Versalab Laser Alignment Tool - A couple questions...

[holmburgers]

I spotted one of these beauties at an Antique mall of all places. It just so happens that I need to align my Beseler 45MCR.

My plan is to buy it, use it, and potentially sell it again for no loss. Being the poor, youngun that I am, I probably shouldn't keep it.

First question; what's in the box? If I bring a couple AA's I'll test it, but I just want to make sure it's complete.

2ndly, at what price will I have trouble breaking even? I seem to recall one selling in the past for about $100.

Furthermore, if you feel like raving about how great it is, and how easy it is to align your Beseler 45 then I'm all ears!

:joyful:

 

[frobozz]

And when you're done with it, sell it to me!

Duncan

 

[holmburgers]

SOLD!

And thanks Greg

 

[Martin Aislabie]

Buy it, use it to align your enlarger and then rent it out to others

I check my enlargers about twice a year

At first I found the enlargers kept drifting out of parallel but as time moved on they settled and now don't need adjusting

I suspect the initial drift was nothing of the sort but actually me getting better at aligning the enlarger and it needing time to settle between adjustments

Martin

 

[holmburgers]

Renting it out... not a bad idea

 

[ic-racer]

You can test it to see if it is pointing 90 degrees:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[holmburgers]

Thanks guys, and ic-racer, that'll be a great resource if I end up getting it.

 

[patrickjames]

Make sure it hasn't been dropped. It is a precision tool worth it's weight in gold.

 

[Barry S]

I have one and it makes enlarger alignment very easy. Nothing is more frustrating than an enlarger out of alignment--I speak from experience. My guess is they got a heap of darkroom equipment for a few bucks, so offer them $10 and see what happens. Used, they still sell for around $100.

 

[jmcd]

Over the years I have tried many methods for aligning enlargers. The Versalab works very, very well.

 

[chriscrawfordphoto]

Don't sell it, ever. You'll want to check the alignment frequently and adjust if needed. Enlargers can and do fall out of alignment with use.

 

[mwdake]

what's in the box?

I have one still in the original box and packaging.
It has the laser box
1 glass plate 5 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches
3 glass plates about 3 x 1 inches, 1 has a white label in the middle?
A rubber band Thingy for holding the glass plates
An Allen wrench for opening the case to change the battery
Instruction sheet

 

[holmburgers]

Thanks very much for the concise list.

 

[ic-racer]

A few notes:
1) The 4 screws that hold the top plate on should be loose. If they are thight, it warps the plastic box slightly, then it wobbles. Of course we know 3 points define a plane, but they put it it a box with 4 feet, so if it is only slighty warped it wobbles.

2) The laser alignment itself is adjusted on 3 points with setscrews.