Omega DII smells faintly of burning

Austin_Jessup · Jan 20, 2017

Hi everyone,

I'm very excited as I just got my first enlarger from another APUG user locally. I'm not very familiar with enlarger regularities and have only used much newer models in a community darkroom, but is it normal for a condensor head to smell a little like burning? The enlarger is so old that I want to believe it's normal but I can only imagine some other users have direct experience with a DII. Can anyone tell me if this is normal?

Sirius Glass · Jan 20, 2017

It could be dust. Open it up where to light source is and clean or vacuum it to clean out other dust.

darkroommike · Jan 20, 2017

Dust the bulb, too. I'm not big on vacuum cleaners in the darkroom, take the enlarger out of the darkroom and give it a good going over. I also use a small paintbrush 1-2 inch to encourage the dust out of the nooks and crannies, then let every thing settle put it back together and test again.

Austin_Jessup · Jan 20, 2017

Thanks to both of you! I'll give this a shot.

Rick A · Jan 20, 2017

I never "dust" my enlarger with brushes. I do however wipe it down with a damp cloth so the dust is captured and not just redeposited.

Austin_Jessup · Jan 20, 2017

Thanks Rick!

mgb74 · Jan 20, 2017

While open for cleaning, take a careful look at the bulb socket and wiring. And make sure the wattage of the bulb is not too high.

darkroommike · Jan 20, 2017

Rick A said:
I never "dust" my enlarger with brushes. I do however wipe it down with a damp cloth so the dust is captured and not just redeposited.

I don't either, I run the vacuum (HEPA) while I run the brush into nooks and crannies that the vacuum brush will not fit, and I take the enlarger out of the darkroom, the last enlarger I bought got that treatment before I put it in the darkroom..

choiliefan · Jan 20, 2017

It's winter so enjoy the extra heat.

Rick A · Jan 20, 2017

choiliefan said:
It's winter so enjoy the extra heat.

And, unfortunately, the extra static that can (and usually does) cause dust issues.

jvo · Jan 24, 2017

i have 2 dII - no burning smell... as they said, dust well, check wires. i replaced the electrical components in one - real easy. enjoy.

jvo

ic-racer · Jan 24, 2017

I'd inspect and replace the cord and socket on any electrical device from the 1950s/1960s.

AgX · Jan 24, 2017

Phenolic resin (Bakelite) lamp fittings typically smell when heated up. I tend to substitute them with porcelain ones where possible.

darkroommike · Jan 24, 2017

ic-racer said:
I'd inspect and replace the cord and socket on any electrical device from the 1950s/1960s.

That one works with the D2 and later lamp houses but does not work on some early lamp houses which need a metal fitting that screws in to the top of the lamp house.

Austin_Jessup · Jan 24, 2017

Thanks a lot to everyone who's responding. Tonight I finally have time to address this so I'll probably be back with more questions. I'm not very savvy with electrical components but I may give it a shot if I find it's possible to replace the lamp fittings.

Austin_Jessup · Jan 25, 2017

I finally had a chance to look at the bulb socket and it's got some brown burnt looking stuff on the contacts. The bulb is a 150 watt. I've seen that replacement bulbs for these come in both 75w and 150w so I don't know how to tell which is appropriate for this socket.

I wiped everything down and will let the enlarger sit until tomorrow most likely before trying again. Does anyone know if these burnt spots are something I can clean or do I need to replace the socket?

If anyone has experience with different versions of lamp houses for these DII, I have the "color head" version that has a filter door above the condensor.

Thanks again to all of you for your help!

jvo · Jan 27, 2017

Are the brown spots burning or rust/corrosion? If the wire is in good shape you might get away with using a good wire brush on it. U plug it!!!

My socket is a standard lap socket that screws in the top - standard lamp socket available at any he store, and easy to replace with minimal expertise.

I apparently don't have color head version as there is no filter drawer above the condenser. Also I use 75w bulbs only.

Omega DII smells faintly of burning

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