Enlarger help?

[Inphenity]

Ok, I was given Beseler dichro 67s enlarger recently. I think all it needs at the moment is a new bulb and a lens. I think i also need a lens mounting plate as there is just a square hole where the lens should go. Does anyone have any reccomendations for lenses? I have been searching all over to find what lens and what kind of lens board i need for it, anyone here know?

This enlarger does not look like most of the pictures i have seen of them on the web, i has knobs for blue yellow and red color filters (its a color head) and its on a dual rail chassis. All of the dichro 67 enlargers i have seen online just had a single rail for raising and lowering the head. Any help figuring out what exactly i have here and what i need to get it running is greatly appreciated.

(edit) apparently it also has a 6x7 mixing chamber, will this work for 35mm or do i need to find a new one?

 

[Melvin]

I recommend you find a manual for both the enlarger and the chassis, which are actually two different things. You'll find the chassis model somewhere on it. There's a place on e-bay that sells good copies of the manuals, you can do a search for "beseler manual" and find it.
You'll probably need to align the enlarger. The manual explains that, also there's a third party product called Bes-align, which is a type of lens board, that really helps with aligning the lens stage. You can get them from B and H.
The best lenses are the most recent Schneider and Rodenstock models, with the "apo" types being the best and most expensive.
BTW dealing with the Beseler company is kind of a joke. They just give you the run around, they don't have any old manuals, and getting parts from them is virtually impossible.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The 6x7 mix chamber will work for 35mm but is dimmer than the 35mm chamber, so exposure times will be longer. I always used my 23cII with colorhead with the 6x9 mix chamber even for 35 and it worked fine.

Some of the later 67's had dual rails like the 23c-series enlargers. You need a lensboard, as you thought. What lens? I used Schnieder Componon-S and they were great, no complaints. I used EL-Nikkors at school and they were fine too.

 

[Inphenity]

anyone know what kind of lens board i need?

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I think all Beselers used the same board. Call a local camera store and ask if they have any. Or check online for stores that sell used darkroom stuff and email or call them and ask if they have one for the 67.

 

[David William White]

Freestyle also has Beseler boards.

 

[sepiareverb]

Don't some of the early 67 Beselers use a smaller board if I'm remembering correctly? Measure the opening side to side where the lensboard fits- the smaller one is very small, like 2" or 2 1/2". If that opening is bigger you need the standard board.

I'd say if you're not going larger than 1114 the Nikon 50/2.8 lens is as good as you'll need, and very cheap these days.

The Bes-Align boards are good, but one can fall into a real trap with them, letting the negative stage and the lens fall way out of alignment with each other. Alignment is the bugaboo of the Beselers, I'd suggest the Versalab alignment tool:

http://www.versalab.com/server/photo/products/parallel.htm

as a real time saver- well worth the price.

 

[Inphenity]

Ok, time to bring this thread back from the dead. My friend who gave me the enlarger called today and she found all of the missing pieces. I now have a complete enlarger with a 90mm f1:4.5 Rodenstock Omegaron lens. From what I have read i can use this setup to print 35mm negs but my print size will be limited. Does anyone know if I will be able to get an 11x14 print using this set up? The maximum distance from the baseboard to the lens is about 40 inches using this chassis.

 

[Mark J]

I have a Beseler 23C not the 67, but I do not think you will get an 11x14 with that lens with a 35mm neg. 8 x 10 might even be a stretch. In any case, enjoy your new gear.

Mark J.