Constructing an enlarger

[Ash]

Well I was thinking that 4x5 would be good....it would suit all the small formats 135/120/4x5 but I may as well go as huge as I can since I'm making it. Otherwise I'd only end up building ANOTHER enlarger for 10x8!

A 4x5 enlarger would definitely be a lot easier I have to admit, and 10x8 enlarging is hardly going to happen often, but the option is there. I think I outta finish doodling designs and get some rest soon. I need to rearrange my room as most of its contents are on my bed!

 

[FrankS]

Now you're starting to remind me of Stephanie. Trying to build an 8x10 enlarger is seting yourself up for failure, IMO. 8x10 is for contact printing. Unless an 8x10 enlarger is pefectly precise, there is no advantage to enlarging an 8x10 sheet film to enlarging a 4x5 sheet film to the degree that is normal - up to 16x20 inches. As this will be the first enlarger you are building, it will not be perfectly precise. Do what you want, but maybe rethink this again.

 

[Ash]

Frank, the hole will be big enough to use 10x8 negs, but as I said, it won't be a very often occurence. We'll see what happens eh, there's no harm in trying. Any failure is a success if ya learn something. 🙂

 

[FrankS]

You just can't tell young'uns anything. Got to learn by themselves I guess. 🙂

How much "head space" do you have in the attic? Know how much you need for an 8x10 enlarger?

 

[Ash]

I'm not using the attic now. I'm weatherproofing the shed (which was a study, so has electrical outlets etc) and using that. There is well over 6ft headroom. I think it was about 8ft last time I took a tape measure down there.


It's not so much you can't tell a young'un something, it's more that like many people of any age I don't like to be told what I can and can't do. I've always gone against others wishes and for the most part profited from it, that's how progression works 😉

I hope you understand that I don't have £500-£1000 to spend on a capable precision enlarger, so I'd prefer to try my hand at building one, and see how well the project turns out

 

[denishr]

Ash, I've got a few links to get you started, so you might rethink your options.

BTW, I was in a similar situation - I wanted to enlarge my 4x5 negs - I restricted my plans to 4x5, although I also shoot 5x7 - since 5x7 enlarger would be too big to fit in my tiny available space.

I first thought of building some kind of "Graflarger" back for my Speed Graphic, which would then be used as enlarger (see graflex site for "Graflarger" info).

However, I was lucky enough to find a "dead" Durst Laborator 1000 - at first I didn't want to take it (offered for free!), since the whole head was covered in rust. Finally I decided to try my luck, and after about two weeks I managed to bring it back to life. Total cost was $50 (including postage) for new light bulbs (I got six from USA - www.replacementlighbulbs.com) and about $15 for two new lamp bases and cords - my enlarger uses TWO 24V/200W halogens, which are not easy to find.

More about my experience can be found on apug.org - HERE.

I also made my own (glass) negative carrier - see HERE.

In short, it turned to be a much better and reliable solution than my intended DIY solution - but I was lucky to find a non-working enlarger for free 🙂

Anyway, the links that might be of interest are here:

Homebuilt 5x7 enlarger

Plans for homemade enlarger

I still suggest that you try to find a "dead" (cheap!) enlarger first - it should be a lot easier to find one in UK than in Croatia (where I live). From what I've seen on ebay UK, there's an abundance of DeVere enlargers there 🙂


HTH,

Denis

 

[Ash]

Great! Thanks for the links 🙂

I'm about to go and buy the first lot of wood to build this beast now. I'm hoping I'll get the right stuff, and enough of it.


I can't open image attachments on apug til I remember my password, but the 5x7 looks great. A lot more thought (and money) was put into that than what I'm thinking!

I don't think I can attach wall mounts in the shed (I haven't really asked the parents yet) and I'd prefer if the thing was portable if one day I move out and I'm still too poor to afford the 'real thing' like a DeVere. As I said early on, this is really only meant as a temporary measure until I *can* afford a sturdy real thing.


I'm thinking my neg carriers will be a wooden frame with a glass sheet - hopefully with one sheet it means no newtonian rings, and all my 4x5 negs will be flat enough.