what is it???

janmfitz · Jun 2, 2005

Hi all, first time here.
My ex bought a 'thing' at a yard sale. It is some kind of old camera equipment. It is metal, 21 inches long, 15 inches high. Has an expandable lens. Inside it has a large light bulb and a mirror. It can sit on a long wooden rail type thing. It is made by Burke and James. I tried searching the internet but can not find anything that looks like it. I'm thinking it may be some kind of enlarger. Does anyone have an idea as to what it is and how much it could be worth? Thanks

rbarker · Jun 2, 2005

A picture is worth a thousand (descriptive) words.

Monophoto · Jun 2, 2005

An enlarger, perhaps?

Ole · Jun 2, 2005

Could it be a balloptikon, also known as epidiascope?

Bighead · Jun 2, 2005

I had a popcorn maker that meets that discription... Hmm! I wondered where that went....

Dimitri · Jun 2, 2005

Does it look anything like the ones in this page?

http://www.luikerwaal.com/newframe_uk.htm?/epidia_uk.htm

John Kasaian · Jun 2, 2005

Does it emit radiation??

Donald Qualls · Jun 2, 2005

That's most likely a large format enlarger -- please ignore the wisenheimers above. Burke and James made press cameras in competition with Graflex for many years, and sold their own line of enlargers, as well; a horizontal one like that might accommodate 4x5, 5x7 or even 8x10 negatives; hard to say without seeing it.

Value is strongly dependent on both condition and demand. More modern designs of large format enlargers have been going begging on eBay due to shipping costs being more than folks are willing to pay. I paid $240 locally for a fully functional Omega D2 4x5 enlarger a few months ago, which included cold light head, one lens, several lens boards and cones, a number of negative carriers, a few stray camera filters, 120 size developing tank, and a full set of 16x20 trays -- but enlargers (especially for large format) are so bulky and heavy and fragile that getting them packed for shipping and shipped adds up very quickly, and an enlarger you can't examine in person is something of a pig in a poke anyway.

Bottom line, if you can find a local buyer who wants such a thing, it might fetch anywhere from $20 to $500 depending on size and condition. If not, you can likely part it out and sell off the lens (if present), bellows (if light tight), condenser glass (if present) and negative carrier(s) (if present) -- perhaps even the lamp house.

If it hasn't got any of that "if present" stuff, you might be able to convert it into a nice wall lamp...

janmfitz · Jun 3, 2005

Donald Qualls said:
That's most likely a large format enlarger -- please ignore the wisenheimers above. Burke and James made press cameras in competition with Graflex for many years, and sold their own line of enlargers, as well; a horizontal one like that might accommodate 4x5, 5x7 or even 8x10 negatives; hard to say without seeing it.

Value is strongly dependent on both condition and demand. More modern designs of large format enlargers have been going begging on eBay due to shipping costs being more than folks are willing to pay. I paid $240 locally for a fully functional Omega D2 4x5 enlarger a few months ago, which included cold light head, one lens, several lens boards and cones, a number of negative carriers, a few stray camera filters, 120 size developing tank, and a full set of 16x20 trays -- but enlargers (especially for large format) are so bulky and heavy and fragile that getting them packed for shipping and shipped adds up very quickly, and an enlarger you can't examine in person is something of a pig in a poke anyway.

Bottom line, if you can find a local buyer who wants such a thing, it might fetch anywhere from $20 to $500 depending on size and condition. If not, you can likely part it out and sell off the lens (if present), bellows (if light tight), condenser glass (if present) and negative carrier(s) (if present) -- perhaps even the lamp house.

If it hasn't got any of that "if present" stuff, you might be able to convert it into a nice wall lamp...

Thanks. I don't own a digital camera but could borrow one to see if I can put a photo up here. I'm not looking to really ship it anywhere. There is a Cub Scout yard sale next week and I'm planning to sell it there. Maybe someone there has a creative side and can do something with it.

janmfitz · Jun 3, 2005

Dimitri said:
Does it look anything like the ones in this page?

http://www.luikerwaal.com/newframe_uk.htm?/epidia_uk.htm

It looks sort of like the last one. But minus a few things. The extended lens on the front(but that could be missing). It only has one light bulb inside. It doesn't have a "chimney" on top. Nor the lever on the side. But out of anything I"ve seen this looks the most like it.I'd get a photo up of it,but I don't own a digital camera.

Donald Qualls · Jun 5, 2005

If the bulb is behind where you'd put a negative or plate, it might be a projector or "magic lantern" but I don't recall B&J selling any of those. If the bulb is on the same side of the plate/object location as the lens, then it can only be an episcope, or what was called an "opaque projector" when I was a kid -- but again, I don't know that Burke & James ever sold any of those. Either would have more collector interest than any but the rarest enlargers, and is a little more likely to be complete, but none of the above is likely to get you anything at a Cub Scout rummage sale.

Murray@uptowngallery · Jul 23, 2007

I think the chimneys were for candle-operated ones.

Apparently the Episcope variety was reflective, used for opaque transmission, and the diascope was basically like a slide projector. I assume epidiascope is the variety that has two lenses. There were some pretty scary looking ones that had 1000W lamps and 800 mm lenses or very large diameter (f/3.6?), but they were on floor stands.

I would also guess that unless it looked like an antique, most people at that Cub Scout sale would look at it like a deer in the headlights.

I keep dwelling on the thought of someone's spouse/ex bringing it home...my wife would never do that...she doesn't do yard sales either.

rpsawin · Jul 23, 2007

This sounds like a device my former proctologyst may have used....

Bob

dpingr · Jul 23, 2007

I'm pretty sure you've found the original Easy Bake Oven. mmmmmm... Brownies!

Dan Ingram

Paddy · Jul 24, 2007

dpingr said:
Brownies!

Hey, weren't you listening? He said "Cub Scouts"!!!

what is it???

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