Printing 5X7 Negs on Beseler 45MX?

[robertarthur]

I have been doing 4x5 for a while. Naturally, I am interested in moving to 5x7 format. Can I print 5x7 negs in my Beseler 45MX (hoping so)?

 

[Nick Zentena]

Take head off. Buy and install the 8x10 conversion?

 

[Richard Kelham]

Yeah, chop three inches off the neg and the rest should print up nicely

 

[Loose Gravel]

I print my 57s with the 810 conversion. Unfortunately, the conversion is rather expensive to buy from Beseler and besides, I think they are going to quit selling it, if they haven't already. It is not a particularly difficult thing to build from either wood or metal if your mechanically inclined. The larger coldlight is the biggest expense.

 

[Steve Sherman]

Some years ago I bought a 7x9 Cold LIght head from Aristo and adapted it to my Beseler 45 MX. The top part just above the negative stage does unbolt and can then be adapted to accomodate the new cold light head.

It was not that difficult to do.

Negative carrier is glass with white plexiglass on the top which does a nice job of dispersing light and there by eliminating dust spots.

Somewhere, I may have some digi pix if you are interested.

Cheers!

 

[Curt]

Steve, I bought an Aristo 5x7 head this Summer and the plexiglass with the intention of converting my Beseler to a 5x7 enlarger as I have two 5x7 cameras. Pix's would be nice but I have a good idea of the job, just havn't gotten around to it yet. Enlarging 5x7 would be very nice. I have an Aristo 8x10 cold light head also and two 8x10 cameras but that's a little more distant. And I even got the enlarging lenses to boot. What was I thinking?

Curt

 

[Nick Zentena]

I'd love pics to. I'm thinking of trying to mount an Aristo 8x10 head to my old Elwood 5x7.

 

[Steve Sherman]

My apologies, I cannot find the Jpegs anywhere on my computer.

If you know the Aristo 7x9 Cold light head, you'll see that it is not terribly difficult to mount where the orginal condenser head attached.

 

[photographs42]

Several years ago I switched from 4x5 to 5x7 and converted my 45M to 5x7 by building an adaptor for a Zone VI VC head. It’s pretty simple. I have since moved on to the complete Zone VI enlarger but I still have the converter. I also have Autocad drawings that I did for the converter. I’m not at home now but I’ll take some pics tonight when I get home.

Jerome

 

[Jon Shiu]

I believe there is an article in one of Photo Techniques Darkroom issues that describes how Alan Ross made a head out of a wooden box for his 45VX, adapting a aristo cold light source.

Jon

 

[photographs42]

Here are some quick snaps of the adaptor I made.
Jerome

 

[Loose Gravel]

Photographs42, very nice. --LG--