Gnome Universal Alpha ii condenser problem

Hi all, this is my first post here at APUG, i hope someone can help me!
My girlfriend has just bought me a gnome universal alpha ii enlarger (for 50p, but that's another story!) and i'm having trouble with the condenser lens assembly. basically it looks to me like there is a piece missing. the two lenses are there, but you have to put the housing in upside down to prevent one of the lenses from falling out. the lens housing has a rectangular hole at one end, and it looks to me like that should go on top, as there is a recess in the lamp box (correct terminology??) that fits the narrower end of the lens holder, but not the end with the rectangular hole. unfortunately, i can't find any info on this enlarger on t'internet, so i thought i'd ask on here in the hopes that someone has seen this enlarger before, or at least could point me in the right direction?

many thanks in advance.

Ah, dear old Gnome Products of (I think) Cardiff. I've not used one of these in decades; it probably dates from the 1960s.

I'm having some difficulty in visualizing this. There may have been a ring-type collar inside the condenser housing (which is what you call the 'lens housing', I think) which held the condensers apart, but I suspect the rectangular hole shold be 'down', on the negative side not the lamp side, as this would be a means of controlling flare.

Post again if this doesn't help. And although it's only partly relevant to this question, take a look at the Photo School at www.rogerandfrances.com where there are free modules with titles like 'Welcome to Film', 'Black and White', 'Hints and Tips' and 'How do I...?'

Cheers,

R.

thanks for the reply! yes it is of help, if that's true what you say about the square hole. i guess it means i have an incompatible condenser housing. there's basically two parts to the housing:

1: the part that holds the two lenses, which holds the ring type collar, which you describe, that holds the lenses apart. there is another collar that fits around the outside of this part which holds it in the second part.

2: the outer housing. which holds the first housing. i can't see the point of this second housing, as it seems like the ring collar that holds the inner housing is not made to fit.

perhaps some pictures may help, i'll try and post some up later.

thanks

Hello everyone! This is my very first post on this forum and I am going to hijack this thread is I just bought an old Gnome Universal Alpha II enlarger on ebay, and I have no clue as how to assemble this space machine.

I am an absolute beginner an I just developed my first B/W film yesterday. It felt like magic and I can't await to print my first photographs.

Just as the OP, I tried to find just any information/instruction/manual on the Gnome Alpha II on the Internet, and then found this forum, which seems to be incredibly resourceful.

The enlarger arrived at my doorstep in quite used condition, but surprisingly the electrics are still working, even the 40 years old bulb is functioning. But other than that, I just don't know where to put which part (and why) at all. In order to bolster my rather deficient descriptive abilities, I took some photos to show which pieces I received.

1. The Beauty itself


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16.The red mask is loose, but I might just figure something out to mount it wherever it belongs


17. And really, what is this? A negative viewer? A grain magnifier? How does it work??


I also received a WRAY enlarger lens - 3 1/4" Supar f4.5 no.73943 and a SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH Compunar 1:4.5/50 10224894. Altogether I've also got 3 sets of large condenser lenses and one small set (as shown on the photos).

That's everything I got, and I am so clueless that I don't even know which of these parts might be the film carrier. Where do I put the negatives, then? I would be really, really thankful for just any input on how to assemble this apparatus, and I could post even more photos if needed.

Thanks in advance,

Debbie

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Hi again!

I know most of you will know more about the mechanics of this type of enlarger than me. Please share. Any input is welcome.

Thanks in advance,

Debbie

Oh, I guess I just might not have received a film carrier, could that be true?

Starfish Base said:

Oh, I guess I just might not have received a film carrier, could that be true?

Click to expand...

Hi Debbie

I have an answer to your point 17 as I have one of these myself. It is called a focus finder and here are the instructions on how to use it:

Cheers
Ian

Hi Ian,

thank you so much for your help. So I already have a focus finder now, that is brilliant!

Cheers
Debbie