Durst L1200 counterweight spring change - help needed

Dear all,

I have the following task at hand and need help: I need to remove the counterweight spring from a Durst L1200 column and need mount it on another L1200. Does anybody ever did that without getting hurt? The swap would include the aluminium case where the spring is mounted in and the top bracket.

Does anybody has the L1200 service instruction where this procedure is described?

I found a description from the service instruction but without images. There the aluminium box is secured with a hook to the base of the column, then the 4 screws holding the aluminium box are removed. The question is what happens when the hook is removed? I assume the spring is pre-wound and does not relax when the aluminium box is loose and will try to flip over?


Best,
Stefan

I've no idea if this helps, but the Pictochrom may be mechanically similar? Look around page 58.

No, it does not, unfortunately. The Pictochrom has a 2-spring system, quite different from the 1200. It is a useful manual, but not in this case. Believe, I spend hours searching the net without success.

I figured as much. But at least Durst thinks it is a "touchable" component in at least one of their products, and it needs a special tool as part of the process.

Maybe member andrel23 could help? In thread
he says, in passing, "After removing the counter balanced spring...". And he posted a couple of times after then, so he survived.

Bushcat said:

he says, in passing, "After removing the counter balanced spring...". And he posted a couple of times after then, so he survived.

Click to expand...

As a public service announcement, the moderation team at Photrio would like to point out that "he survived" is a very low threshold!
I'd wait to hear from some other members - give it some time for people around the globe to see the enquiry!

Int he days before dirt was invented, I changed a CW spring on an enlarger It's sort of dangerous but
with care, no problem.

I used vice grips below the spring box to keep the spring from retracting C clamps could work too but I KNOW visegrips can be much more solid. There is a danger of kinking the spring nd it would be safer with a couple of extra hands or the ability to clamp the spring to the column in some way.

I did notice that once a blood sacrifice was made at midnight the device was far more compliant.

this is in no way a how to but something I was able to do over forty years ago

I have some spare parts you can pick up for free: a-left-over-of-a-huge-durst-laborator-1200-184-for-parts.204036

Thanks, I have all the parts I need, but no instruction to do it properly. There sure must be a copy of the L1200 service instruction somewhere on this planet?

If you come and get the parts then you get the original construction blueprints too...