Bulbs and enlargers

[PetPhoto]

As i sit and ponder, how the dark room suppliers have a never ending supply of chemicals, paper, and tongs for sale. The important things are getting harder to find, PH-111A, the EVW bulb for the dual dichro S, and the hairbraned schemes that keep enlargers going.

I remember coming across a pdf file of a book from the 1930s that was all about making enlargers on the low cost spectrum. Some looked remarkeably like production enlargers of the day on the outside. But the insides were a glorious hodgpodge that only a kid with ADHD could love. Maybe a cat too... definitely the cat would love those arrangements.

Considering the fading out of lightbulbs, despite being told "it wont impact enlarger bulbs".. I see a distinct lack of enlarger bulbs. And as I know my dichroic head is getting older, the parts inside it ARE going to fail, even though the parts most likely to fail can be replaced i have no tools, or know how to do so. And sending the head out for repair when it happens

I was kicking back, scaring myself at the prices of new enlargers and thought, can the intrepid enlarger kits be adapted to fit in the filter compartment of a beseler 23cii

 

[Cascadilla]

If I were you I would stock up on the bulbs that you need while you can. Who knows, they might even prove to be good investment like Leicas. Over time, as demand dries up the supply will disappear and light bulbs should last indefinitely if not dropped or used. If you have a filter drawer you can use gels for printing. Having done that may years ago for Cibachrome it wouldn't be my first choice but it can work. I suspect those gels will probably also disappear over time, at least photo quality ones in useful denominations. But keep them in the dark and they should also still be good many years down the line.

 

[titrisol]

Soft white LEDs work fine for BW. Buy dimmables of 2700-3000K temperature (I use GE relax)