LPL Saunders 670 VCCE HELP!

[brian steinberger]

I just received my LPL 670 VCCE today and have it set up. Its nice but I have a few problems that maybe some owners can help me with.

First of all the baseboard is tiny. My Saunders 16x20 bladed easel goes way over the edges of the baseboard. And even worse, when I put a piece of paper in the easel to do a 10x10" print the enlarger column is in the way to properly position the easel. So first question, is my easel too big for an enlarger that advertises that it will print 16x20?

I'm using a 100mm Schneider lens. Would a 75/80mm lens fix my problems with the easel?

And lastly, if I mounted the enlarger to the table that would eliminate the worry of the baseboard. Has anyone done this? Any recommendations?

 

[patrickjames]

You are better off attaching the enlarger to the wall with a little setoff giving you room to position the easel under the column. I have always been meaning to do this with mine which I have had for 15 years. If the easel is going over the edge of the baseboard it isn't a big deal as long as the easel stays parallel to the baseboard.

In the meantime, you can make a print with your easel by using the top paper slot (for 16x20 paper). I have been doing it this way and it works fine as long as you can do a little math or have a old print to put in the easel so you can position the blades.

 

[brian steinberger]

You are better off attaching the enlarger to the wall with a little setoff giving you room to position the easel under the column. I have always been meaning to do this with mine which I have had for 15 years. If the easel is going over the edge of the baseboard it isn't a big deal as long as the easel stays parallel to the baseboard.

In the meantime, you can make a print with your easel by using the top paper slot (for 16x20 paper). I have been doing it this way and it works fine as long as you can do a little math or have a old print to put in the easel so you can position the blades.

Excellent idea with the shelf! One thing that comes to mind though is how do you open the easel with it underneath the shelf? You'd almost have to offset it by about 10" or so to give enough room to put paper in the easel once in position. Thoughts?

 

[patrickjames]

Brian, just mount it high enough so the easel clears. I would do at least a foot and by doing this you can make larger prints as well since you are effectively extending the column.

 

[Neal]

Dear Brian,

Something is wrong. Post photos of the setup.

Neal Wydra

 

[Mark Fisher]

I'm not sure I understand why the 16x20 easel won't fit. Are you putting it in with the 20" dimension aligned with the column. Also, if you have a permanent location, you might consider just bolting it to the countertop. That is a bit not stable anyway.

 

[brian steinberger]

Dear Brian,

Something is wrong. Post photos of the setup.

Neal Wydra

Hey guys, here's a few photos of the easel on the baseboard. The second is with the easel placed as Mark stated, which is not the way I use it. I prefer to run it vertically as I'm standing in front of the enlarger. 6x4.5 negatives run vertical in the negative carrier and it is much easier to work with the easel in the vertical position. In the 1st photo you can see just how much bigger the easel is than the baseboard.

 

[brian steinberger]

I'm not sure I understand why the 16x20 easel won't fit. Are you putting it in with the 20" dimension aligned with the column. Also, if you have a permanent location, you might consider just bolting it to the countertop. That is a bit not stable anyway.

Mark, are you saying it would be more stable bolted to the countertop? That's what I'm thinking of doing.

 

[MattKing]

Brian:

It looks to me like you will either have to use your easel the way Mark is suggesting, or remove the enlarger from the baseboard and attach it to a bracket/shelf coming off the wall, or get a smaller easel to use for smaller (than 16x20) prints from 6x4.5.

Can you achieve what you want by using the 16x20 "channel" on the easel?

 

[patrickjames]

Did you try putting the negative carrier in from the side to make the image horizontal?

 

[brian steinberger]

Did you try putting the negative carrier in from the side to make the image horizontal?

Sometimes I just don't think. Well plus I didn't realize you could do that with this enlarger! Thanks Patrick!

I'm thinking I'm going to build a shelf on the rear of the table being supported by the table, and leaving 8 or so inches underneath to slide the enlarger. I have a very sturdy table that I built for my darkroom years ago. It seems to me this would support the weight better than building a shelf off the wall. Any suggestions?

 

[MattKing]

Brian:

You've probably thought of this all before, but ...

The advantage of a wall mount of some sort is that it permits you to brace both top and bottom of the column.

The advantage of mounting the enlarger to the table is that you can move the table. You do have to check alignment though each time you do.

 

[cowanw]

Yes you need a smaller easel for the smaller prints. just put it on top of the large one when needed.