Question about LPL 7700 (aka Omega LPL 670CXL aka Saunders LPL 670XL)

[imush]

Question abut the "column reversal" knob... Does it allow the whole column to come out, or it somehow turns it?

I saw a used one, but it is much larger than what I am looking for. But, if it can be easily detached from the baseboard after every use, then I can store the enlarger and baseboard into a closet separately.

 

[ath]

Yes, it can be detached.
The enlarger is a good choice.

 

[perkeleellinen]

It comes out easy. But the head and column are heavy, so get a good grip.

 

[imush]

Very well, now I got myself a Saunders LPL 670XL; it is about 10 years old and relatively clean. It has a 35mm glassless carrier, enough for me to start with before I move up to MF. Now more questions:

1. There is no lensboard (and lens, but I already found a suitalble 50mm El Nikkor lens elsewhere). But there is a threaded hole on the board below the bellows (looks like 39mm). Is there no lensboard? This lensboard sold on Freestyle does not look like the right thing. It seems that there is something more sophisticated missing that once used to be attached below the bellows (there is a hand-tightable screw on the right and a spring shim in the back to hold something.

2. The filter drawer seems to be a bit awkward to access; maybe I am spoiled by large Omega D enlargers where you just open the door and put the filter in. Anyway, the size seems a bit strange. Am I supposed to put 3.5x3.5 filters in there? It does not seem to be a perfect square.

 

[imush]

I already figured out the lensboard; it is there but it was in a reversed position (convex side up, cavity visible from below). When would you use it facing up, does it depend on the lens?

Looks like the enlarger is in fact complete, and it is time to get the lens, Dektol, paper and a few other other darkroom items to try it out.

 

[polyglot]

The convex lensboard (that's an M39 thread by the way, it's pretty standard for enlarger lenses) is invertible to deal with lenses of differing focal lengths. Typically with a 50mm (for 35mm film) you have it with the convex side up (i.e. recessed into the bellows) so that you can achieve focus on the paper. Then with an 85mm lens (for 6x7 film), you have it convex side down (poking out from bellows) so that you don't have to rack the bellows all the way out to get focus for smallish enlargements.