?'s about an 8x10 fotar enlarger?

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wildbill

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I bought an 8x10 wall-mount Fotar enlarger with chromega head from df cardwell's post in dearborn, michigan. I think it's the 8ft model not the larger one. As i currently live in california, i'm having a buddy pick it up for me. I know it's huge and he'll have to dissasemble it a bit to move it. I'll pick it up this summer to take it to northern michigan.

How much does this thing weigh?
What should i have him take apart that'll be easy to put back together?
What tools will he need?

thanks

vinny
 

boyooso

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The fotar enlargers are wonderful! But HEAVY, and can be tricky to re-assemble... there are HEAVY counter weights in the column. I have seen the weights un-attached and then re attached, but the last time we moved our 2 free standing enlargers we used tie downs to secure them in place...

A few pointers.

1. before taking the head off use C clamps to secure the neg stage(heavier counterweight) in place...

2. use very secure tie downs, and several of them, to secure the counter weights in place. over do it!

I have never seen a wall mount fotar, but these are the hints I'd give to move a free standing fotar. There is a somewhat elaborate cable system with pullies and such on the free standing enlargers. It can be a huge chore to re-thread it, that is why it seems best to lock it all in place with tie downs... I have a pdf of installation instructions I can email you if you email me... prints (at) hiddenlightllc.com

I also recently stumbled upon www.fotarenlargers.com

Cherish your new enlarger, it is possible the most stable & well engineered enlarger out there, though not the chromega head...

I'm sorry if my post is meandering....

Corey
 

boyooso

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I would estimate weight of 8 foot free standing enlarger at 350lbs +- 50lbs
 

RichSBV

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After having carried a 10x10 Fotar up a good flight of stairs and installing it all by myself, I'll offer my views...

Take the weights out of the column or it will be too unwieldy to handle.

Do not assemble the whole unit before the colum is mounted to the wall as it says in the instructions. It may be simpler to slide the modules onto the column but it will take two or three people to do that. Mounting the colum first and then assembling the head, stage and table can be a one person job.

If you mount the column first, you can easily remove the bearing plate holders for the table, etc, then tilt it into place on the rails. Support it with something strong underneath while you re-attach the bearing plates. If you do the table first, eveything else can be rested on the table on up while reassembling. Place the weights back inside the column and put something under them to hold them up a foot or two from the floor so the cabling can be re-attached.

You'll only need a few large allen keys and a set of wrenches to assemble. Disassembly may depend on how it's mounted now?

The concise assembly instructions and diagrams are available at http://www.southbristolviews.com under Graflex Manuals. It also shows the all important cabling and suggested mounting techniques.

The whole thing is really pretty simple, but heavy. The column was the most difficult as it's long and cumbersome. Everything else was just heavy. Putting it all together takes time but it's not difficult... Oh, and I mounted mine about nine inches from the wall specifically so I had access to the weights and cables for my re-assembly style...
 

noseoil

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Never seen one myself, but this may help. Take lots of pictures prior to disassembly. As you remove the parts, use masking tape and a marker to label the connections so you have some idea of which part goes where and connects to what(a-a, b-b, 1-1, 2-2, etc.). Good luck, tim
 
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