Omega Pro Lab D6 (Dis)Assembly Guide

[igzabeher]

I recently picked up an Omega Pro Lab D6. The height adjustment is very stiff. Does anyone have/know where I can find an (dis) assembly guide, so I can take it apart and lube it up? Thank you kindly.

 

[MattKing]

Is that the D6 with the black single column chassis or is it the D6 with the grey dual column chassis.
In case you haven't seen them, the KHB references:
Grey column D6
Black column D5/XL and D6

 

[igzabeher]

Grey double column.

 

[MattKing]

First check that the elevation lock is not sticking in the engaged position .

 

[mwdake]

Check the little wheels that run up the back of the rails.
They are flanged like train wheels and need the flange part inside the track.
If the enlarger has been transported people often try to lift using the head and doing this can cause the wheels to move inwards so that the flange is on the rail instead of the actual wheel itself.
The first D5 I bought was this way. I got it for half price thinking it needed disassembly and lube etc.
Once I got it home and checked it out properly it was obvious what the issue was.

 

[igzabeher]

@MattKing barring complete idiocy, which I am not above committing, I'm positive the lock is not engaged.

@mwdake it was transported and one or two were out of place. Popped them back in, or at least I believe I did. Problem persists.

Upon further review, I think the issue may reside in the counterbalance springs and/or something in the elevation crank. At present moment the head will neither lift, nor descend by hand or crank. The crank isn't driving the gears (ie., the crank turns, but the gears aren't, at least not always). Thoughts or suggestions other than replace the crank and counterbalance springs?

 

[mwdake]

You say the crank is not turning the gears.
When you turn the crank does the shaft turn?
If the shaft turns do the gears turn?

 

[igzabeher]

Shaft turns, the gears hit or miss.

 

[mwdake]

OK.
Isn’t there a collar attached to the gears that has a set screw to tighten it to the shaft.
I’ll have to go wrestle with my D6 so I can see the back and take a peek at the gear/shaft attachment arrangement.

 

[igzabeher]

I will have to take a look. Thank you kindly.

 

[mwdake]

I took a look at my enlarger and the gears are held in place on the shaft by what looks like little grub screws or pins.
Pins would make more sense but if the shaft can turn while the gears stay in place like what’s happening to yours then maybe they are grub/set screws and they are not gripping the shaft tight enough.

What happens if you undo the elevation lock and move the head up and down the chasis by hand by pushing the head?
You should be able to move the head by hand without a great deal of effort.
If you can’t then something is binding somewhere. As I said earlier the classic example of this is the little train wheels on the back of the chasis rails.

 

[igzabeher]

It sounds like I'm missing the screws/pins. Would you be able to send me a picture of what yours look like? They may be in my trunk.

I would have to exert a great deal of force to get the head to move by hand. I'll go back through and check the wheels again, but they all appear to be where they belong. The binding is why I'm wondering if it's my balance springs. But I'm open to any and all suggestions.

 

[mwdake]

The screws or pins are not likely to have fallen out.
Can you rotate the gears by hand on the shaft.
If the gears were not attached to the shaft correctly I would imagine the elevation crank to be easy ro turn not difficult.
And if the counterbalance springs were broken I would imagine the head would be difficult to raise either with the crank or by hand but very easy to lower; I think I got that the right way round.

 

[mwdake]

Here’s a picture of one of the gears.
It’s from a spare D5 XL column I have but the gears are the same I believe.
You can see the little brown dot, that’s what the pins look like.
Now that I have a photo I can zoom in and see they are actually pins which makes more sense than grub screws as they probably slip on the shaft.

 

[igzabeher]

Gear mystery solved. One of the gears is missing it's pin.

 

[mwdake]

Oh, I wonder how that happened?
I bet someone has had it apart lost a pin and put it back together without it.
Or are you sure it’s missing, they don’t go all the way through. If you look 180 on the gear it just looks like an empty hole.
They are just roll pins so should be able to find them at Ace Hardware or the like.

 

[igzabeher]

I'm positive it's missing and positive that will fix my issue, that and a slight readjustment I needed to make to the carriage. Thank you kindly for your assistance, @mwdake. I appreciate you.

 

[mwdake]

Happy you figured it out.
Do let us know how it works out and have fun with your enlarger.