Durst M 605 Enlarger Baseboard Size?

[Mick Fagan]

For a little while I have had this Durst M 605 enlarger with a colour head and pretty much everything needed to enlarge with, except it doesn't have a baseboard.

I did advertise it for free, Melbourne area, but so far no takers. I'm presuming the reason there are no takers is because there is no baseboard. So I've decided to make a baseboard and attach the enlarger column to the baseboard for a complete ready to go enlarger.

But I haven't been able to find the baseboard size, which by itself isn't an issue as I could make the baseboard any size; but I figure that Durst had a pretty good handle on what worked best, hence my request for an original baseboard size.

Once I have made up a baseboard, I'll advertise the enlarger once again. If anyone in Australia, or Victoria, or the greater Melbourne area, is looking for a free enlarger, it's here.

 

[gone]

I don't know which size you would need, but I'm 99.9% sure that is doesn't matter. Just ck the pics of your m 605 enlarger on fleabay pics or wherever, and make one that is approximately similar. Bigger is better, smaller would not be so good.

 

[grahamp]

19 inches wide, 21 1/2 inches deep. Allowing for the column, the effective depth is 19 inches. Sorry for the Imperial measurements - the only measure to hand was a really old carpenter's rule.

Do you have the mounting bolts? The base has a plate with two bolt holes and the bolts screw into the base of the column.

 

[Mick Fagan]

19 inches wide, 21 1/2 inches deep. Allowing for the column, the effective depth is 19 inches. Sorry for the Imperial measurements - the only measure to hand was a really old carpenter's rule.

Do you have the mounting bolts? The base has a plate with two bolt holes and the bolts screw into the base of the column.

Brilliant, thanks.

Multiplying the inches by 25.4 gives me 546mm deep by 482mm wide. I'll probably go for 550mm deep x 480mm wide.

I have the two bolts and a thin mild steel plate. Does the plate go on the underside to stop the bolts pulling into the baseboard, or underneath the column?

 

[grahamp]

Yes, underneath the base board. If you did not have the plate you would probably need a facsimile or a couple of really large washers. The original baseboard has rounded corners and is laminated on all sides. Mine dates back to the early 1980's, so the inside is probably block board or chip board rather than MDF. A rubber foot at the corners provides the stand-off to clear the bolt heads.

You can work out the thickness based on the standoff when the bolts are inserted. A kitchen countertop off-cut might work, though it may be too thick for the standard bolts.

I just pulled my 605 out of storage this week to set up a temporary darkroom!

 

[pentaxuser]

Brilliant, thanks.

Multiplying the inches by 25.4 gives me 546mm deep by 482mm wide. I'll probably go for 550mm deep x 480mm wide.

Mine is 497 x 550 and 30mm thick

pentaxuser

 

[Mick Fagan]

Thanks again Graham and Pentax user, that is the thickness I guessed at. Going on the threaded section of the bolts, I figured I was probably looking around 30mm in thickness as being required.

I don't have that thickness handy, so a pushbike ride around the neighbourhood will hopefully turn up an old office type of desk. Most of them are around 30mm thick, as are old kitchen benchtops. If I cannot find anything I may have to glue something together.

I love this forum, unbelievable photographic information from around the world at your fingertips.

 

[ic-racer]

Many Durst enlargers will have the baseboard sized to just contain a print with the head all the way at the top with a 'normal' enlarging lens.

 

[grahamp]

Durst baseboards do seem to be a little small for convenience. They seem to be sized around the largest square that fits in the box with the column on the diagonal

 

[Mick Fagan]

Thanks fellas, I did think that the baseboard size was on the slightly small size. I will see what I can find in the streets, if I can get a slightly larger size piece of material I may do something like 550mm x 650mm, which should allow someone newish to enlarging to move an 8x10" easel around on the baseboard without it hovering over an edge; if you know what I mean.