De vere 203 dismantling

[alex millman]

I just bagged myself a de vere 203 with an ilford 500 head for £350 which i think is a good price considering it comes in a like new condition with rodenstock lenses. I have to pick it up in my car which is a bit short on rear seat and boot space. Can anybody tell me how to correctly dismantle it and then put it back together again?

 

[Rafal Lukawiecki]

I can't quite help you with a 203, but I have just recently dismantled a 405. If they are at all similar, the key point to observe is that the springs that counterweigh the head are very strong. Keep the focus and head stages locked with their knobs while removing the head. After the head is off, use one hand to prevent the negative stage from shooting up as you loosen the knob and move it to the top. A factory-packed 405 would have had a small wooden wedge placed in the column opening between the negative stage and the top of the column to prevent it from sliding off in case the knob were to be unlocked without the head on. This is all assuming similarity with a 405... If no one gives you directions for the 203 I'd be happy to share more detail about the disassembly and assembly of a 405 in blind hope it might help, as I've done it on mine a few times.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Do you have a friend with a pick up truck or van?

It might be worth renting a small truck of van for a few hours to move the enlarger.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I just bagged myself a de vere 203 with an ilford 500 head for £350 which i think is a good price considering it comes in a like new condition with rodenstock lenses. I have to pick it up in my car which is a bit short on rear seat and boot space. Can anybody tell me how to correctly dismantle it and then put it back together again?

The De Vere 203 isn't that big really; it would fit in a hatchback with the seats folded down. I would be cautious of dissembling / de-coupling the gearing chain mechanism. Remember to lock the head down before moving.

Tom

 

[MartinP]

I have indeed moved my 203 in a small hatchback with the passenger seat down to fit the column in. Just remove all the possible fragile parts before shifting it - and perhaps have two people to wangle it in the car.

The head, baseboard, power-supply, lens, any other ancillaries (and condensers if anyone has a Varicon head instead of the Multigrade) should all be taken off, but the lens-stage and the head-stage should be left on the column as they are light and there is no benefit to removing them for transport. There are locking knobs that can help keep everything stationary during transport.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Do you have a friend with a pick up truck or van?

It might be worth renting a small truck of van for a few hours to move the enlarger.

Hire an Austin taxi and put the enlarger to the left side [part] of the driver. Thusly enlarger port, driver starboard. [I think the British Ilse's spellings are "pourt" and "staurboaurd" ]