Morse Contact Printer - Military - Air Force - Army

[PhotogGreg]

Does anyone have a Morse Contact Printer?
Does anyone have a manual or instructions for any model of Morse Contact Printer?

 

[mshchem]

Does anyone have a Morse Contact Printer?
Does anyone have a manual or instructions for any model of Morse Contact Printer?

Is this the one with the near UV argon bulbs? Has more switches than a B-29? They used these in WWII for rush printing aerial film, big 10x ?
I know Morse made big long roll developing tanks for the USAAF.
I have a couple of Arkay Speed Dodge printers, one has the argon lamps, incredibly fast. Will expose slow enlarging paper in under a second, these were designed for high speed production work with slow silver chloride contact paper. Even with Kodak Azo, or Fomalux, Lupex expect 2 to 4 second exposure times. Those machines are beautiful because obviously you can switch each bulb independently. Be careful, wires may have a bit of asbestos cloth, maybe not.

 

[PhotogGreg]

Is this the one with the near UV argon bulbs? Has more switches than a B-29? They used these in WWII for rush printing aerial film, big 10x ?
I know Morse made big long roll developing tanks for the USAAF.
I have a couple of Arkay Speed Dodge printers, one has the argon lamps, incredibly fast. Will expose slow enlarging paper in under a second, these were designed for high speed production work with slow silver chloride contact paper. Even with Kodak Azo, or Fomalux, Lupex expect 2 to 4 second exposure times. Those machines are beautiful because obviously you can switch each bulb independently. Be careful, wires may have a bit of asbestos cloth, maybe not.

Thank you for your reply. Yes! That's the kind that I have. Do you have any idea which Air Force, Army or Navy Photo training manual might have instructions for the Morse Contact Printer? Thanks!

 

[Kino]

I thought for sure my copy of "Photographer's Mate 1 & C" by the Bureau of Navy Personnel would have something, but I just checked... nothing.

 

[PhotogGreg]

Thanks for looking!

 

[Kino]

http://militarynewbie.com/wp-conten...aphy-course-Laboratory-Procedures-SS05091.pdf

check out starting from page 46

 

[PhotogGreg]

http://militarynewbie.com/wp-conten...aphy-course-Laboratory-Procedures-SS05091.pdf

check out starting from page 46

Thank you so very much! Now I know what the specific switches control! My machine is the same, yet an older model. Almost identical, yet never had a counter. Mine is missing the take up and supply cranks, as well as the filter crank handles. My machine is obviously made for the cranks and filters shown and described in the book. A previous owner must have lost or removed the crank handles and supports. Thank you for taking the time to send me that link. Would you know where to get the equivalent manual for the Air Force? Thank you!

 

[AgX]

Multiple lamps contact copy boxes were standard, though the morse model seeems to have extreme many lamps.

That Argon thing does not refer to discharge lamps but to plain simple incandescant lamps.

 

[PhotogGreg]

Multiple lamps contact copy boxes were standard, though the morse model seeems to have extreme many lamps.

That Argon thing does not refer to discharge lamps but to plain simple incandescant lamps.

Thank you for your help.

 

[AgX]

Argon is one of the standard gases employed in incandescant lamps of any kind to dampen evaporation of the metal.

 

[PhotogGreg]

Nov 2023: Thank you for all the kind replies. If anyone knows the Morse printer manual whereabouts please post a link.
My printer has the serial number 001

 

[Dirb9]

Here is a PDF of the manual for a Morse M-21 contact printer. I believe this version is the 'civilian' model, as it doesn't offer provisions for holding aerial film. The contact printer is designed to use AR-1 Argon gas discharge bulbs, which emit primarily in the UV spectrum.

 

[PhotogGreg]

Here is a PDF of the manual for a Morse M-21 contact printer. I believe this version is the 'civilian' model, as it doesn't offer provisions for holding aerial film. The contact printer is designed to use AR-1 Argon gas discharge bulbs, which emit primarily in the UV spectrum.

Thank you so much! I definitely have the military mode. It was, according to the photographer I bought it from, parachuted into the ErnstHarmon US Air Force Base at Stephenville, in the Dominion of Newfoundland (now Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada), sometime between 1940-1941. According to that photographer he bought it at auction when the based closed, and used it where he worked Tooton’s Photography in St. John’s Newfoundland, and later at his home.

Ernest Harmon Air Force Base - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooton's