Devere 504, what to know/look for?

TheTrailTog

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I'm going tomorrow to pick up a Devere 504 and am curious if there are any known issues I should check for or parts that may often be missing. It's being given to me, but is in unknown condition other than what you can see in the pic and am uncertain what is included as it's currently in storage. Anything to keep in mind when removing the baseboard for transport? I read through a number of threads here and elsewhere, but apparently there were several iterations of these so thought I would ask the experts beforehand. Thanks in advance

 

Lachlan Young

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Before you remove the dichroic head, make sure that you lock down the head elevation & focus controls - otherwise you'll find out just how powerful the counterweight inside is as the focus stage etc slam to the top of the column. Once it's locked off, dismantling it from the baseboard is fairly easy - it's a modular design that can be rigged for wall, bench or floorstanding versions & should be fairly obvious what bolts to what. Main things to check are that you get the correct neg carrier for the chassis generation & some lens boards & inserts for the carrier - yes they're still available from Odyssey Devere over here, but they're not cheap. The rest is pretty straightforward, just make sure that nothing is rattling around inside the head & that you get the 5x5 mixing box as well. Getting the 6x7 would be handy too. Also, check to make sure there's not too much wear/ backlash in the elevation & focus controls - it is potentially fixable with some work & parts, but it can make nailing focus a bit of a pain. Mainly an issue with ex-education machines that have been absolutely hammered over their careers.
 
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TheTrailTog

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Awesome! Thank you Lachlan. My plan was to leave the head on the column and just pull the baseboard for easier transport. I will make sure to look through the parts, though can't really complain as she's giving them to me for free. She also has a Chromega D2 that I can have. That one looked like it had seen a fair bit of use, but I know at least that one has parts readily available stateside for cheap. I'll probably end up grabbing both, since I'm not certain how much I'll be able to test them there.
 

David Allen

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"Before you remove the dichroic head, make sure that you lock down the head elevation & focus controls - otherwise you'll find out just how powerful the counterweight inside is as the focus stage etc slam to the top of the column".

Very good advice as it can be lethal!

Make sure you check that the different negative masks are there as they may well be stored in an nondescript box.

Bests,

David.
www.dsallen.de
 

ITD

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Xia_Ke said:
My plan was to leave the head on the column and just pull the baseboard for easier transport..
Click to expand...
In case it’s not absolutely clear, lock off the head even if you aren’t removing it. I didn’t know this before moving my 507 once and got a very nasty bite.
 
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TheTrailTog

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Thanks ITD and David. Good news was I had just enough room in my car to fit the whole thing without disassembling. Still need to test it to make sure head is fully working. Came with the flat 39mm Leica mount board and 4x5 light collecting box. Unfortunately, no neg carrier.
 

Luis-F-S

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May not be lethal, but will certainly get your attention!!! You can usually find carriers, masks, boards, etc through the auction site. How I got an extra carrier and other parts for my 5108. Check the UK site also as they are more plentiful on that side of the pond.

It's a great enlarger, enjoy and post photos of it once set up.
 
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Neil Grant

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...looks like a twin-lamp with capping shutter? Should come with a power supply - large metal box with a pair of rockers switches on it. Pretty heavy but you should be able to carry a column with runners still in place but with the head and base board removed (table top version)
 
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TheTrailTog

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I'm having a hard time trying to figure out exactly what parts I need. The head is the 250w, single lamp MkIV Dichromat head. The chassis has the negative masking built in. As I understand it, I need a master negative carrier and insert, but I'm uncertain if this is a Mk I, II, or III chassis, which I guess will determine the carrier I need? Then, on the column there are some cables and plugs that fit into nothing I have. I'm guessing this is for autofocusing, but I don't have the controls for it. The head seems to move and focus fine manually though. I have a pedal that came with it, but can't find where it should plug in. Finally, there is a yellow cable off of the back of the power supply with a weird connector plug I have never seen before. I'm guessing this is where the timer would attach? Any help would be appreciated. I've included pics to help illustrate what I'm referring to.












 

Mick Fagan

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If you follow one (or both) of those computer cables, I think they will lead to the interior of the bellows, probably on the area around where the lens locks into place. There you may find remnants of a colour sensing system that hooked up to a video (CRT) system for colour balancing. You don't need them for a multitude of reasons, one of which is that the system is now so far antiquated the parts are probably in a museum.

I would suggest that your enlarger was built around the early to mid eighties, looks like a desktop unit.

You may like to clean up the cabling to the enlarger lamp, in fact maybe replacement of the ceramic (like) plug that goes over the double pins on the enlarger lamp. This is a cheap replacement from many electrical places and will lead to better and more consistent lighting from your lamp.

As for you only having the 4x5" mixer, don't despair. I haven't changed my 4x5" mixer for the smaller one in about 15 years and I switch from 4x5" to 135 film all the time. The smaller mixing box is handy if you are doing extreme enlargements; if your unit is a desktop model, then you won't be doing extreme enlargements.

Make sure the fan in the head, left side is working, these heads generate a lot of heat.

Mick.
 
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TheTrailTog

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Thanks Mick I'm not worried about only having the 4x5 mixing box. I have a Durst that I will be using for 35mm and 6x6. As for the rewiring thing, electronics are definitely not my strong suit! My dad on the other hand is retired, loves tinkering, and I'm sure would appreciate a good project...lol
 

Luis-F-S

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Might be time to give KHB Photografix in Canada a call. They stock many parts and can help you with the setup. The foot pedal would probably fit into a DeVere Timer which you don't appear to have. KHB sells a timer cord which will allow any timer to be connected to the SMPC power supply. The computer cables I'm sure went either to autofocus, or the like. You don't need them, that enlarger will work great on manual. You also have the single bulb head without the shutter (one less thing to break). If the enlarger has the built in masks, then you only need a simple fold over carrier, two pieces of glass will do in a bind. KHB should have the Master Negative Carrier used if you don't want to wait for one to show up at auction. Buy the glass from them or on the 'Bay from Focal Point.

But I would contact KHB before buying or tinkering with anything! Phone (905) 734-4713 You can also buy extra NOS bulbs cheaply at the auction site. Good luck!
 
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TheTrailTog

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Thanks Luis. They were already on the radar I've been browsing through their parts listing, but was having trouble figuring it all out given the number of variations. You're right, I should just call.
 

David Allen

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Some of the cables will relate to the various options that were available for the 504 such as voltage stabiliser, colour analyser module, assisted focus, timer, switching off safelight for focussing and when you wanted to print in colour, etc.

The very best people to talk to about De Vere enlargers is Odyssey Sales in the UK:

http://odyssey-sales.co.uk

You can also buy the manual from Odyssey or from this place in Canada:

http://store.khbphotografix.com/De-Vere-DeVere-504-4x5-Enlarger-Instruction-Manual.html

David.
www.dsallen.de
 
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