Ilford 500H multicontrast head

[Simon Parsons]

I have recently acquired an Ilford 500H head. It works well except for a few problems..

1. The projected image is quite dim and makes focusing and composing difficult.

2. The unit becomes very hot during the extended time taken to accomplish the above tasks and I am worried that my negatives will be damaged by high temperatures.

3. Even at Grade 5 the prints lack contrast. Both bulbs are working and seem to respond as one would expect to changes in grades.

I do not have an owners manual so hope that someone with experience with this unit can offer help.

Many thanks,

Simon

[Tony_5130]

I have the 500H on a Laborator L12oo chassis.
Mine gets hot enough to make my head sweat. When I first got it one of the bulbs had been replaced with the incorrect type and while this did not make the baseboard image dull, it did give me a lot of problems with contrast probably due to a shift in the colour spectral density of the bulb. If you have the Ilford control unit? there is button on it which says focus. This effectively puts out white light at it's maximum brightness. I don't want to tell you how to suck eggs but, do you have the lens wide open and do your negatives have a normal contrast range?. Other things that gave me problems with contrast were, a very old safelight and a less than perfect red filter under the enlarger lens. Here is another interesting point, when using Ilford MG paper, the back of the packet says use a BROWN safelight (all of mine are red). I have not looked at the sensitivity curve for the paper but just to be on the safe side I now work in total darkness.
I do not have a manual but if you like I will send you a list of all the button functions on the controller.

[Tony_5130]

Just a side note:
Is the cooling fan whirring away, if not, you may well be at risk of melting something.

[Colin Myers]

Not sure if this is relevant with this type of enlarger, but do you have the correct light mixing
box for the format?

[Tony_5130]

Good point on the mixing box, though if that was the case with the 500h I would expect to see the centre area of the image to be bright with a dramatic fall off of illumination outside the mixing box area.
I still feel, without seeing it, and assuming the lens is wide open, the negative is the main problem with illumination/contrast.

[Simon Parsons]

Thanks for all your replies. The problem may well be with the mixing box. I have been using a 4x5 box for all formats because I don't have the adaptor plate for the other boxes. I'm sure that if I can find a way to install the correct mixing box for 6x6 that things will improve. Don't know why this didn't occur to me before. I previously used an Omega dichroic head for b/w and found the illumination with a 4x5 mixing box to be fine for all other formats so just assumed this would be the same with an Ilford head.

Thanks again. I'm impressed at how quickly you all responded to my question!

Simon

[bob carnie]

Simon
The Ilford head is much slower than the Cromega, even with the smaller light boxes.
Make sure the 0 exposure shows green yellow light and make sure the 5 exposure shows blue light, if so the bulbs are doing their job , I use glass carriers on this enlarger when I use it so the neg dosen't pop on really long exposures with the apeture closed down 2 stops from wide.
Nice enlarger for portaits as the diffusion helps on skin

[Tony_5130]

Sorry for the confusion I may have caused there. I assumed you were trying to print from a 4X5 neg.

[Mike Cockerham]

I hane one these heads and I think I have a manual, e-mail me and I will check to see. I also need to find a 4x5 mixing box for it.

Thanks

[Tony_5130]

Mike:

If you have a copy of the 500h manual I would really appreciate if you could scan and mail a copy to soupdragon@ukonline.co.uk.

Tony: