Old 80s colenta ra4 processor

MingMingPhoto · Aug 3, 2024

hi all.

there is someone willing to give away an old colenta he says is form the 80s.
that basically all the information I have aside from the general dimensions.

it won't fit in my car so I'll have to ship via company or uhaul. the cost will be around 3k.
It feels a bit risky but I'm told by the seller these old machines are better tha nenw oens since there are no pcbs that will go bad.

does anyone happen to have an general information on this machine?

I have a small community darkroom and it would be great to be able to offer color for people to use.

koraks · Aug 5, 2024

The real worry with these machines at this point is mostly how they have been stored and what the conditions of the racks are. I wouldn't gamble $3k on one I couldn't see beforehand. I'd scratch my head very thoughtfully for a while before starting with an adventure like these even if the machine was delivered to my doorstep for free.

halfaman · Aug 5, 2024

These machines also need a minimum volume of prints to avoid chemistry go bad (to be more precise, a minimum time for a full tank turnover with replenisher).

I have seen film minilabs in sort of small community labs dismatled after a year because they don't put enough rolls through it.

foc · Aug 6, 2024

What model is it? I can't see any on the screen shot posted

mshchem · Aug 6, 2024

I have Kodak print baskets for 3 1/2 gallon tanks. I never use it. However it could develop 12 (or 24 back to back) 8x10 prints in 2 minutes (plus a couple minutes to wash and dry)

Calumet made baskets and tanks for 16x20 for their deep tank processors.

All this is ancient history. Very ancient

MingMingPhoto · Aug 7, 2024

koraks said:
The real worry with these machines at this point is mostly how they have been stored and what the conditions of the racks are. I wouldn't gamble $3k on one I couldn't see beforehand. I'd scratch my head very thoughtfully for a while before starting with an adventure like these even if the machine was delivered to my doorstep for free.

totally get this. thats why I'm askign the seller to send at minimum a video of the machine but seems like he's not tryna do that. so we'll see.

halfaman said:
These machines also need a minimum volume of prints to avoid chemistry go bad (to be more precise, a minimum time for a full tank turnover with replenisher).

I have seen film minilabs in sort of small community labs dismantled after a year because they don't put enough rolls through it.

yeah totally, this is a processor for prints. hopefully we end up having enough people to put the machine to use, but if anything we can dump chemicals and hold them in bottles. I jsut wonder how much it takes to turn the tank over.

foc said:
What model is it? I can't see any on the screen shot posted

the information you are seeing is the same information I have the man does not know the model number - I contacted colenta and they don't want to tel me (they are saying they don't now, but that makes no sense that you don't know your own product). I really have no clue any specs of this machine.

mshchem said:
I have Kodak print baskets for 3 1/2 gallon tanks. I never use it. However it could develop 12 (or 24 back to back) 8x10 prints in 2 minutes (plus a couple minutes to wash and dry)

Calumet made baskets and tanks for 16x20 for their deep tank processors.

All this is ancient history. Very ancient

is this someting I should look into?

general question, where can I find a good small ra4 processor. what should I look for for a small community lab?

koraks · Aug 8, 2024

MingMingPhoto said:
they don't now, but that makes no sense that you don't know your own product

It's a machine likely from the 1980s or early 1990s. People who woild have been familiar with it have long since retired. I wouldn't expect them to put in much effort if a random person emails the photo you've posted here asking what machine it was. It's clear you're not in the market for anything new, you're not their target audience and there's no legal reason why they'd spend much time on your question. So the real answer is probably "don't know and can't be bothered to find out, either, bye".

btaylor · Aug 8, 2024

Small volume roller transport RA4 processors are extremely scarce and hard to find these days. I snagged a Durst Printo (up to 11” wide) with a darkroom lot years ago. After a lot of clean up it became functional. I lucked out with a Beseler 16 from a school with an ad here on APUG some years ago. I think someone here on Photrio was giving away a 24” Colenta, but the size and chemistry required were way out of my league- and these beasts require 220, so that’s something to consider too. If I were you I would find the models that would fit your maximum print size needed and expected print volume then keep a search going for those models. Good luck, it’s slim pickens out there.

Philippe-Georges · Aug 8, 2024

Colenta still exists, as a manufacturer, in Austria.
They still have some parts for my AT60 which is about as old as yours (and is stil hopping around like a young stallion ).

foc · Aug 8, 2024

MingMingPhoto said:
thats why I'm askign the seller to send at minimum a video of the machine but seems like he's not tryna do that.

For me personally, that would ring alarm bells. What is he hiding?

koraks · Aug 8, 2024

foc said:
For me personally, that would ring alarm bells. What is he hiding?

My guess is nothing...they probably just can't be bothered and don't care if it goes to an enthusiast or the local dump, as long as it's being picked up with the least amount of hassle & difficult questions. Put yourself in their position: they're willing to give it away for free. So logically, it's standing in the way, not being used. You give it a way to get rid of it. What do you do if someone starts asking if you want to check this, check that, what model is it, could you open it up, could you power it up, when was it last used, how much this...that...more...less...After a couple of texts the logical response is "hey buddy, you want it, come and get it, otherwise I'll call Bernies, the local scrap metal dealer who said he'll come round with the pickup if I want him to".

Sorry to put it bluntly, but this is how it generally works.

MingMingPhoto · Aug 8, 2024

koraks said:
My guess is nothing...they probably just can't be bothered and don't care if it goes to an enthusiast or the local dump, as long as it's being picked up with the least amount of hassle & difficult questions. Put yourself in their position: they're willing to give it away for free. So logically, it's standing in the way, not being used. You give it a way to get rid of it. What do you do if someone starts asking if you want to check this, check that, what model is it, could you open it up, could you power it up, when was it last used, how much this...that...more...less...After a couple of texts the logical response is "hey buddy, you want it, come and get it, otherwise I'll call Bernies, the local scrap metal dealer who said he'll come round with the pickup if I want him to".

Sorry to put it bluntly, but this is how it generally works.

totally. I jsut asked him to measure it and send me photos and video. seems kinda easy (we're texting). and he knows I'm on the other side of the country. at this point it seems like it's just free garbage removal for him. but yeah I'll skip this one. thanks everyone!

koraks · Aug 8, 2024

Sorry to hear that; it's not your fault either, of course. It's just sad that this is how it goes sometimes!

Old 80s colenta ra4 processor

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