Enlarger part?

[Mike B]

Hi everyone. Im just getting back into the darkroom after about 5 or 6 years. Dusting off the equipment and getting everything in order. I came across a part that I'm not really sure what it's for. It looks like it's for underneath the enlarging lens where the red filter goes. In other words it looks as if it's interchangeable with it. It is square, plastic, with a round thin plastic lens at the center. It's sort of opaque. Light will pass through it but you can't see clearly through it. I have two enlargers. One set up for B&W and one for color. If anyone has an idea of what this may be for I'd appreciate it.

 

[vedmak]

if the lens is red than its for black and white enlarger, if it is not red then likely the filter had a red gel that broke down and discolored

 

[Ian Grant]

Usually used for colour negative analysis.

Ian

 

[Mike B]

Got this message from Ian C:

" Light Integrator/Flashing Diffuser
It has at least two uses. It’s called a Light Integrator and usually supplied with Beseler 23C enlargers. It can be used to give an over all flashing exposure to lower the contrast of a too contrasty print on fixed grade paper.

In color work it can be used to mix all colors of the transmitted light into one so that the negative can be read for color balance by a color analyzer without being overly influenced by one particular area of an image the contains mostly one color. The light falloff must be taken into consideration in this role.

I don’t believe that I’ve seen the Light Integrator/Flashing Diffuser offered on any other enlarger than the Beseler. It’s one of the “bells and whistles” that Beseler incorporated to try to convinced the buying public that its enlargers were superior. In my opinion, Beseler enlargers are fine, but so too are Omega and many others.
The gizmo you refer too isn’t particularly useful in my experience. "

After I read this I realized it came with a color analyzer I had purchased used. Thanks again.

 

[AgX]

But for flashing the lens-form of the diffusor would be counterproductive.