Enlarger Bulb

brofkand · Sep 17, 2008

Hello all,

I have a Unicolor enlarger. I've heard it's the same as a Vivitar E34. Does anyone know where I can find the bulb for this enlarger? It's not burned out yet, but I have no idea how much use the previous owner used the bulb. I have a suspicion that I've used it more in the past two months than he did in the past 10 years, but I can't be sure. It's always nice to have a backup.

Thanks

Gary Holliday · Sep 17, 2008

Assuming it's the same as a Vivitar E34:

http://www.replacementlightbulbs.com/lampph211.html

edit:
http://www.replacementlightbulbs.com/lampscrossreferenceu.html#Unicolor

brofkand · Sep 17, 2008

OK, well I have done some more searching on the internet and apparently the previous owner had the wrong bulb in the enlarger. It has a 100 watt bulb, and the enlarger is supposed to use a 75watt bulb. I have also seen where people use standard, $1 a pack bulbs from Wal-Mart in their enlarger. But, just because the mount is the same doesn't mean you should right? What can I expect if I use a standard bulb in the enlarger?

Thanks for the link, Gary.

bdial · Sep 17, 2008

You can likely expect uneven illumination. And perhaps a ghostly "Westinghouse 100W" in your print from the lettering, depending on the bulb's orientation.
True screw-base enlarger bulbs have a thicker coating than household bulbs that evens out the light from the filiment, and no lettering on the glass.

Gary Holliday · Sep 18, 2008

Using household bulbs has been brought up a few times when the Philips factory stopped producing enlarger bulbs. I tried and failed, uneven illumination was the main problem, but the correct bulbs can have this problem too. If you like the enlarger, pick up a few bulbs in case you have problems in the future.

elekm · Sep 18, 2008

I had the same issue when I used a standard bulb -- uneven illumination and lettering from the bulb appearing on the print.

R W Penn · Sep 19, 2008

Try wholesale electric shop ask them to order 6 bulbs by part number price should be 50% less than photo store.

Enlarger Bulb

brofkand

Gary Holliday

brofkand

bdial

Gary Holliday

elekm

R W Penn

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