Durst L1840 Enlarger 8x10 10x10--Everything you wanted to know...

[ic-racer]

My own L184 redo has gone much faster than I anticipated. It's all shined up, and I just finished a new all-black baseboard for it. Now all I need to do is find a replacement bellows, or else that will be a headache. The company I previously used for new bellows is out of business, so guess I'll have to call around to the usual suspects. Hopefully no surprises with the electronics; but so far, all that seems to be working fine.

You should post some pictures of this.

A little off the beaten path of the usual camera bellows suppliers, I was going to order a linear bellows from this industrial bellows company for my L1840 ( http://www.dynatect.com/protective-c...apered-bellows). That is the bellows on the L1840 column that hides the lift mechanism. I wound up repairing all the pleats by hand, so I never placed the order. But I see this place also produces custom tapered enarger bellows.

[Drew Wiley]

They were closed for the holiday, but I might try tomorrow. Previously I used Flexible Products Corp if Florida, and they did a superb job for my really big 8x10
enlarger. This L184 is really for a backup enlarger, since my hotrod version has some temperamental electronics related to the additive colorhead.

[Christopher Nisperos]

My own L184 redo has gone much faster than I anticipated. It's all shined up, and I just finished a new all-black baseboard for it. Now all I need to do is find a replacement bellows, or else that will be a headache. The company I previously used for new bellows is out of business, so guess I'll have to call around to the usual suspects. Hopefully no surprises with the electronics; but so far, all that seems to be working fine.

Drew,

Custom Bellows (formerly Camera Bellows) is still going strong over here in Europe . . I just spoke with their director, Tony Eaton, last week. Excellent quality, reliable, reasonable prices (even taking into consideration the shipping costs which, I've found, are a bit less expensive going toward the U.S., than the opposite direction!).

Hope this helps you, as you've helped me with info about my Durst carrier!

Chris

[Drew Wiley]

Thank you for that recommendation. I was aware of them too; but it's nice to know of someone with direct common with them. The L184 is such a common bellows replacement, that you'd think someone would have the specs already in their files. My own carrier is still going to have to be tricked out to match my own 8x10
register punches, but only when I finally get time to do dye transfer printing. I've got plenty of other printing projects to get caught up on first.

[Christopher Nisperos]

Yes the insert is already inside. You have to push it inward to get it released.

Gary,

I want to thank you, ic-racer and Drew for helping me solve this problem (or —I should say— learn my equipment!).
The next step is to find glass for the negative carrier. My research tells me that I need REGLAS 205.

One good deed deserves another, so here's a little summary of what I've found, for others like me who might be stumbling through the sometimes confusing Durst literature (holder/glass):

- GRANE 205 / GRAGLAS 205
- NEGA 205 / NEGLA 205
- LAGRANEG / REGLAS 205

Thanks again,

Chistopher

[Drew Wiley]

I'd just go to Focal Point for the glass. Original Durst glass is getting scarce, and is often damaged.

[Christopher Nisperos]

Thank you for that recommendation. I was aware of them too; but it's nice to know of someone with direct common with them. The L184 is such a common bellows replacement, that you'd think someone would have the specs already in their files. My own carrier is still going to have to be tricked out to match my own 8x10
register punches, but only when I finally get time to do dye transfer printing. I've got plenty of other printing projects to get caught up on first.

You're welcome! Custom Bellows might very well have original plans for the Durst 8x10 enlarger in their files. It's worth a call to find out because it would save you time and be the most accurate way.

The LAGRANEG has a pin registration bar in the enclosed negative carrier (MIVADAP) wit corresponds with Durst's MIVALO
register punch (and apparently they made a Kodak set, too..)

Dye transfer, eh? Brave man!

[Drew Wiley]

Yes, I contacted Custom Bellows and his price is reasonable. I don't use the Durst punch system but a range of gear Condit made for me back in their glory days, so I'll adapt the carriers to that. I've used registration techniques for decades, consistently with Cibachrome, once in awhile for black and white printing, nowadays
sometimes for color neg printing, and also while learning separation neg technique for DT. Each of these involves somewhat different masking strategies which
can be accomplished with a punch and matching contact frame. A registration carrier is only required when the print media itself has to maintain register - like
with dye transfer matrix film, though it might be fun to first try printing in register chrome separation negs onto RA4 media, which could hypothetically give better color than via internegs. I've seen it done. But only so much time, and a helluva lot of stuff to print, mount, whatever. Take it a step at a time. It's all fun, though I'll probably only find time to print some large format b&w negs this winter. Color and 35mm shots will have to wait.

[Ahab]

On a side note...I have the factory schematic for the est 1000 and est 1000n - invaluable for circuit board repairs. If anyone needs a copy PM me.

Sorry if it's off topic, but I'm trying to contact frotog but he has the PM box full and can't receive any message.

I'm desperately looking for these schematics (EST1000, not N) and I was trying to contact you and ask if you can send me them.
Please PM me!

[Ginette]

My 2 Durst 184 LAMOT 110 motors have the same behavior, 90% of the time it work correctly but sometimes I have to go a little higher to get it down, I hear the motor working but it doesn't move, I click on the reverse arrow and the motor work again when I switch on the other arrow direction.
In a moment of inattention, I wish to test how much closer I can goes to the ceiling and I doesn't check the column so I reach the height limit and cannot go down now
I removed the LAMOT and wish to install the manual crank I have to lower the head and wish to reinstall the motor later.

Here my specifics problems now:
- I broke the plastic pinion gear of the motor (maybe I broke it trying several up and down with the motor push button arrows).
- The motor big arm have a flat part into so the pin can be easily inserted and screw under. The manual crank don't have flat part so I simply cannot insert the pin and the bolt. Is it the same pin that need to be used?
- As the head is now at his maximum (and I don't want to break another pinion gear!) do I need to turn clockwise or counter-clockwise to get the head down. By any chance, do someone have some pinion gears in spare? Or do you know if Durst-Pro USA still sell metal pinion gear one?
- Also in my successive tries to get the head moving up and down, I blow the fuse ... See the pictures below, the one that blown is the 2A 250V #362 an auto fuse that Allen put in this enlarger (I bought it from him) see here probably not the best choice comment from Donald about car fuses.
My other motor fuse is a bit harder to read onto, it look like 361-8AG 2A 250V Littlefuse USA but I don't retreived this number online. Can someone point me the exact product to buy.

Here some pictures