Found Duplo mat

[kate swart]

I received this items with an Beseler 45 I bought but I have no idea what its for or how it works. Anyone with any knowledge on these ?

 

[AgX]

Welcom at Apug !

I assume what you got is a Vacuum UV Exposure Unit.

 

[kate swart]

Welcom at Apug !

I assume what you got is a Vacuum UV Exposure Unit.

Welcom at Apug !

I assume what you got is a Vacuum UV Exposure Unit.

whats that if i may ask ? I assume thats the table ?

 

[AgX]

It is a device to expose photographic material that needs a lot of UV light, something that an enlarger does not yield. Thus such material is put in contact with an image bearing film (contact printing) and is exosed with UV light through this. To enhance contact between the sheets, a vacuum is established between them and the back-plate.
Such devices are used still at screen printing or in alternative photographic processes.

 

[kate swart]

It is a device to expose photographiqqc material that needs a lot of UV light, something that an enlarger does not yield. Thus such material is put in contact with an image bearing film (contact printing) and is exosed with UV light through this. To enhance contact between the sheets, a vacuum is established between them and the back-plate.
Such devices are used still at screen printing or in alternative photographic processes.

Thank you for that info. Do you perhaps know what is the Duplo Mat ? Seems like a large format enlarger but not quite sure.

 

[Rick A]

It appears to be some sort of vacuum easel and possible light source for reproduction work.

 

[kate swart]

It appears to be some sort of vacuum easel and possible light source for reproduction work.

How do you use this ? Is it worth having in the darkroom ? Is it worth anything ? From what I understand is the lens is worth much more than this stuff.

 

[kate swart]

I think I should sell it as scrap metal.

 

[AgX]

Do you perhaps know what is the Duplo Mat ? Seems like a large format enlarger but not quite sure.

I already explained it above. Assuming that both photos show two views on same item. As you ask now, I realize that they are not.

The first photo seems tho show a vaccuum easel of some kind. With all that filth it is even not clear what direction the light goes.


You do not even bother to take the second item out of the heap of junk it is in or at least take the junk off from it to see where it starts or ends.

I am thus out of the game now.

 

[kate swart]

I already explained it above. Assuming that both photos show two views on same item. As you ask now, I realize that they are not.

The first photo seems tho show a vaccuum easel of some kind. With all that filth it is even not clear what direction the light goes.


You do not even bother to take the second item out of the heap of junk it is in or at least take the junk off from it to see where it starts or ends.

I am thus out of the game now.

My apologies, when i uploaded it was only photos I had.

 

[kate swart]

I already explained it above. Assuming that both photos show two views on same item. As you ask now, I realize that they are not.

The first photo seems tho show a vaccuum easel of some kind. With all that filth it is even not clear what direction the light goes.


You do not even bother to take the second item out of the heap of junk it is in or at least take the junk off from it to see where it starts or ends.

I am thus out of the game now.

when i uploaded my question it was too dark to take new photos so i uploaded the photos from the person i received it from. the duplo mat did come with a 9/210 lens and theres two lights to be mounted on top.

 

[AgX]

Well, what we see now seems to be a camera.
.
Used to expose large format films, for the graphic industry. What is missing are the baseboard and the lighting for the graphic to be photographed. It may be intended for photographing translucent graphics, thus with the respective illuminator (light box) missing.

 

[AgX]

Sometimes this kind of cameras appeared in discussions and what to do with them, other then to employ for their intended use. Some hinted at turning such into a (Ultra) Large Format camera for generic use. Others advised just to save the lens (wich is typically optimized for scales about 1/1).

It depends on your ingenuity or tinkering what to do with it.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

You have a 'vertical process camera.' They were used in graphic arts departments and small printing plants until the late 80's/early 90's when digital caught up with the printing industry and great piles of this sort of equipment found their way into dumpsters.

The other item is a small 'vacuum frame.' The vacuum frame was used for contact printing with the overhead lights.

It has no value for regular photography. It might be of some use to ultra-large-format photographers.

 

[AgX]

Well, for the "junk stuff" faction amongst us here at Apug (me included) there is no item of no value...

