I'm shopping for an enlarger......

Rick A

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,966
Location
Laurel Highlands
Format
8x10 Format
Congrats on the new toy(s). That monster will do all you want and then some. You can reglue the bellows with Pliobond, factory recommends it, I've done it and if you prep correctly it lasts for 20+ years.The El-Nikor lense is super for 35mm, you are going to need a 75mm or 80mm lens for 6x6 negatives, and of course the correct negative carrier. Good luck and have fun printing.
 

MattKing

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Apr 24, 2005
Messages
53,547
Location
Delta, BC Canada
Format
Medium Format

Arkasha

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
Messages
111
Format
Medium Format
This site provides a potted history of the 23C. Judging by the color, yours was produced from the mid '60s to the mid '70s.

http://www.oresteen.com/bess23c.htm

BTW, someone is selling a very nice Dichro head on eBay for about $100. No relation to the seller.
 

Richard Jepsen

Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2006
Messages
875
Location
Oklahoma, US
Format
Multi Format
Since you're in the USA a Beseler 23c or Beseler 67 is common and inexpensive. If enlarging to 6x7 recommend a LPL with dichro head for B&W & color. If your enlarging need is up to 6x9, the B-23 is the way to go.

Rethink processing color if your just getting into DR work. I love B&W which is cheaper/easier to process. Moving to color you add the expense of color drums (JOBO) and nasty chems.
 
OP
OP

micwag2

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
173
Location
Eastern Penn
Format
35mm

I hear what you're saying. I am starting with black and white first. The main reason I mentioned color as well is that I want to eventually do all my own processing. You never know when the local processors will stop film altogether.
 
OP
OP

micwag2

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
173
Location
Eastern Penn
Format
35mm
Ok. I picked up a Beseler c23 dichro head but i don't have the power supply. Am i going to have a hard time getting one? All i found was one on ebay for a dichro 67. Are they different or are the power supplies compatible between the 67 and the 23c? I'm not in a rush for this either. I happened across the color head and snagged it while it was available. A few of the small brackets are missing too but i can make those. Here's a picture from the website www.oresteen.com of what i got.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Rick A

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,966
Location
Laurel Highlands
Format
8x10 Format
They are different power supplies. I just gave away a transformer and voltage stabilizer for the dichro head.
 
OP
OP

micwag2

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
173
Location
Eastern Penn
Format
35mm
Thanks for looking but I'm a little confused. The head in the ebay ad is not the one I have. I also don't see where the blower would attach and my color head has a 6 prong cord. The head I have is an 8190. The blower ad states it is for cat numbers 8145 and 8266. The stabilized supply I need is 8191 and the standard is 8198.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Rick A

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,966
Location
Laurel Highlands
Format
8x10 Format
Pull the lamp and read the voltage specs on the base of it, that will tell you what you need. When you know the voltage you can pick the proper power supply.
BTW, did you get the mounting brackets and diffuser disk with the DGA head?
 
OP
OP

micwag2

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
173
Location
Eastern Penn
Format
35mm
Rick A said:
Pull the lamp and read the voltage specs on the base of it, that will tell you what you need. When you know the voltage you can pick the proper power supply.
BTW, did you get the mounting brackets and diffuser disk with the DGA head?
Click to expand...
The bulb is missing but the tag on the back says its a 24v bulb. I didn't get the brackets but I ordered a set with a diffuser and the cone on eBay. Should be here in a few days.
 
OP
OP

micwag2

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
173
Location
Eastern Penn
Format
35mm
Well, the power supply is on its way. Got the Pliobond and decided to glue the bellows that was coming off. Not a big deal. But I did learn however to not use that stuff in the house because my wife didn't appreciate the smell. I also noticed that the Nikon 50mm enlarger lens has one spec inside it. How critical will this be? I'm not afraid to open the lens to clean it but I'm not going to mess with it if it won't be an issue.
 

Rick A

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,966
Location
Laurel Highlands
Format
8x10 Format
You got a great deal on the power supply. Taking the lens apart to clean the inner element surfaces isn't a big deal, just don't mess with the blades.
 
OP
OP

micwag2

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
173
Location
Eastern Penn
Format
35mm
Rick A said:
You got a great deal on the power supply. Taking the lens apart to clean the inner element surfaces isn't a big deal, just don't mess with the blades.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was really hoping I wasn't going to get sniped in the end on the power supply and I lucked out.

The spec of dirt seems to be on the inside of the front element. Hopefully I can just remove that from the front by itself. I know what you mean about the blades. I had a lens that I had to take the blades out for cleaning, yes they were that bad. It was a challenge but not impossible. That lens works great now. If it were being mounted on a camera I wouldn't worry about it because I don't think it would cause any issues with the image. But I'm not sure if it'll show up when making enlargements.
 

tintruder

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
15
Location
Oregon
Format
35mm
From somebody who just jumped back into darkroom work after a 30 year layoff, (my 12-year-old daughter became interested) I have been picking up tons of stuff really inexpensively.
Use CraigsList.

So far here's what I got:

Pristine original Omega DII with all the condensers and 3 lenses $50

Pristine Chromega B XL and 2 lenses $100

B22 with all condensers and 2 lenses $30

Meopta 400 with Dichroic head and Nikkor lenses $200 with several hundred sheets of Fuji color paper all the way up to 20x24" (Can you say SCORE!!!)

Chromega D2 with bad filters, but all the lenses and cones, free to haul away.

Vivitar VI with colorhead (This has absolutely no heating of the negative due to "Light Pipe", but carriers are impossible to find) and lens $15

I'm actually not being an "Enlarger Pig"...I'm acquiring enough stuff to build a darkroom at my daughter's school so they can have a program. I figure that even if they all go digital, learning the chemical way will make everybody better technical photographers by making them understand exposure. Also, as an art, learning film is essential just for the history of the medium.

Anyway, there's a lot out there. No reason you can't get a couple...one condenser and one diffuser/color.

Be sure ALL the parts are there...condensers and carriers etc, power supplies for colorheads. Some are really hard to find, as I'm learning with the ancient Chromega D I picked up. Even some bulbs are really scarce and expensive.

I learned on Omega and owned the Vivitar VI way back in the 1970s, so I'm biased that way, but the Beseler is a really great machine too. I've heard good things about the Durst, as well as the very rare Minolta from about 1978.

Kinda neat that I can now afford all the stuff I dreamed of 30 years ago. Sad that it's at the expense of an entire industry which is slowly withering away because of digital.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…