Eastman Kodak Autofocus E 5x7 enlarger info?

[Ari]

Hi all,
I'm hoping someone out there can help me figure out the autofocus system adjustment on this enlarger.
I set the focus at 8x10, fine-tune it, but it shifts slightly at different magnifications, and there doesn't seem to be a way to lock the focus.
Maybe I'm missing something (besides the owner's manual:) )?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

[W K Longcor]

It has been a LONG time since I used one of these monsters - so please foregive if I'm not right on the mark -- You should have one control which locks and unlocks the movement of the entire head. As I remember, these really locked the system quite well. the "fine focus" control just would move the spot that the lens board carriage sat on -- by gravity -so to speak. The carriage, being rather heavy would settle right down on the point of the focus control shaft. If you are getting a focus shift -- the "slides" that the lens board carriage rides on may need a cleaning an very slight lube job ( just make it slick - not greasy) -- Armour-all polish makes a good lube for this. Hope this helps.

[Ari]

It helps a lot, thank you. I will clean and lube and see how it goes.
I'm also guessing that setting the fine focus whilst at a large magnification is preferable to setting it on a small magnification.
If anything else comes back, please let me know.
Thanks again.

[nolindan]

You also need to use a 1" thick easel. The AF mechanism is set assuming this paper height, so if your easel is thinner then the focus will always be a wee bit off and need tweaking.

[Ari]

That I would not have guessed.
Will do, many thanks.

[W K Longcor]

Told you it was a long time since -- I forgot all about those monster easels! The original Eastman easel has a spring that holds the frame open while loading. No matter how I lubed that thing it "skreeeeched!" when opening and closing!:p

[Don Dudenbostel]

I owned an E out-o-focus Omega and also used many D out-o-focus machines too and have never seen one that precisely tracked focus. It keeps you in the ballpark but you have to tweak it when you get to the size enlargement you want. On the other hand I had a Leitz Focomat Ic that worked perfectly through it's range.

[Ari]

I owned an E out-o-focus Omega and also used many D out-o-focus machines too and have never seen one that precisely tracked focus. It keeps you in the ballpark but you have to tweak it when you get to the size enlargement you want. On the other hand I had a Leitz Focomat Ic that worked perfectly through it's range.
Ha! That pretty much sums it up. After a few hours with the machine, I realized that I won't be changing the elevation that much, so re-focusing once per session is acceptable. It's a pretty nice enlarger with a beautiful diffusion source, similar to cold light but a little contrastier.
Thanks, Don, and to all who responded.