Durst Laborator 1200

[JackRosa]

I am reading a user's manual for a Durst Laborator 1200 and I read it is manufactured in Italy. I was under the impression that Durst was a german brand.

 

[AgX]

The name Durst is a german name. But still the Dursts were italian and it is a italian Company.

The reason is that as result of WWI german speaking regions make part of the North of Italy. One of the many changes of regional citizenship occured in Europe.

The Durst Company is located in Tyrol, which falls in North-Tyrol which makes part of Austria and South-Tyrol which is part of Italy.

 

[ic-racer]

Yes, the literature is all in German, but as AgX points out Durst is located in Brixen Italy. From Wikipedia :"According to the 2011 census, the majority of the population [of Brixen] speaks German as first language (72.82%)."

 

[AgX]

Well, the literature is in German as the manual was intended for German speaking users...

Not because Durst may be a German speaking company. In the towns of South-Tyrol the share of Italian speakers is larger anyway.

 

[JackRosa]

Fellows: the Manual I am reading states the equipment is manufactured by Durst Phototechnik GmbH, Bressanone, Italy. The name of the company (incl. the GmbH) sound German to me but I was surprised to see the Italian location. I would think the Germans would want to make their precision equipment in Germany (????)

 

[AgX]

As I said these people are Italian or Tyrolian at least. They are not german, but German-speaking.

German is also spoken in Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Romania, Kasachstan to name some countries.

GmbH is indeed a legal term used in Germany, but also in Austria and Switzerland.

And in Italy. In South-Tyrol were German is one official language.


By the way, "Laborator" is not a german term...

 

[AgX]

The issue of citizenship, nationality, language, culture and them being intermingled nevertheless is still an issue in Europe.

 

[ic-racer]

Well, the literature is in German as the manual was intended for German speaking users...

Not because Durst may be a German speaking company. In the towns of South-Tyrol the share of Italian speakers is larger anyway.

Yes, the user's manuals may be in different languages, based on the intended market, however, my research indicates that the schematics and service manuals [for enlargers and analog photography equipment] were published only in German language.

the Manual I am reading states the equipment is manufactured by Durst Phototechnik GmbH, Bressanone, Italy

I mention Brixen because the founders Julius and Gilbert Durst are from Brixen and the "Old Durst" building [from the pre-digital age] exists there. Modern Durst is not only digital but multinational.

 

[AgX]

Well, I only got one German servcice manual, the others are in English. And for a company aiming at an international market more or less from the beginning that would not make sense anyway.

But it is an interesting issue anyway. For instance that Durst use their German legal designation (meanwhile a AG and no longer a GmbH) never came to my mind. When I read corporation designations at broshures of foreign companies written in German their legal designation often is written in German as they got a german subsidiary of that name. Durst have one too. So I always mixed them up.

Thank you Jack, for hinting at this.
Interesting too, that in your sample Durst use Bressanone, instead of Brixen. Kind of inconsequential.
Or the legal Terms were already bilingual, but not the names of municipalities...

 

[AgX]

By the way, are there more fellows here that thought Durst was a german manufacturer?

I always thought that both, Durst and Manfrotto outside of Italy were THE known italian manufacturers, neglecting the other italian ones of the past.

 

[MattKing]

Whatever their national origin, Durst enlargers are fine pieces of equipment.

I always knew that Durst was Italian - like Ferrari!

 

[fotch]

Always Italian, seemed liked everyone already knew this, at least in my travels.

 

[ROL]

Whatever their national origin, Durst enlargers are fine pieces of equipment.

I always knew that Durst was Italian - like Ferrari!

…or Fiat.

 

[MattKing]

…or Fiat.

You mean Alfa Romeo and Chrysler?

 

[DannL.]

…or Fiat.

. . . and Tic Tac, Martini & Rossi, & Ducati

 

[AgX]

Well..., Ducati built cameras.

In the pre-war years. They only switched to motorcycles after the war. That is unique in the industry.

 

[ic-racer]

Well, I only got one German servcice manual, the others are in English.

Do you have those english service manuals in PDF format to share?

 

[AgX]

I downloaded them from the net. I do not have links anymore. They are few anyway.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Durst still offers them for sale.

 

[ROL]

You mean Alfa Romeo and Chrysler?

More like the Fiat of my youth. Silveror0 has it.

 

[JackRosa]

Laborator 1200 CLS 501 ~ RED LEVER

Does anyone know what this red lever does? Pics attached. Thanks in advance.

 

[ROL]

That's a seriously nice looking unit. The red lever deposes the latest Italian president, also referred to as the Bunga Bunga Plunga.

 

[AgX]

That red lever is part of the mechanism to let the head swivel around the horizontal axis.

 

[JackRosa]

Red Lever (Laborator 1200/CLS 501)

Thanks AgX. If I am not swiveling the head (about x axis), do I set this red lever to "0" or to "-" ???

 

[JackRosa]

Converting Femoneg to Pin-Registration Neg Carrier

Has anyone converted a Femoneg to a pin-registration neg carrier? I like to work with unsharp masks, Mylar D/B masks, etc., and use an Inglis punch system. I am not talking about precise registration of the neg carrier to the enlarger head (as I don't think I would want to go through all that trouble since I already have such system with my Omega F / Fotar ensemble), ... I am talking about registering the negative, unsharp mask, dodge/burn mask to the Femoneg carrier.