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View Full Version : Vibrations and Wall Mounting an Enlarger



neil poulsen
15-Jan-2010, 14:45
I've typically used one enlarger at a time, and I have a stand I made that includes 2'x6's which ascend high enough to tether the top of the enlarger and reduce vibrations. This stand sits on concrete, so it's been pretty much vibration-free. But, I want to set up a second enlarger, and I don't have time to make another elaborate stand.

I'm wondering if I should worry about wall vibrations if I wall-mount this enlarger? The enlarger will be on a table on concrete, but I'm thinking of securing the enlarger to the wall at the base as well as at the top. It's an outside wall (sits on the foundation) in the garage below a second floor, and that corner of the house doesn't get much traffic. Still, I thought that I would ask about others' experience with wall-mounting enlargers.

Drew Wiley
15-Jan-2010, 16:23
You can do it with threaded rod and coupler nuts, or cable and turnbuckes. I prefer
wood and steel, however, for wall mounting - minimum vibration. Here in earthquake
land I bolt almost everything to the wall as well as the slab below. Just check things
from time to time, since both walls and floors tend to shift seasonally.

Ron McElroy
15-Jan-2010, 16:29
My darkroom is in the basement and I haven't had any vibration problems with my wall mounted Zone VI. The wall is 2x4 framed and attached to the floor joists. It is covered with 3/4inch plywood.

argos33
16-Jan-2010, 12:50
I used a wall-mounted beseler at the University where it was anchored to a cinderblock wall, and the ventilation unit was bolted to the ceiling right above the enlarger. The ventilation was this big fan unit that was loud and seemed to vibrate a lot, and I assumed I would have to turn it off when doing enlargements. However, I did a few tests and surprisingly it make little to no difference in the prints. I still turned it off of course...

I think with normal walls the biggest concern is machinery (like a refrigerator, furnace) or music too loud. As long as there aren't any of those in close proximity, or people stomping around right above the wall I wouldn't worry about it.