are the same for this enlarger, and the 67 series enlargers. They are available new and are not too hard to find on eBay.

If it is in good shape, it is an excellent fit for your needs.

Matt

P.S. You can get a manual through KHB:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Beseler-Printmaker-35-Enlarger-Instruction-Manual_W0QQitemZ180237988055QQihZ008QQcategoryZ29985QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262
 
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BetterSense

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Thanks everybody I understand a bit better now. I wonder if I could make a negative carrier, since they are like $90 new and that's far too expensive.

One thing I've noticed is it only seems to project a smallish spot, smaller than 8x10 paper, even all the way at the top of the bar. I thought maybe I was doing it wrong. On the website, I read that

Q. In what slot does the condenser lens go into my Printmaker 35?
A. The condenser lens does NOT go into any of the slots; it is placed on the floor of the lamp house.
Click to expand...

But I can't seem to fit it on the floor of the lamp housing. It's too wide.
 
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MattKing

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Is there anything else in the lamp housing?

Does the filter holder fit into the housing?

What enlarging lens is included (that is the lens on the bottom of the housing, as shown in the "whatsthis" jpg).

Matt
 
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BetterSense

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I did get the condenser lens to fit in the bottom of the lamp housing and now it projects a spot about 30cm with the lamp at the top of the post and the focus bellows halfway extended. Now that I know where to put everything I can get an image by sticking a negative under the condenser lens where the negative holder should be. Very cool! I looked at the lens that's in it and it says "Beslar Japan 50mm f3.5", and it goes from 3.5 to 16

This is super cool and i wish I had some photo paper. The enlarger doesn't seem to have a convenient on/off switch. Doesn't light go everywhere all over your darkroom when you open it up to change negatives?
 

fschifano

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Well, yes it would. I do hope you aren't planning to leave an open pack of paper lying around. There isn't an enlarger made that doesn't leak some light, and exposure, however slight, is cumulative. Even safe lights aren't completely safe.

As for the On/Off switch, that can be controlled by a timer like the "Time-O=Lite" or any number of brands. Time-O-Lites are pretty good, pelntiful, and cheap. I've seen them for as little as $10 US on ebay.
 

Anscojohn

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BetterSense,
You are getting on your way. Good for you. Yes, you can probably make a negative carrier; although a used one from eBay might be easier for you. If what another said it takes the same carrier as the 67 series, I can trace one for you to have a set of dimensions. Let me know. As you have seen, the carrier is needed not only to hold the negative, but also to seal the system against light. And yes, if you open it with the light on, you will run into problems. If there is no line switch on the power cord, you can easily make something. I have made several foot switches using caniballized lamp cords, a rubber door stop, and an on off switch that costs, nowadays, probably less than three bucks.
 

MattKing

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As for the on/off switch, most people plug the enlarger into a timer, which controls the on and the off.

You can try making a negative holder out of matt board, but keep your eyes peeled for a negative holder.

If I had an extra one, we could talk .

While you are watching for negative holders, you may want to keep your eyes open for a higher quality lens. The Beslar is very basic, and good quality used enlarger lenses are fairly easy to find.

You may want to try posting a "Wanted" notice on freecycle or craigslist.

Where are you based? There may be APUGers nearby who can help.

Have fun!

Matt
 
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BetterSense

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Is 'an enlarger lens an enlarger lens'? In other words I don't need one specifically for this enlarger? Stick with 50mm? What's the point of adjustable aperture in an enlarger lens? Just adjusting exposure? Cause DOF wouldn't seem to be a factor.

I live in Richardson TX. I know there is a store off 75 that sells chemistry and paper and stuff. I'll stop by there somewhere this week.
 

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MattKing

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In most cases, enlarger lenses can be used on any enlarger.

The way they attach to the enlarger varies slightly, but most (if not all) of the Beseler enlargers use a very common system - the lens board has a hole and the lens has threads at the back that fit through the hole, and the lens is attached with a threaded retaining ring. The Beslar lens most likely use 39mm threads, which is a very common size.

In other words, it will probably be quite easy to find another lens, that can be used with the same board and ring that is used with the Beslar. Even if the Beslar is an uncommon size, the regular size lensboards and rings are easy to find.

50mm is the standard focal length for an enlarging lens for use with 35mm film. You can use longer focal length lenses, but your image on the baseboard will be smaller, and there is a limit to how long a lens you can both use and focus with.

There are shorter lenses available, but unless they are special wide angle lenses, they won't give you sharp enlargements of your entire negative.

The special wide angle lenses (usually about 40mm in focal length) permit larger enlargements on the baseboard, but conversely are less convenient for smaller prints.

The adjustable aperture is used to adjust exposure. You need that to adjust to different negatives, different papers, and different filter settings. Otherwise, exposure times can be either longer, or shorter than is convenient.

If you have negatives that are hard to keep flat (or paper, for that matter), some extra depth of field can help a bit.

If you are looking for things like lenses, negative carriers, or lens boards, you might want to post in the Texas regional group - there might be someone nearby who can help you or steer you to good sources.

All the best.

Matt
 

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