Oh, my my my

[Chuck_P]

Bursting at the seams here and I have to announce------my enlarger finally arrived! . Ordered it the end of November and it's just an absolute thing of beauty and what a monster too; well worth the wait. Smooth operation all the way around, awesome.

It's a Saunders LPL 4550XLG VCCE. I finished the assembly and just starred at it for a while. Time to see what I can do with it.

That's all.

 

[Dinesh]

Congratulations. I've been that guy.

 

[Shawn Dougherty]

Great news, Chuck. And best of luck.

 

[Jerry Basierbe]

Congratulations Chuck. I've had mine for a few yaers now and love it.

Jerry

 

[jgcull]

Awww... a new baby!

Have fun. I know you will.

 

[BobNewYork]

Congratulations. It's as exciting as opening your first pack of paper. Any one remember that? I do - very clearly.

 

[david b]

Yes, the enlarger is a thing of beauty and pure joy to use. I've had mine for about 2 years and love it. It's so good, I have 4 other enlargers just sitting around now. I have the 4550XLG with Dichroic Head.

BTW, where did you order it from?

(I won mine on ebay. Brand new in the box. Never plugged in. $175 plus $80 for shipping.)

 

[Resoman]

Congratulations, Chuck!

I've been printing with the LPL 4550 enlarger for about ten years, and it's truly the nicest enlarger I've ever used.

Mine is wall mounted, which is an arrangement I've really come to appreciate.

Anyway, I hope you'll be printing soon!

Gary,
East Snook, TX

 

[RobC]

Congratulations. It's as exciting as opening your first pack of paper. Any one remember that? I do - very clearly.

I will always remember the sales assistant at a branch of Jessops in the UK telling me about two students from the local art college who came in to buy their first pack of 100 sheets of black and white paper. They paid for it, walked out the door and stopped. Opened the box and took out the paper in broad daylight. Counted out 50 sheets each and walked off in separate directions.
I bet they'll never forget opening their first pack of paper

 

[jp80874]

Congratulations Chuck,

It is a wonderful enlarger. Mine has made wonderful prints and taught me a lot. One caution while reading all these congrats and paper comments. Before taking some paper out, darken the room, let your eyes adjust, turn on the enlarger light and you may notice why this enlarger is notorious as a light leaker. If yours is like mine you may notice a few beams of light coming out in various directions. Plug some of the holes, especially around the negative carrier with black tape that is not sensitive to heat. Black duct tape has worked for me. Avoid plugging light leaks that limit the cooling air. The bulbs are expensive. To maintain the airflow I directed the light to the side with a metal spray can lid cut into a cylinder. Where the light hit the wall a few feet away I painted the wall flat black to avoid reflection. Hope this helps you enjoy your new enlarger.

John Powers

 

[david b]

Saunders made a cropper that fits on the negative stage. When you slide this in, below the negative carrier, it stops ALL light leaks.

I've only ever seen one of these, and I bought it. You might want to seek one out.

It allows you to crop the negative or the carrier itself at this stage.

 

[Chuck_P]

Plug some of the holes, especially around the negative carrier with black tape that is not sensitive to heat. Black duct tape has worked for me.

I don't think this is an issue at this time as I printed last night and did not notice a problem. But perhaps my enthusiasm for the thing kept me from noticing, I'll be sure and pay closer attention tonight.

A general observation: check this link out http://www.emsdiasum.com/microscopy/products/photographic/enlarger.aspx, scroll down to the 4550 and see if it does not look like the column is mounted on the long side of the baseboard. Mine is mounted on the short side, just something I noticed.

 

[Chuck_P]

I was rechecking that and I think it is an optical illusion.

 

[david b]

Looking for one of these in NYC?

check this out