Durst Laborator 1200 focusing arm joint

Hi,

Since several years I own a Durst Laborator 1200 enlarger. It is the best enlarger I ever owned, but recently the joint between the focusing arm and the head was broken. It took me a while to find the name of this part though. Maybe it has been on APUG before, but to avoid others looking for it as long as I did: The part is called a double-loop coupling and can be easily obtained from several suppliers worldwide.

best,

Willem

Here's a previous discussion on the topic, with a US supplier of a part that works even though the specs are ever so slightly different:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Duncan

One of the cheapest sources I've come across: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/k-couplings/3889238/
For racks, gears, and other "stuff": Dead Link Removed (not the cheapest).

I've just ordered a replacement part from RS Online, and the link has changed. It's now https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/couplings/8090727/ - reflecting the RS Online part number, which is 809-0727. The manufacturer is Huco, and their part number is 047.10.2222. (An alternative manufacturer is Wachendorff, and their part number is DSK290606.)

Well, it's interesting to know that these parts are available as spares.

When my join broke I thought these parts were specifically made by or for Durst and I couldn't even figure that they could be found on the mighty RS catalogue, so I replaced it with a miniature cardan shaft bought in a shop that specialises on model internal combustion cars. It fits perfectly with no need to modify anything, and personally I like this part much more than the original with its cheap yeallowished gummy part. I also believe that, unlike the gummy join that broke at a point in time, this cardan shaft being engineered to revolve millions of times will outlast me by many many decades...

willem said:

the focusing arm and the head was broken.

Click to expand...

Fortunately the 138 has many spares at ebay, I would consider to purchase an assembly so you would have original spares for all the section, including bellows.



hmmm... the 138 is a solid piece of gear, battle tested. I feel it sports design concepts a bit in the Sinar Norma camera way, precise but practical, sturdy but refined enough, something designed by someone knowing what the hell he was sketching.

One of the two I use has served during many decades in the Geneva University of Art and Design and saw dayly usage in the students hands, considering its condition, it would had served for several centuries in a row, this is an impressive machine.

Let me recommend this particular lubricant: https://interflon.com/us/products/interflon-fin-super-aerosol. Mine is operated with the force of a single finger, refined like a Rolls Royce car. Well, I figure that as I still I have to ride one of those