Elwood 5x7 SP-2 mask blades: How to clean and lube

Does anyone have recommendations on what to use to clean and lube the masking blades in an Elwood 5x7 SP-2. Mine are pretty stiff and grimy. And only 3 out of four of them roll out. I think the fourth need to be disassembled and reattached.

I'm interested because I have an Elwood 5x7 enlarger. But I'm no help because someone took the masking blades off long before I got it. I do have them, though. No idea how to put them back, but I do have them....

I would wipe these down with a clean white cotton cloth and some mineral spirits, then wipe on a tiny bit of silicone lube. These are pretty industrial beasts. Very worthy of a bit of time to clean up.

I don't know if this will help or not.

The cleaning advice of post #3 sounds right. On my 8”x 10” the blades are clean, dry, and work smoothly. There is no evidence of any sort of lubricant.

In the photo of post #1, there appears to be some dried, congealed substance (oil or grease, perhaps?). If so, it would create friction.

The tracks that guide the slides should be carefully cleaned of any residue or grit.

Image stolen from internet warning:



The extra knobs around the negative stage control those masking pieces? I too was going to suggest Mineral spirits or maybe denatured alcohol. As for lubrication, does anyone know what the approved lube for Copal (and others) shutter aperture assemblies is? That may be appropriate right?

You may be referring to Ronsonal or naptha.

mshchem said:

I would wipe these down with a clean white cotton cloth and some mineral spirits, then wipe on a tiny bit of silicone lube. These are pretty industrial beasts. Very worthy of a bit of time to clean up.

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Thanks, I’ll try this and report back.

Rick A said:

I don't know if this will help or not.

https://cameraeccentric.com/static/img/pdfs/elwood_1.pdf

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Very helpful, thanks. Not so much for this particular issue, but it’s a good reference. Elwood seemed to keep switching up the diffussion and heat absorbing glass stack. Mine has four sheets of glass plus the diffusion glass. At some point, a previous owner added little spaces of paper in the corners, which seems smart, to allow some air circulation. Yesterday I disassembled and washed the stack in dish soap. Once dry, I used some of the whiting polish that I use for preparing ambrotype plates to get them nice and clear.

MTGseattle said:

Image stolen from internet warning:

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The extra knobs around the negative stage control those masking pieces? I too was going to suggest Mineral spirits or maybe denatured alcohol. As for lubrication, does anyone know what the approved lube for Copal (and others) shutter aperture assemblies is? That may be
appropriate right?

Click to expand...

You are correct. Those knobs are just above the negative carrier (and below the large filter drawer) and control the mask blades.

Thanks again everyone. It is amazing how well these enlargers have held up over 70 years or so. This one came out of the studio of Jurgen Lorenzen in Summerville WV when he was closing it down in 2012. I got the enlarger, plus a couple of lenses and spare bulbs. He was also unloading an 8x10 Elwood with a Arista head for a mere $195 at the time. I would have hauled it home if I could have! Still kind of kicking myself for not figuring out how to make that work. Looking forward to finally pressing this one back into service. It had been packed up since my last move over 10 years ago.

I like paste wax for things like that, which don’t need much lubrication, + thorough cleaning.
Wax won’t collect dust.

I'm curious how your project is going. I posted some questions about this enlarger on another website earlier today. My dad gifted me his before he passed away. It has say in the basement, unused for at least 50 years now.

Like you've described, one of the masks doesn't seem to be attached to the mechanism. I haven't disassembled it to see if it can be reattached yet. Still trying to figure it all out.