monster enlarger saga part2

[Sean]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction_photo.asp?photo=1&id=4142438&permanent=0

230US dollars! Someone tell me if I should jump on this. I'll be shooting 8x10, I've never heard of this enlarger and I happen to be going to Tauranga tomorrow. Let me know what I should do asap. Seems like an amazing deal

 

[bmac]

If you can figure out how to get it to your pad, I'd jump on it. The lens alone is worth 230...

 

[Sean]

I think I am going to get it! My wife is going to think I have lost my mind! I mean who can turn down a deal like this? I am laughing right now trying to figure out where the heck I'll put the bloomin thing, it's gargantuan!

 

[Sean]

OMG, it's 900 pounds and 9ft high. I think it will fit ok in the garage.

 

[Jorge]

I say go for it, seems like a great deal if it is working. Check out the bulb and see if there are any replacements available.

And please, please have your wife take pictures of you putting it inside your basement darkroom, we all need a good laugh...;P

 

[Jim Chinn]

What a monster! Is the chair included in the price? A few things to consider. Does it work? If not were do you get parts. Do you have room for it. Can you get it in your house and through the door. And what the heck is that contraption on the left?

This is one of those items that I would look at from the idea of what components are valuable and can be recycled if the fan or light source etc go bad and cannot be replaced. and the table/easel are easily worth $230. The lensboard chassis, gear racks, knobs hardware etc are worth quite a bit to have for other projects.

As you said, the lens is probably worth the money. And of course the 1950s early 60s era Buck Rodgers control panel.

Of course the auction may go higher and that is a consideration, but if you can get it for close to that price I say go for it. And if you get it please post pictures and descriptions.

Good Luck.

 

[Sean]

it has a "buy now" price of 500NZ. I could get it right now for that price.

Yeah, I don't know what the buck rodgers control panel does. I suppose it controls the lights? lol

I am thinking now, scrap the little basement darkroom. Convert our garage into a darkroom. We have a deck on the other side of the house with another carport under it (but not 9ft ceilings). I'll see what the wife thinks tonight. She is a pianist so if someone had a Steinway Grand going for 500 bucks we'd probably figure out how to make room for it...

 

[bmac]

You might need to borrow Les' crane for this job...

 

[Aggie]

..

 

[Sean]

My wife actually thought it was awesome. I'm trying to make contact with guy because we'll be in Tauranga this weekend and I can look at it. We've decided to convert the garage into a darkroom/excercise room/laundry room. The left wall of the garage is 9.5ft so that sucker will just fit. It's an oversize garage so I'll have plenty of room

I'm off to scour the net now for any info on this machine. Will keep you guys posted.

 

[Sean]

Well, I went ahead and bought it. This morning it had just been listed and viewed 12 times and tonight it had been viewed over 50 times. I didn't want someone to beat me to it. The machine lives at an arial photography studio, so I would imagine they've gone digital and need to off load it. I just can't believe a massive enlarger like that is 220-30 US dollars. Thanks digital!

 

[Ole]

Congratulations, Sean!

That beast makes even my Durst 138S look tiny!

 

[Robert]

It's a process camera isn't it? Now you need to find a longer lens for 8x10.

Anybody wanting something like this watch Ebay. High shipping costs and limited market mean they go for very little money.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Congrats! I looked over at the auction and saw that you bought it. That's great. If you've got room for such a thing (I don't in my Manhattan apartment), it's a great deal.

 

[Sean]

Well good news, it also comes with a 360lens! here is the recent info on my new enlarger from the owner

Yes it is in great working order.
Bulbs are pulse xenon tubes (plus one spare set) the bulbs have
never needed replacing in all the time ive worked here 8 years, it is a
very good system. The base board is a vacuum board and works well.
It is a totally trouble free unit.
Base board size is 110cm x 110cm and are height adjustable.
256 comes with a 150mm and a 360mm Rodenstock APO ronar
Has glass plate neg carrier which just slide out.
Light source does produce consistent light
The control box photo had a contact printer sitting on top of it which
isn't part of this. The enlarger has been used commercially and produces reliable results.

 

[Sean]

I am really nervous about this beast. The mover is picking it up Friday. It's in 4 pieces and requires a fork lift. He says the main column is the heavy piece which he estimates is a ton. I hope my concrete garage floor can handle the weight of this thing!? Should I be worried? Any structural engineers in here? 500NZ to buy it, 850NZ to have it delivered, probably another 150-200 to have the center column craned into place. This is starting to add up, and if it's a failure I'll be very let down. They say nothing in life worth having is easy, so fingers crossed!

 

[Jorge]

Fingers and toes crossed bubba....good luck!

 

[Silverpixels5]

your garage floor should be able to take it. Most garages here in the states easily handle 1.5 ton pickups without any problems. Plus the safely factor for any structure is supposed to be 1.5 times the maximum allowable stress, so you should be ok...

 

[bmac]

OMG!

 

[roy]

Sean, if you disappear down the hole it makes, do you pop up in the northern hemisphere ?!

 

[Donald Miller]

Sean,
The pulsed Xenon is a nice thing to have. Depending on the lamp wattage, it may even work for enlarging onto Azo paper since the pulsed Xenon is high in near band UV emission. Let us know when you have this beast installed. How large negatives will this handle?

 

[Jim Chinn]

The only concern I would have is that yes, a garage easily handles a vehicle, but the weight is distributed over a large footprint with each tire supporting roughly 1/4 of the weight.

I would fine the most level spot on the garage floor that is convienent to where you want to work. If you have any cracking of the concreate now, try to determine the area that is falling (this may only be a few mm) and do not place it there. That amount of weight on a small footprint will accelerate the problem.

 

[Aggie]

..

 

[Donald Miller]

Most concrete is rated in terms of "mix"...the percentage of cement to aggregate being the determining factor. The "mix" is normally listed in pound denominations. Normally, here in the "states" the lowest "mix" that I have ever encountered is 3500 lb. That would be the weight per square foot that this material would support in a 4 inch thickness. Normally, in the states here again, the minimum thickness allowable for a garage floor would be four inches. Thus if you have questions about the ability of the floor to sustain the load, I would recommend contacting a concrete contractor as to the local codes and material characteristics. Here in the US I would have no reluctance in putting an enlarger of this size on any garage floor which has been installed to "code".

 

[Sean]

Thanks guys! I feel a little better now. When it arrives on Monday I'll get out the camcorder and snap a few pics.

"How large negatives will this handle?"

12x12