Mashpriborintorg SSSR-Moskva "YNA-6" Enlarger

Hello folks!

I just received a Mashpriborintorg SSSR-Moskva "YNA-6" 35mm enlarger from a family member today and it looks to be in surprisingly good shape! This is my first enlarger, so I really have no idea what to do with it. It did come with a small manual, so I'll be sure to take a look through it, but I was wondering if anyone had specific advice concerning this enlarger. I will be doing b/w prints only, so any advice would be great!

Thanks,

Jason

Upon quick inspection, it seems like the light coming from the lens is not very even. This may be a problem. I'll try to take some photos tomorrow!

Jason

I have no information on this specific model, but check The Black & White Darkroom or any book on darkroom use (check your local library) for information on using an enlarger. Note that you'll need a lot more than the enlarger to get anything done -- you'll need paper, various chemicals, trays (or something that serves an equivalent function, like drums), bottles, etc.

Most enlargers are fairly simple in principle -- a light source passes through condensers (large lens-like objects) or a diffusion box (a box that bounces light around) to even it out, then through the film, and finally through a lens to focus it. All this happens in the head, which is mounted to a support (often a single pole) in a way that enables the head to move up and down to change the size of the enlargement. The lens can move up and down to focus. You turn the light on and off for however long you like, either manually or via a timer.

If the light is uneven, it could be that something is blocking part of the light -- a dirty lens, condenser, or diffusion box, for instance; or maybe an insect has died in the innards. You should be able to remove the lens (it unscrews like a lightbulb), and probably at least partly disassemble the head to look for obstructions.

Thanks srs5694. I'll take a look more thoroughly tonight and do my best at cleaning the enlarger.

Jason

Oh, one more thing: If you run into enlarger-specific problems and nobody here can help, check on the Dead Link Removed That group has a lot of expertise with Soviet and Russian photographic equipment, not just Zenit cameras.