Where to start for an 8x10 enlarger?

[Luis-F-S]

Finding a real 8x10 enlarger is largely a matter of luck. I'd try and see if I could find a DeVere 5108. It's a great enlarger with the dichroic color head. Check with professional labs in your area and see if they have one they want to get rid off My local lab has 2. I drove 2000 miles to pick mine up but it was well worth it. I offered them half of their asking price and they took it. They also said I was the only one who had expressed an interest in it. Ceiling height needed for DeVere or Durst is 91", so under 8'. Found mine through Craigslist and it's shown below in a room with a 93" ceiling height.

If you use a camera as an enlarger, you'll spend most of your time aligning it to the wall rather than making images. If you're set on horizontal projections, you can get a Durst L-184. Much larger beast than the DeVere. I'd try to find a complete enlarger, some parts may be easy to find, many are going to be hit or miss and largely impossible. You should be able to find something anywhere from free to a fair price with a little patience.

You might also see if a 5x7 enlarger will work for you as these are more common. A Durst 138S is much easier to find, and you can get very good image quality from 5x7. Good Luck! L

[xkaes]

A flat steel panel with magnets for holding the paper works well for a horizontal easel.

Your work is certainly cut out for you.

As to easels, while a flat steel panel may be perfect for some, your free, friend, GRAVITY can offer a solution. While you can try using a wall, it might be easier to hang an easel -- of whatever size -- from the ceiling with hooks, rails, etc. This can be metal, but wood can be lighter & cheaper. Mine is made of foam-core, edged in wood, and is very light -- it's 5x8 feet. I use masking tape to keep the paper in place. The advantage to a "gravity-based" easel is that you only need to align the enlarger to the easel (a big enough job by itself) -- and not both.

With a horizontal enlarger, you have to figure out how to move the easel toward and away from the enlarger. That's probably easier than moving the enlarger toward and away from the paper. I know it is in my case since my enlargers are bolted to the wall.

[Luis-F-S]

the Monterey Craigslist one?
pretty pricey.. but I guess two cameras come along with

More like unrealistic even with two Cameras! If you wait a bit and make him an offer, I suspect he'll come down quite a bit if he wants to move the stuff. I hated the Zone VI enlargers and sold both the Type I & 2 that I bought new 25 plus years ago and got a Durst!

[Drew Wiley]

Gosh. I know a retiring lab owner who recently hauled a dozen 8X10 enlargers to the dump, mostly Omega F's, but a few Dursts too. I had room for only one, so took a classic Durst L184 with colorhead, which is just right for my own level of shop skills. Within a month, I had it visually and functionally refurbished to nearly new condition. Now it could hypothetically work perfectly another fifty years. These pro Durst units were also designed to easily shift from vertical to horizontal projection. The hardest thing to find are the glass carriers in clean condition. Replacement glass is readily available from Focal Point for all these enlarger brands, and replacement bellows can be made. I relaminated the baseboard. It's the fourth pro Durst I've reconditioned.

[Drew Wiley]

Just noted a previous post. You don't move a horizontal target toward the enlarger. That's affixed to a wall. Commercial enlargers like Durst have sheave rollers on the base, which match linear rails on the floor to easily move on a straight line.

[xkaes]

Just noted a previous post. You don't move a horizontal target toward the enlarger. That's affixed to a wall.

Gosh. Do you mean I've not been doing it for decades? OK, I guess I've just been dreaming.

Maybe it's because I use a 4x5" horizontal enlarger and not an 8x10". You got me!

[Tin Can]

Valuation is something we don't do. Why do some set prices and expectations on this forum by unprovable examples?

Even if the member can prove a purchase price, any such anecdotal 'evidence' is worthless in the marketplace.

Yes, I stated that I got three Elwoods for free. It can happen but don't hold your breath. One poster to this thread also said trash them all.

Happy New Year!

[Luis-F-S]

Just noted a previous post. You don't move a horizontal target toward the enlarger. That's affixed to a wall. Commercial enlargers like Durst have sheave rollers on the base, which match linear rails on the floor to easily move on a straight line.

You're correct Drew, in a perfect world, that's how it's done. Some just think they have a better idea. LOL

[Jac@stafford.net]

Why do you need an 8x10" enlarger? Please enlighten us. What do you hope to achieve?
.

[bob carnie]

Hello everyone:

I have a general question for 8x10 printing.

I have been thinking of getting an 8x10 enlarger but don't know where to start.
My goal is to print 8x10 negative (mostly B&W) with 4x-6x enlargement (probably horizontal projection due to limited ceiling height).

In the past, I have experience with medium format enlargers (6x9).
However, 8x10 enlargers seem to be more complicated and most used 8x10 enlargers may need some repair before becoming fully functional.
The other route may be home-made enlarger, but I don't know how much work that would involve.

Does it make sense to start from an used Durst 10x10 enlarger and have broken parts replaced?
Or, should I consider to assemble an 8x10 enlarger from scratch?

I would like to find a solution that generates professional grade prints (meaning reliable and precise enlargement) without breaking my bank account.
In the mean time, I feel comfortable to do general repair of appliances and computers. But I'm not sure whether DIY an enlarger is much more work than that.
If possible, I would like to find a balance between budget and time spent to get an 8x10 enlarger.
I would rather spend more time making prints instead of making an enlarger myself.

Thanks for any input!

Jerome

Jerome.

Finding a used Durst, or Devere would be my first choice as they are cheap , may need to drive a bit but worth the drive. I feel why play around with items not really designed for darkroom printing
when you can get the real thing... finding parts, and also people who know how to set them up should be quite easy in California... 8 x10 enlargers are not more complicated to use , in fact I use a 11 x14 Devere
for a lot of my work and it is much easier to operate than a smaller machine.

forget making your enlarger , buy one and start printing.