How many enlargers do you have?

[graywolf]

Well, three, but only one is 100%.

Here is how it happened. I've had a Crown Graphic for a long time. I have been looking for a 4x5 enlarger for all that time. I finally found a really cheap pre-war (tht is pre-WWII for you kids) DeJur on eBay that I could afford (that was before film died) on eBay. Whern it arrived it was broken do to poor packing. The seller refunded my money but did not want it back, so I tried to fix it. I got it working but the big brass roller on the carriage was worn so much the enlarger could not be aligned properly. Worked OK as long as I use a really small f/stop. I used it awhile, but it was so heavy it was a bear to move from the closet to the bathroom come darkroom and back. My health deteriated and it just got to be too much for me to mess with.

Then a few years back a freind who had gone digital gave me an Omega B22 (1960's vintage). Before I got around to using it I had gotten a digital camera myself. About a year back I was wanting to get back into B&W darkroom work and thought, "I have that B22 it is light enough for me to move back and forth. I would like something bigger than 35mm though". I found a couple of old folding 6x6 cameras and got an 80mm lens and a 6x6 negative carrier for the Omega. Haven't done as much as I want to as my health is rather up and down.

Just recently someone gave me another B22, this one with the black XL column. It was not complete, but I swapped parts from the old B22, made a new baseboard ( http://graywolfphoto.com/journal/201...ger-baseboard/ ) to go with the long column (did you know that XL column will allow 20x24 prints on the baseboard, but the baseboard is to small to fit even a 16x20 easel?). Now all I need to do is try it out.

[Chris Lange]

3 in operation, a Beseler 45M, an Omega DII with Dichro II head, and a Durst 606. I have a Durst Laborator 1000 without a power supply for the Pavelle head it came with, that sits around being useless.

The Beseler is great, condensers and glass carrier, and the Omega is used for diffusion b&w, and the mini Durst is for when I don't need to operate a big machine like my 4x5 enlargers.

[mr rusty]

Ha! One more than I did yesterday. Put in a fleabay bid of £10 on a "looks complete but may not be working" durst m305 + philips timer and won it!! I'll see what it's like when I collect. I really only wanted the timer as a backup so the enlarger will probably be checked out/sorted if its any good and go back on.

[Sirius Glass]

Still, only one.

[Neil Poulsen]

This thread is hilarious! All these enlargers that enthusiasts have.

Of course, I'm no exception.

I'm down to three enlargers.

• Zone VI Type I with 35mm through 4x5, plus 6x17 negative carrier. I use this with a Beseler 45S head via the Zone VI Type I Beseler adapter. (Calumet sold me their last one.) Also have the Type II non-VC 8x10 head. It can be adapted to the Type I.

• Zone VI Type II, 35mm through 8x10 w/both 5x7 and 8x10 VC Type II heads. Have the Zone VI Type II Beseler adapter (Calumet sold me their last one!) to use with the 45S. I was recently able to purchase the focus extension to this enlarger.

• Omega D6 with Chromega II head. 35mm through 4x5 glassless and glass negative carriers. (Paid $60.)

Except for the 4x5, for which I have an El Nikkor 150mm A, I have all Apo-Rodagon enlarging lenses for each format. This includes a 240mm Apo Rodagon for 8x10, which I believe to be one of the best enlarging lenses for a Type II 8x10. It's actually a process lens optimized at f16; it's sharper and has a wider field than the standard 240mm Rodagon lens.

[Pasto]

As of last fall, two enlargers. A Durst L1200 and a Durst L184. I've upgraded to 8x10 just so that I could use the L184! I managed to fit the Dursts + a JOBO ATL2000 + a 5 foot sink + film drying cabinet + film/paper fridge + a drymounting press in a 9' x 10' darkroom!! I didn't think it was possible when I first looked at the L184, but at a discount of 0$ I couldn't refuse What do they say about the mother of invention??

[pstake]

One. Valoy II with a Schneider Componon-S 50mm.

[Sirius Glass]

Still, only one.

Chromega II D5-XL with at turret and 50mm, 80mm and 135mm lenses.

[rjbuzzclick]

Just the one Omega D2 with the variable condenser, and lenses and frames to cover me from 35mm to 4x5.

[ic-racer]

How many people use enlargers in parallel or at the same time? Or with multiple people printing at once? I've often wondered in home darkrooms how much the edge fogging is if I wanted to have a friend print at the same time.

I mean it's a separate light source so it should fog but you see multiple enlarger setups in schools, labs, etc. and I've always wondered how they dealt with it or how much of a problem it was. I couldn't imagine that the matte black surrounds prevent all fogging.

I have experimented with working up two negatives at the same time on different enlargers. I have found it does not suit me well. Kind of like playing two games of chess. I can't really concentrate on both negatives and keep both dodging/burning sequences straight.