When at First You Don't Succeed, Get a Bigger Hammer

[hgernhardt]

So the Beseler 23 (blue body) I have had a ridiculously badly stripped set of gears. One side was missing half its teeth. It was like that when I bought it a few years back, but I never got around to replacing the elevation gears.

Finally did that today.

Wow, was it noisy, and messy. Rewarding, though. The elevation crank now handles smoothly. It was interesting having to track down the necessary tools (including a 1/8" pin punch), and rewarding getting the thing to work. Took about forty-five minutes including tool track-down time.

I can now better appreciate the consequences of attempting to alter elevation without disengaging the brake.

 

[fotch]

Congratulation Henry. I would of thought it would take a lot of force to overcome the brake and damage the gears, no? Or was it that way before you got it? Anyway, its a great machine, enjoy.

 

[Worker 11811]

My Beseler has worn gears and a couple of teeth are chipped.
I just rotated the gears around so that the chipped teeth are out of phase with each other. No two chipped gears are engaging the rack at the same time. I was lucky enough that the chips were located where I could rotate them to be out of phase.

Yes, it was a PITA to do and, no, it's not the ideal solution but like the OP, that's the way mine was when I got it, third-hand or more. It works well enough, now, as long as I don't horse it too much.

 

[hgernhardt]

Or was it that way before you got it?

It was that way when I got it. Still, the Beseler 23 was the first enlarger I ever used, and still my current favorite. Especially since I'm not doing anything bigger than 6x9.

 

[Dave Swinnard]

Over a whole bunch of years at a photo school that taught b/w darkroom I changed gears (almost always on the crank handle side) in the B23Cs a number of times (we had five of them on the go). THE TRICK is that pin punch. With that, the spare parts, and of course the appropriately sized hammer, the job can be done is a fairly short time.

I have to say what a workhorse the Beseler 23 series is. The fact they stood up to all those students for all those years is a testament to their simple, robust construction. (at least a couple of them withstood almost 35 years use).

 

[jvo]

those jobs i've put off, i've always found to be easier than i thought and more rewarding when i've accomplished them... still doesn't stop my procrastination!!!

thanks for the update - enjoy the "new" enlarger...

jvo