Enlarger Light Seal/Gasket Replacement

[bvy]

I'm taking advantage of my enlarger's down time; the bulb burned out last week and I'm waiting for replacements. I've cleaned and realigned it and now I'm looking at the light seal/gasket on the head. This is an Omega C700 with C760 dichroic head. With some patience and money, I could pick up a proper replacement form eBay or elsewhere, but I have a feeling I could cut my own from readily available material. Has anyone done this? What kind of material are you using? Also, what do you use to adhere it to the head? Thanks.

 

[mwdake]

I used the self-adhesive foam draught excluder tape on my C700.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

I used the self-adhesive foam draught excluder tape on my C700.

...a.k.a weatherstripping.

 

[bvy]

Off the shelf weatherstripping is light-proof? I guess I could try it...

 

[darkroommike]

I tried weather stripping but the brand I used didn't like the heat and deteriorated in less than a year! The light gray type might be better than the almost black stuff I used but another alternative might be a sheet of 3mm craft foam cut to the right shape and attached with black "RTV" silicone adhesive or Permatek head gasket adhesive.

 

[paul ron]

self stick neoprene... home depot has it in rolls and various widths.

 

[mgb74]

I tried weather stripping but the brand I used didn't like the heat and deteriorated in less than a year! ...

The C760 head projects light into a styrofoam (at least that's what it looks like) mixing box then through a plastic diffusion panel. It's been a long time since I've actually used one, but hard to imagine there's that much heat reaching the seal between upper and lower stages. Though I realize that the impact of heat on the weather stripping could be cumulative.

 

[darkroommike]

The C760 head projects light into a styrofoam (at least that's what it looks like) mixing box then through a plastic diffusion panel. It's been a long time since I've actually used one, but hard to imagine there's that much heat reaching the seal between upper and lower stages. Though I realize that the impact of heat on the weather stripping could be cumulative.

Yeah except that the head I was working on had the bottom of the halogen light box sitting on the other side of a thin sheet metal "floor" opposite the foam seal.