Missing pieces from Beseler 23C II (newbie alert)

iamthejeff · Mar 30, 2015

First time posting here, have some questions about a Beseler 23C II that I picked up recently. It's missing some pieces and I am wondering how feasible it is for me to get up and running again. I would love to use it for 6x9 film. I have a Durst enlarger that I am currently using for 35mm but I would love to be able to do something more than contact prints with my medium format shots.

First, it's missing a lens. I am guessing I need a 105mm lens for 6x9 negatives. Does this lens board look okay to everyone? Thread size?

Second, I am missing the condensor lens. I see some on eBay for not too much money. Just wondering if there's anything else I need to get, as you can see the top bellows are loose and just sitting there. How do I fasten it to the condensor?

Thirdly, it's missing the lamp assembly and power cord.

Lastly, it's missing the 6x9 negative carrier, but if all else fails I can maybe make my own.

Just how feasible is it to get this up and running again? Anything else I should look out for? I am on a shoestring budget, so most of the stuff I find is given to me for free or next to nothing in poor condition. If it costs me only a couple hundred bucks to get this working again I will be happy, considering what they go for in excellent working condition. Keep in mind that I live in Canada, which makes shipping for most things prohibitively expensive.

Is it even worth it, or should I keep my eye out for anything else?

gone · Mar 30, 2015

You could certainly get it going, and the handier you are, the cheaper that will be, but these are old enlargers, and I have seen them sell on craigslist and even eBait for $50 to $125 w/ apparently everything you would need to print, including a lens. Now that you have one, it would be easy to weigh it and measure it, and from there you would know for sure what the shipping of one of these in good shape would cost.

I hate buying enlargers piece by piece. My first one cost me a fortune because that's how I bought it. After that, the only way I've bought enlargers is if they are all together. Buying a lens separately is no big deal. Same w/ the lens boards, but as you know w/ your Durst, those lens boards can cost a pretty penny. I got lucky and bought some lens boards for my Durst pretty cheaply, but unlike my old Omega and Beseler enlargers, the Durst takes specific lens boards for specific lenses. Really stupid, and it can get costly and complicated, as none of my 39mm threaded lenses would fit the 25mm Durst lens boards, so I had to buy lenses too. You shouldn't have that issue w/ your Beseler thank goodness.

iamthejeff · Mar 30, 2015

I am from Calgary, AB. And there are enlargers that pop up from time to time, it seems people want way too much for them. There is a Durst 609 currently listed for $300. Those that are cheap are much more rare.

Looks like on eBay there is a condensor and bulb assembly from two different sellers that will cost me a combined $116 with shipping. I would still need to find a 105mm lens and figure out a negative carrier. The exchange rate is also pretty bad right now, making things worse.

Vaughn · Mar 30, 2015

I think you need to find another 23C that perhaps has issues for cheap and combine them to make a whole enlarger. but the condensers need to be in great shape.

MattKing · Mar 30, 2015

You need to visit Vancouver. I have a few friends that would be interested in giving you a Beseler 23 enlarger!

iamthejeff · Mar 30, 2015

I have a friend in Victoria who might be available to pick up for me some time in the future!

John Koehrer · Mar 30, 2015

If the lens board has a ~39mm hole, that's most likely the size you need for a 105.
A 6X9 carrier can be made from a 6X6 but I've never gotten the cut edges as smooth as the original.
Look under the negative carriage, there should be two silver slidy thing that hold the bellows in place

Search ebites enlarger, broken or for parts There may be a sleeper there.
Just use the regular search at the top & put in "Beseler 23c for parts", "as-is" and "broken". These don't usually show up in the camera & film search.

******Here's the lamp holder, this is from searching beseler 23c broken
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LIGHT-BULB-...401?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item541c80d661
Buy it now fir $23, free shipping

From Chicago CL, Drop him a ask him if he would ship just the parts you need.

This seller says he's got several 23c parts enlargers available. He might have the condenser set.
If he won't ship to the great white north, I'd be willing to ship it for cost.
Another thing would to put in a lowball bid on a complete machine & has the seller just send the bits you need. Junk the frame, give it away you din't really care what he does with it

No connection etc. etc.

mgb74 · Mar 30, 2015

My opinion is that you're missing to many pieces and would be better buying an entire 23C if it could be found in your area.

I have a 23cII manual (pdf) if you want a copy. It has a parts list and diagram. Not sure how much a difference between the C and CII. Email me and I'll respond with the manual.

GRHazelton · Mar 30, 2015

Here's a Canadian source for Beseler enlargers. http://store.khbphotografix.com/home.php But you might well do better by looking for a complete machine.

ParkerSmithPhoto · Mar 30, 2015

iamthejeff said:
Just how feasible is it to get this up and running again? Anything else I should look out for? I am on a shoestring budget, so most of the stuff I find is given to me for free or next to nothing in poor condition. If it costs me only a couple hundred bucks to get this working again I will be happy, considering what they go for in excellent working condition. Keep in mind that I live in Canada, which makes shipping for most things prohibitively expensive.

Based on my experience with a 23C that needed a new lift handle and some other parts, I spent way more than it was worth trying to piece it back together. Keep an eye on Craigslist and you'll be able to find someone dumping a ton of gear for next to nothing, or certainly less than you will spend in time and money trying to make that thing work.

Unless space is an issue, I would suggest trying to find a good 4x5 enlarger. The extra build quality makes it worthwhile, even for smaller formats.

Dennis S · Mar 30, 2015

I have a 23C that has everything you need. I may also have a 6x9 neg carrier to go with it. The only problem is its on the Wetcoast and you have a big hill to get over from where you are. Vancouver is a fine place to do your holidays this summer )

fotch · Mar 31, 2015

It depends on what hobby are you pursuing. Restoring a basket case enlarger, that may cost more to buy the parts and also, spend lots of time getting it back to being a functioning enlarger or making prints.

Myself, I would look for a complete working enlarger. You may be able to find either cheap or free. Probably the prior owner of you incomplete enlarger found it more valuable to sell the pieces off the enlarger rather than sell it as a whole. That offers a clue to what it may cost you to get it working again.

iamthejeff · Mar 31, 2015

Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like I can source the parts I need on eBay but it might end up costing me more in the end than it's worth. You're right, these things do pop up on Kijiji/Craigslist from time to time and I should just have more patience. I may have a couple local hookups with alternate enlargers anyway.

I took a vacation to Vancouver/Victoria last summer and things are a little more tight budget wise this year, so I don't know if I can make another trip yet. Thanks for the offers though.

iamthejeff · Apr 1, 2015

As luck would have it, I came across a fully working 23C II with the Dichro 23dga head last night for $60. Has a working bulb and came with a 100mm lens, ready for 6x9!!

It came with its own power transformer that you are supposed to plug the timer into and there is a cord coming out of it labeled "to timer" and an outlet plug labeled "from timer". The enlarger works if I plug the "to timer" cord directly into the "from timer" plug, shorting it. But I have one of those analog gralab timers that I want to use. The only problem is that the "to timer" out of the transformer is a power cord, and my timer also has a power cord. Does this make them incompatible? I tried plugging my timer's cord into the "from timer" plug on the transformer, but it doesn't work that way.

Hope my explanation made sense

rbultman · Apr 1, 2015

Plug the cord from the timer into the receptacle on the dichro power supply marked "from timer." Plug the cord from the power supply marked "to timer" into the receptacle marked "enlarger" on the timer.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

iamthejeff · Apr 1, 2015

Thanks, that did it!

Missing pieces from Beseler 23C II (newbie alert)

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency