problem with enlarger

[maeksi]

hi, i bought a used dunco67II some month ago and i have a problem where i don't find the failure. i can only get the photo on the left or right side sharp it don't work with the whole photo - i checked it a thousands of time and when i put the mask-board on the unsharp side around 0,3 inch higher it gets here too sharp. it is stupid and i can somehow imagine what the reason could be but nothing i do changes this matter. it really sucks. i would be so thankful for any help in this matter because i don't know anymore what i could do.
maeksi

 

[Jorge Oliveira]

maeksi

You probably have to align your enlarger. See:

Dead Link Removed

Jorge O

 

[Donald Miller]

From what you describe your enlarger is out of alignment. I am not familiar with your particular brand and model of enlarger but most every enlarger needs to be aligned at one time or the other. The process involves aligning the easel/baseboard with the enlarging lens and with the negative stage (front to back and side to side). There are devices mfg and sold that enable one to determine the adjustments needed. However, one can use a level among other homemade devices to accomplish this as well. From what you indicate the lens/negative stage are tilted sideways in orientation to the baseboard/easel. There may be other adjustments required as well but the side tilt seems to be your primary noticeable problem. Good luck.

 

[maeksi]

thanks a lot

 

[jobel60]

Have a look in the Tech section on this site, there was a good posting about aligning the easel with mirrors.

 

[skahde]

hi, i bought a used dunco67II some month ago and i have a problem i

Why am I not at all surprised? Ah yes, I remember. I had the exact same trouble with a then new dunco II66 which needed a good handfull of shims to get properly aligned. I bought it as a beginner and it took me several years to realize what a piece of crap my beloved Dunco was.

I'm still upset when I remember what kinds of trouble I had with this device. Flimsy, 6x6 limited to 55x55mm (Rolleiflex is 56x56mm, I called them if there was a special carrier for Rolleiflexes but was told that 55x55 is standard following DIN and this is what they stick to. Well, thanks for sticking your heads into whitebooks instead of building what fits photographers needs!). BTW. Dunco 30x40cm easels fowl Dunco-columns when using that format. Not to forget that it was impossible to fine-focus without a costy accessory which broke down after half a year (flimsy) but was replaced with an improved one for free and within few days. Their service was nothing to complan about, not at all. But let me get back to the issue of aligning a Dunco.

Firsts step: *Remove* both zero-detents, on the head as well as on the lens-stage, they are nothing but in your way to proper left-to-right alignment. Put them aside if you want to sell the enlarger later. Shims may be needed for proper alignment of the flimsy column which tilts back and forth as the head is moved up and down. Align column/head for somewhere in between. After aligning the head left-to-right you will find that there are no means to align the lensboard front to rear. A good place for some more shims.

After going through that procedure and finally getting sharp grain over the whole picture the idea of a mechnically better enlarger became *very* attractive to me. I had a chance to get a Durst Laborator 54 for the proverbial song and sold the Dunco some weeks later. I now have two Laborators (54, 1000) and paid less than for the Dunco in 1990. They are, as one might expect, worlds apart mechanically.

Please apologize my ramblings, my bloodpressure is still on the rise when I think about the time and effort wasted. GET RID OF IT! Ok, I'll shut up now...

best

Stefan

 

[maeksi]

actually i gave up on my dunco i tried it and tried it but it was kind of impossible - i got it from ebay - it had on one page really good marks that was the reason why i bought it i think now the company had probably paid the people which tested it.
how did you sell the dunco? i havent gotten to the point of selling - the enlarger made me so mad and i am so glad that there is someone out there which had the same problem i thought i am too stupid for it. thanks a lot for your information.

maeksi

 

[skahde]

How did you sell the dunco? i havent gotten to the point of selling - the enlarger made me so mad and i am so glad that there is someone out there which had the same problem i thought i am too stupid for it.

I had the exact same feeling. I reported my problem on usenet but was accused of badmouthing the Dunco (By people who did not see any need to align it at all. You get the picture). Their reputation in Germay is high and it was easy to sell it for a good price to a beginner. I told him how to align it with mirrors and never heard of it again. But this was back in '98 when digital was no issue. I would set it up for auction and put a reasonable reserve on it.

best

Stefan