Making a 20x24 4-blade easel...

[ic-racer]

I have always held the contention that when making something, you should get raw materials that are as close to the intended size and shape as you can. This makes fabrication and construction easier. In this case I found a collection of parts that were already in the rough shape of a 4-blade easel:

 

[ic-racer]

More pictures of the 'raw materials':

 

[ic-racer]

A few more pictures showing gummed up rollers and a very bent stay-arm:

 

[ic-racer]

You may be thinking that looks like a complete easel, but the point is that I read so many threads about people wanting to build this-that-or-the-other-thing from scratch, when some repairs and minor fabrication to junk equipment of the type wanted can be much easier than scratch-building. Especially with respect to view cameras, tripods and enlargers.

 

[ic-racer]

So, I disassembled the easel for a complete overhaul and rebuild.

 

[ic-racer]

The metal tabs on the edges of the board that keep the frame up off the baseboard were missing, causing the blades to rest directly on the baseboard. I fabricated a new one from a bracket. The pictures show the one original in silver and the one I made in black:

 

[ic-racer]

The bottom of the easel is particle board covered with a vinyl/aluminum cover. This was coming loose at the corners. I tried gluing it but that did not hold. I used some flat-head screws to hold it down:

 

[ic-racer]

The rollers were soaked in Naptha, then painted and re-greased with white grease. The blades were cleaned, sanded and re-painted. My local hardware store still carries SAE hardware and all the rusty screws, bolts and washers were replaced:

 

[ic-racer]

Here it is after all the work.

 

[Rick A]

Great job! Not just easier than starting from scratch, but cheaper. You can usuallly get the raw materials for free or super cheap. You are on the same bent as me, I love to refurbish the salvable..

 

[ic-racer]

My wife surprisingly wondered why I was spending all weekend working on that 'junky thing' saying I should just have bought a new one at B&H. My concern is that B&H only sells the Beseler easel. I already have a Beseler 16x20 easel and it is one-eight of an inch off and is non-adjustable. This Saunders I just rebuilt has individual adjustable paper-stops for all the sizes.

 

[ic-racer]

You may notice the 'old-fashioned' black surface. This actually forces you to use a viewing paper on the easel. So, in the end this has a much brighter viewing image than the image on the more popular yellow surfaced easels. I put rubber feet on the base of the easel so I can slide my viewing paper under the easel when not in use.

 

[Bob Carnie]

I wish you were closer to me and did this kind of thing as a part time job, I have about 15 easels that I would love to back into mint condition..


Very good work and very useful indeed.

 

[ic-racer]

The missing 'before' pictures:

 

[ic-racer]

Some "after" pictures:

 

[MTGseattle]

That's awesome! Where did you stumble upon a beat-up one? I've been watching my local sources for an easel for a couple of years. I almost drove 2 hours north and paid $250 for the Beseler 4-blade one. We had one of the Beseler 4-blade ones in college, and I didn't like it. I have since found a Saunders and luckily all mine needed was some cleaning.

 

[GregY]

Nice work, it's a good piece to have considering the cost of 20x24" paper. A new Beseler that size is $1150 USD and special order from B&H which means you pay the shipping.

 

[aparat]

This is awesome work! You save yourself a lot of money. As @GregY says, new ones are very pricey. I have a Beseler 16x20 easel and love it. I do not need to print larger than that.

 

[ic-racer]

Cost of a new one and possible shipping damage was an issue too. My Beseler 11x14 I got on ebay at the same time was damaged in shipping. I had to take a hammer to it to bend it back.
This 20x24 was a local pickup. l paid $125 at the time (2009).

 

[ic-racer]

The 20x24 really is massive as seen here when it is used under a 4x5 enlarger.

 

[Dani]

That 20x24 easel is a very interesting design. I wonder how old it is. The logo is very different, from Rochester. I wish there was more literature/PDFs for all those easels. The newer universal design is similar. Some of the washers in mine are rusted. You've inspired me to take it apart and apply some white grease and see what can be replaced from those rollers.