Beseler 45 V-XL conversion kit for 8x10

[Michael Wellman]

Besler stopped making the conversion kit for their 45V-XL. I doubt that someone has one of these kits sitting in their basement. Is it possible to do the conversion on your own? Has anyone done this?

[Keith Pitman]

Howard Bond made one and wrote an article about it in (I think) Photo Techniques magazine years ago. The are some archives still up on the internet. You could try searching there.

[Pere Casals]

Is it possible to do the conversion on your own? Has anyone done this?

Yes IMHO, this is what I'm planing to do with a 138.

This kind of DIY today is way easier than in the past, if one have some practice with 3D CAD, and he knows what he wants to draw. Thanks to laser and waterjet cutting service we obtain the key components made cheap and nicely manufactured.

Also I found an opprtunity, this is using plastic fresnels to work as condensers. I found two sources for that, one is fresnel concentrators for solar energy, the other is spare/canibalized fresnels from overhead projectors for transparencies.

As fresnels are thin, we even may stack two fresnels to have a fresnel of shorter focal, for smaller formats.

I made tests by replacing the condensers of the the Durst 138 by fresnels and I found it's a sound solution, I've checked fall-off with a lux meter and I found illumination with fresnels has no flaw.

My guess is that for 8x10 a condenser system with a RGB LED if the most viable path, because it allows VC printing.

If anyway we prefer diffuser type we always may place a frosted glass in the light path. That glass can be more or less frosted so we may adjust the degree of "diffusion". My view is that the best all round illumination is a condenser one with some degree of diffusion. If that degree of diffusion is adjustable we have a perfect situation.

The other challenge is the negative carrier. To me this is a glass carrier, perhaps the top one would be ANR type and the bottom one of the anti-reflective type (tru vue like). It has to be glass of rated flatness, some glasses around may not be perfect.

Me, I'm going to the condenser way. In the past a 8x10 condenser enlarger required insanely large condensers, but IMHO the fresnel way makes it the design of choice for a DIY 8x10 enlarger, also requiring lower light power, and anyway we can always add the degree of diffusion we want.

[Tin Can]

I have the Howard Bond DIY conversion.

Simple yet very well done using Aristo 1212 which was also modified by him.

I have posted pics of it without provenance.

[Tin Can]

Pere,

Calumet made an 8X10 glassless stretch carrier.

Supposedly they expanded slightly under hot lamp heads. Making the film even tighter.

I use mine with LED, less dust gathering surfaces and convection currents.

and the neg stays flat with very careful handling.

[Pere Casals]

Pere,
Calumet made an 8X10 glassless stretch carrier.


Yes, I've seen yours one, IIRC. This is an interesting way...

For the moment I'm experimenting with masking with the NEGA 138, I find glasses useful to make the sandwich with the mask.

But I agree, an stretch carrier is a good choice !

[Tin Can]

Of course, a sandwich is always better when using additional Condit materials.


Yes, I've seen yours one, IIRC. This is an interesting way...

For the moment I'm experimenting with masking with the NEGA 138, I find glasses useful to make the sandwich with the mask.

But I agree, an stretch carrier is a good choice !

[Neal Chaves]

It would be possible to make an 8X10 conversion for the Beseler 45V-XL. I have the Beseler setup now, but I once converted a 45MCRX and posted details here on the forum. 45V-XL would be easier. I would make the extension box from thin plywood covered with fibreglass which would be an improvement over the heavy casting Beseler used. I would top it off with and LED head and a drawer for a glass carrier and filters. If all you wanted to do was 8X10, you could remove the entire, heavy 4X5 negative stage, lifting mechanism and upper bellows, making it even lighter and simpler. You also need to open the lens stage as has been described so that you have a better choice of enlarging lenses.

I never use my Beseler 8X10 for 4X5 and smaller formats anyway. It is too inconvenient and I have a 4X5 Beseler with a color head right beside it.

[Michael Wellman]

I contacted Besler about the situation. I asked if they had schematics that they'd would be willing to share. Their response was unbelievable. They threw them out! Unbelievable. Why would anyone throw out drawings of their product? Here is the email I received today.

Hi Michael-

You are correct – we no longer manufacture the 8x10 conversion kit. We have discussed bringing this item back as we have had several inquiries to such effect. In terms of prints or drawings, that is one of the obstacles that has prevented us from simply reintroducing the product. A lot of the items that were discontinued prior to our relocation to our current facility in 2008 were disposed of as well as their relevant prints.

Regards,

Victoria L. Price

Charles Beseler Company
2018 West Main Street
PO Box 431
Stroudsburg, PA 18360

[Pere Casals]

Sad... But this is not an obstacle, if they were really interested they could reverse engineer the design from an old conversion kit laying around, the basic drawings may take an afternoon to a Solidworks proficient designer.

Reverse engineering is fast...

[Tin Can]

I doubt the numbers are good for 10X10 enlargers. Look at Beseler prices for smaller enlargers, only schools can afford them. Everybody else finds free ones.

Few really want them, even less can set one up. Everybody claims they take up too much room and are too tall.

You need a real darkroom for the whole scheme.

And a head...7 years ago when I found most of my gear, there were more 10X10 enlargers without heads than full sets.

Now many can DIY an LED head as we tried that and posted it.

How many are really doing the research on what's available now?

I bought my new very old house for it's tall ceilings.

[Keith Pitman]

Alan Ross developed the Beseler 8x10 kit and licensed it to Beseler. You might contact Ross and see if he can help. I think the Beseler license expired and he has full control.

[Tin Can]

Make a Poll

How many members here are using a 10X10 or 8X10 enlarger

What kind, what head, what lens

How long

How many want to

etc

I only know of 3 here in the Midwest.

The guy I sold a FOTAR to in Chicago, maybe...

Tim Rudman in Missouri absolutely is

I just got mine running

I see a lot of BIG enlarging lenses not selling on eBay...

[Ginette]

One is listed actually on eBay: "Beseler 45V-XL Enlarger with Aristo 10x10 Cold Light Head" with the conversion designed by Alan Ross as explained in the text.
By the pictures of the power supply unit I can tell that the Aristo cold light is probably the D1414, their larger 8x10 cold light (14"x14") made for the Durst 184.