Omega D2 lamp housing adjustment

[hblad120]

I was in the darkroom last night and noticed for the first time that my images were not in focus edge to edge. After some propping up of the easel here and there I got a sharp image.

Is there any way to adjust the lamp housing on the D2 to properly align the light onto the easel?

Thanks

 

[mmcclellan]

Noel,

I have a D2 as well and do not know of any way to align them. What I ended up doing was buying the Zone VI Beseler lens alignment tool (from Calumet Photo) and super-gluing it to the Omega lens carrier. With the lens then mounted in that, I could align it without any problem.

Crude, but it works!

 

[hblad120]

Michael,

Thanks for the response and the tip. I'll look into it.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

To level the negative stage, there are four screws on the sides of structure that supports it.

I'm not sure how to level the lens stage, but I know it is possible. Contact Harry at www.classic-enlargers.com, and he has manuals and alignment kits for Omega enlargers.

 

[steve]

I was in the darkroom last night and noticed for the first time that my images were not in focus edge to edge. After some propping up of the easel here and there I got a sharp image.

Is there any way to adjust the lamp housing on the D2 to properly align the light onto the easel?

Thanks

As David said, there are 4 screws on the lower side of the negative stage that loosen the stage for adjustment. You are trying to get the negative stage parallel with the easel. It really doesn't matter if it's level - just parallel.

Take a level, and check the surface on which you will place the easel. Check it in both directions (90 degrees to each other) and across the diagonals.

This will give you an idea of how you have to adjust the negative stage. Get the negative stage as close to parallel as you can get it using the level on the negative stage to match the level on the projection surface.

Carefully snug down the screws when the stage is parallel with the surface. I've used this method for 30 years, and with a machinist's level, you can get the surfaces parallel within 0.0005 inch or better.

However, one of the problems with the D2V is that when you raise the lamphouse up the rail, it has a tendency to sag forward very slightly when the lamphouse is at the very top. It will go out of parallel a very tiny bit. You can solve this problem by attaching the column at the top with wire or small aircraft cable with turnbuckles to the wall.

A very slight amount of tension on the cables or wire will keep the column from sagging at all.

There are also LED enlarger alignment tools available - www.zig-align.com.

 

[Eric Mac]

D2v

There was an article this year in Photo techniques that about tuning up a DII. (not D2) I'll poke around at home to find the article and link on how to align the post, head and carrier together.

Eric

 

[Ronald Moravec]

Adjust the lens F/R first using the upper rear carriage axel. It is on an excentric. Loosen the end nuts and turn axle using the hole in the axle and a small allen wrench.

Level lens left to right with washers under the castle nuts or tape on top of the plate that holds the lens.

The last thing to level is the neg stage with the four bolts provided.

A level is all that is required.

 

[Mike Té]

I second the advice to contact Harry Taylor of Classic Enlargers. He sold me an alignment tool about a year ago. It's a simple set-up involving a level that I've used for 2 different enlargers. Worth it. Harry knows his Omegas.

Cheers from cold and snowy Ottawa