Has anyone seen if there are still second hand 4x5 enlargers at Vanbar et al? They've had some listed on their site for quite a while...
Printable View
Has anyone seen if there are still second hand 4x5 enlargers at Vanbar et al? They've had some listed on their site for quite a while...
These thing appear from time to time - at one stage I had four of them (down to a sensible one now!). I have found two through work alone. I'll keep my eyes peeled...
Marc!
Great to see more of us getting into film. I've had a 4x5 for years but could only use part of the negative in my old 6x4cm enlarger because of the high cost of 4x5 enlargers. I tried building one but getting even illumination was a problem. I finally got lucky and got hold of one from a colour lab closing (of all places) in Adelaide. For $800 they gave me a Durst 5x4 enlarger, Wallner Analyzer and Timer and 150mm lens. Works great. This leads to a couple of things. First, pro labs are still closing down, and need to sell their gear. Collect from them if you can because you need to know what does what! (manuals are mostly lost by now). Second, you'll need more than an enlarger. You need a lens (say 150mm) and this could be an extra. My guy threw in the lens free because it had to go somewhere. Third, enlargers are either diffusion or condensor, colour or mono. Diffusion is cheaper; colour has correction filters that are ideal for variable contrast papers. The choice you make may influence both price and what you can do. All that having been said, I think with a bit of common sense you could build your own diffusion enlarger by copying the Durst design, which is pretty simple, and using Ilford's variable contrast filters for filtration. Getting everything square would be the tricky part, as would be the need for cooling (Durst uses a 200W dichroic bulb which gets pretty hot) without introducing vibration. I'm happy to post the basic Durst measurements if you're interested. Good luck.
Ian.
Maybe Vanbar Melbourne is worth a try. They did purchase a number of various format enlargers from the State Library of NSW some time ago (so that's likely a dead lead) but they do seem to be buyers.
Last weekend they had a giant Japanese 5x4" enlarger in Vanbar Fitzroy, amongst other things - dusty, but in super nick. Wasn't cheap though...
Marc!
You just ought to take your time and wait for the right deal. Someone was giving away a free Durst 138 a month or two ago, and i just got a complete darkroom, with a Durst 1200, that i can say is an entirely recommendable enlarger, even with two Ilford 500 heads, and a shitload of darkroom gear (including a huge PVC sink, 50+ litres of chem concentrates, loads of papers and films), all in all for the equivalent of 500 aussie bucks. Just wait for the right deal.
I put up a classifieds on a big danish site, somewhat like craigslist, you ought too as well.
Now if I could just find a column to fit my LPL 5x4 head to - I'd have a complete 5x4 enlarger!! :)
Can't you get one fabricated? Some aluminium box section with a gearing system would be pretty easy to do here in Oz.Quote:
Originally Posted by ozphoto
Hadn't actually thought of that. . . . although I also have to admit, I'm certainly no DIY handyman brainchild either.:D Maybe I need to research that a little further as it could make for an interesting project.Quote:
Originally Posted by LJH
I've got a Durst CE 1000 taking up space . The plastic gear which drives it up & down is broken and no light source