Kate, you may tell us more about what you are doing photographically. For someone only busy with 35mm film, it indeed is getting hard to find a use for.

 

[Sirius Glass]

.

Welcome to APUG Photrio!!​

 

[kate swart]

Well, for the "junk stuff" faction amongst us here at Apug (me included) there is no item of no value...

Kate, you may tell us more about what you are doing photographically. For someone only busy with 35mm film, it indeed is getting hard to find a use for.

Currently I only do printing in the darkroom. I intent on going to medium format but doubt ill go larger than 5×4. This is quite big machines for which I dont have space thus if I can understand its use and how to test it I can decide to sell, keep or throw away.

 

[AgX]

Such thing works basically as any camera.
There should be a feature of raising/lowering either the head or the base(-board) frame, to change the scale of the image. Then you can raise/lower the lens stage for focusing. You have to find out whether you got some focusing aid as a ground screen or such. The aperture likely is operated by a lever at the lens stage. Concerning the shutter you have to find out. As for the function of the controls, not surprisingly everything is quite vandalized. Thus be careful about the electrical side. There may be hot wires loose. Check as much on this as possible before plugging it in, which means opening that thing and having a look inside. Also check as best as possible the mains cable, especially on earthing that thing. You may have an acquaintant electrician have a look at this all after you opened it.

 

[MattKing]

Welcome to Photrio.
To give you a sense of the capability of the vertical camera, it helps to understand that the sheet film that was used in it was approximately the size of the flat top of it.
It may be possible to re-purpose it for some other uses.
The one I used to use was a lot bigger than that one .

 

[DREW WILEY]

It's apparently the same one used in the darkroom of the Titanic before it sank, and still doesn't have the barnacles and algae scraped off. More of a conversation piece at this point. It looks rather exhausted. But a desperate UV printmaker might be willing to give it some TLC and bring it back to life. Just be real careful with old electrical stuff, as well as understand the danger to eyesight if you get the thing working.

These aren't for purposes of enlargement, but for 1:1 contact printing onto UV - sensitive media, graphics-style. They're sometimes called "plate makers" or "plate burners" - and now the kind of thing platinum and carbon prints might use.

 

[AgX]

Drew, I got mislead by the first two photos, and seemingly you too.
What we got is a vacuum easel/frame and a print-shop camera. I do not see an UV burner. If you see so, please explain it to us, before this thread becomes more confusing.

Or do you mean it is kind of UV-reflective enlarger?
With the original graphics on top, being UV illuminated out of that control box (at shallow angle) and a UV-optimised lens projecting the reflection image onto the base?

 

[DREW WILEY]

Hmmm ... now that the barnacles are scraped off, at least from my own glasses, and finally noticing the second set of images, you're half right. It's not an enlarger per se. Just the opposite. That's what they called a "stat camera", a relatively inexpensive graphics copy camera popular with T-shirt silkscreen shops and casual signage applications. Most of them were thrown away long ago once scanners became standard. You could take an illustration or designed copy and then enlarge it onto the film position itself above, generally using a special registered halftone film and grid, especially if color separations were involved.

These often came equipped with Beseler private-labeled Rodenstock Rogonar lenses, which were, and still are, sometimes sold as discount "student-grade" enlarging lenses as well. I hope I'm not offending anyone who actually enlargers with that particular brand of lens, and will try to remain "duplomatic" about it.
The nature of the copy lighting below would determine the UV content, which often was somewhat nasty halogen, but not true UV.

It is possible to repurpose these the other way around, and make part of an 8x10 or other large format enlarger out of one; but it's more fuss than just getting a real enlarger to begin with. You'd still need a huge enlarger head or cold cathode light anyway.

 

[AgX]

Thank you. And thank you for stating that I got it "half right". Now I have to wonder where I was half wrong...

 

[choiliefan]

I used to have a vertical graphic arts stat camera which I placed a sheet of window glass in place of the vacuum easel.
Worked great as a lucigraph-type of device for enlarging and tracing artwork.
Is there a lens at the bottom of the bellows? Mine came with a Computar.