Enlarger alignment - again!

[Leigh B]

OK. You're missing the meaning of "reference".

If you set A parallel to B, and C parallel to B, then A and C are parallel regardless of what you do with B in the future.

This sets your negative carrier and lensboard parallel, after which you can throw the baseboard overboard if you wish.

- Leigh

[tkamiya]

No, no, no....

Set A parallel to C. While trying to make B parallel to C, the whole assembly containing A and B moves.

A and B are on the head assembly suspended via a long metal post using rather lose friction roller. There are all kinds of side wobbles.

Have you done this with yours? I have - and encountered this problem. Loosen 4 screws that hold the neg stage base, and another that is attached to the roller that slide up and down the vertical post, moves the AB assembly enough to make this critical adjustment impossible.

[tkamiya]

By the way, I have no intention of debating my methodology. With my enlarger (D2 and DII) this IS a problem. If it isn't a problem with yours, great. It won't work for me.

[Leigh B]

No, no, no....

Yes, yes, yes.

I'm afraid you don't understand geometry and trigonometry.

Nothing in my methodology is unique to photography. That technique has been used for aligning precision machinery for over a century. It's standard industry practice.
The attainable accuracy with that technique is orders of magnitude tighter than you could ever achieve with an enlarger.

And yes, I have used it to set up my own enlargers.

In the description I gave in post #11, item B is the baseboard. A is the negative carrier and C the lensboard. You could exchange those if you wish.

If your enlarger doesn't hold the position of the lens stage constant relative to the negative carrier, it's broken and needs to be fixed.

- Leigh

[tkamiya]

I don't think so, and I do understand geometry and trigonometry. (but I suck at history)

You set L (lensboard) parallel to B (baseboard). Now, make F (film stage) parallel to B (baseboard)
Now, L // B // F. FINE!

In reality with my D2, L // B is easy. Problem arises when setting F // B. Now, I loosen 4 screws on film stage and tap, tap, tap 4 corners of the stage. Remember L and F is one assembly suspended far above B in loosely coupled carriage system? NOW, L//B is disturbed. I just lost my reference parallel.

Nothing I do from this point mean anything.

[Leigh B]

I think you mean "L and F is one assembly"...

OK. Set the negative carrier parallel to the baseboard first, disregarding the lens stage. You should be able to lock that adjustment down against the lamp housing.
BTW, on any four-point mount... use three of the screws to set the adjustment with the fourth fully slack. Snug up the fourth after the adjustment is finalized, without changing it.

Then set the lens stage parallel to the baseboard (or to the negative carrier directly).

How are the lens board adjustments made?

Believe it or not... I really am trying to help.

- Leigh

[tkamiya]

Yes, I corrected that. I got confused with all those letters.

Have you ever worked with a D2? This enlarger does NOT give me all the adjustment at all 3 stages. (or 2 rather...) I can lock the whole head assembly but it still won't prevent enough wobble. "Lock" is just a clamp on one side that clamps onto the railing of the post.

Thank you for trying to help but unless you know the limitation and intricacy of my particular enlarger, it's just theory. There IS a reason why I am trying to align film and lens stage. I am working with the limitation of this equipment.

[Leigh B]

No, I'm not familiar with any of the Omega enlargers unfortunately.

Good luck with it. Have you considered modifying the head assembly to improve the rigidity? Should be a simple job for a machine shop.

- Leigh

[craigclu]

5 years or so back, I impulsively bought a Parallel by Versalab after using the mirror system, Bes-Align, levels, Beseler alignment insert, etc. I wish someone 10 years ago would have taken me by the shoulders and shook me until I agreed to a Versalab and saved me all of the trouble. If you have APO lenses and use relatively open apertures, you need the accuracy and incentive to easily check your alignments often as depth of field won't cover your alignment errors. My enlargers tend to stay aligned quite well but confirmation is easy (and actually done) because of the ease of use.

[Bill Burk]

Hi tkamiya,

I use DII.

The lens plane can be moved independently of the film plane.

The lens stage is fixed to two focusing rods. These two rods go through two steel rectangular bars. The steel rectangular bars are held by screws that go into the tapped frame and are locked with cap nuts. First reduce the tension on the friction roller. Then remove the cap nuts. Then loosen the screws. Because the holes in the two steel rectangular bars are drilled oversize - now you can move the lens stage freely.