Topic: Kodak Flurolite Enlarger

[Bryan]

A while back I posted about how I converted a Kodak Flurolite Enlarger into a film scanner that I use with a digital camera (see link below).  Well, yesterday I converted it back into an enlarger and made some prints.  I can still use it both ways, I just need to take the lens off to use it as a scanner. 

http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?topic=8655.msg123458#msg123458

I've been making contact prints for a while now but I haven't used an enlarger since around 1984 in my High School photography class.  I'm sure there's still a lot I need to learn but this is a start.

When I purchased the Flurolite enlarger it was set up for making copies and didn't have the lighted head.  Instead it had a camera mounted where the head would go.  It has worked great for scanning and I have all the negative carriers including 35mm, 127 and 120 film.  A head came up on eBay recently so I ordered it.  The head originally used a circular 8-1/4" fluorescent bulb with a special plug making it almost impossible to find a replacement.  I got an 8" circular LED bulb and re-wired the head to take it.  The bulb fits fine in the spring loaded clips. 

When I originally purchased the enlarger it had an Ektar lens in a Kodak Supermatic shutter.  It was originally intended to use the shutter for timing enlargements but that would be very limiting.  The original fluorescent bulb would suck with a timer because they don't turn on quickly, the LED bulb solved that problem.  In my setup I'm using the Ektar lens and a Beseler enlarging timer.  I just leave the shutter open all the time. 

Since I don't have the stand for the enlarger I used a tripod.  This is difficult because I had to make sure the enlarging head was square with the easel.  I'll need to find a stand for it eventually.  focusing was a bit difficult for me so I ordered a grain focuser, that hasn't arrived yet.  I think I got it focused pretty good though.  Below are some photos of the setup and a few prints I made yesterday from some 120 negatives shot last summer.  Don't laugh at my darkroom, it's also the laundry room and serves as a catchall for storage.  It's the only room in my house without windows plus it has a wash basin that comes in handy.  That Brady Bunch orange Formica counter top is original to a remodel of the house done in 1974.  That room also has our heater and some ducting, it gets kind of hot in there.  I'm limited for space so whatever setup I have needs to be able to be stored away somewhere else when not in use.

[Francois]

Not too bad, but the tripod is definitely not the best.
But since it's got a cranked height adjustment, you could fix the tripod to the wall with some hooks and just use the head.

Or you could do like they do on very big enlargers and put the head into a fixed position and move the easel up and down instead. It might be easier in a sense as you could minimally just make some boxes that fit in one another, an easy build.
Or you could use those adjustable shelf tracks to move the table up or down.

[Bryan]

Not too bad, but the tripod is definitely not the best.
But since it's got a cranked height adjustment, you could fix the tripod to the wall with some hooks and just use the head.

Or you could do like they do on very big enlargers and put the head into a fixed position and move the easel up and down instead. It might be easier in a sense as you could minimally just make some boxes that fit in one another, an easy build.
Or you could use those adjustable shelf tracks to move the table up or down.

I have a broken tripod with a similar height adjustment that I may use to make a stand for it.  Just need to figure out how to mount the parts. 

[Adam Doe]

Nice to know I'm not the only one who uses the trays across the washer and dryer method of print development. 

[Bryan]

Nice to know I'm not the only one who uses the trays across the washer and dryer method of print development. 

Just put the washer on spin cycle for agitation.  My only fear is spilling something bad into the washer and ruining my wife's favorite outfit. 

[Francois]

I have a broken tripod with a similar height adjustment that I may use to make a stand for it.  Just need to figure out how to mount the parts.

Have you considered adjusting the height of the easel instead of the height of the head?
I think it would be way easier. Before I had a 4x5 enlarger I made one from an old broken view camera. It's pretty hard to make something stable that goes over something else without resting on it. In the end I used a plywood rail with a sliding mechanism that had a pin in it. But it still wasn't great. That's why I'm suggesting putting the head in a fixed position.

[Bryan]

This is what I came up with to get away from using the tripod.  I took apart a tripod that was was broken and mounted it to a board using some pipe fittings.  What you can't see underneath is a flange that bolts it to the wood.  I put that underneath and ran the pipe through a hole to be able to get the easel centered under it without any obstructions.  I spent a good part of the day in the darkroom setting it up and making prints and it worked great.  I have a grain focuser now  so that helped getting it squared up and focusing.  I can crank it up and down to change the size using the tripod mechanism. 

I can also leave it in this configuration to scan negatives with my digital camera. All I have to do is switch the lens with a mount I made to hook my camera up to it. 

[Francois]

That's pretty good looking.
Happy to see that it works fine.

[Bryan]

In order to get my enlarger square with the easel I started searching through many methods for calibrating an enlarger.  I started using this method with two mirrors.  One mirror is placed on the easel directly under the lens opening with the lens removed.  On that mirror I put a sticker with a hole about 3/4" diameter.  I drilled a small hole in the other mirror (plastic mirror) and placed that in a negative holder.  Looking through the pinhole of the upper mirror I can make the adjustments to get everything lined up using the circle on the lower mirror as a target.  You can see the circles going off to infinity, once they are all lined up it should be square.  The photo below is what you see through the hole.  The small dot in the center is the pinhole, it's still slightly off in the photo.  There are mirror devices you can buy that do about the same thing. 

[Francois]

That's a neat way of doing it.
I just use a carpentry level to get things parallel on my Omega. The other ones don't have any adjustments.