Is a Durst Laborator 1200 with a VLS 501 head a usable enlarger?

[lassethomas]

OK, so I stepped out the last darkroom of my life in 1985. Marriage, kids, graphics, music career, whatever and so on and then back to digital photography in 2016 and then film again in 2018 and then large format for the first time.
But all of it hybrid, that is, scanning all my negs and then printing. I'm pretty happy with that. Got a nice Epson 7880 that give me nice enough and large enough prints.

But then again, wouldn't it be nice to to try some darkroom prints too. Isn't there some sort of special magic to that?
Well, I'm probably better at Photoshop, and life is too short to get it right, but it would be nice to try too.

And then I found this enlarger at a Swedish auctions site, A Durst Laborator 1200 with a VLS 501 head, three lenses, light boxes for 4x5 and 6x6 and more...
And I haven't got a clues of what is good and usable.

https://www.tradera.com/item/1406/531128181/forstoringsapparat-durst-vls-501

If I'll get an enlarger it has to close to usable, don't have the time and energy to renovate too much.
Would it be usable as it is for 4x6 and 120 and 135?
It's a pickup so there is a 700km drive to bring it home.

I know this is off any tangent but insights, thoughts or refections would be much appreciated.

[LabRat]

These enlargers can be tricky/difficult to service, and parts seem to not be available anymore...

If it was close and cheap, you could test it beforehand, but I have serviced heavily used units, and critical parts were damaged by just use...

I would avoid it... :(

Steve K

[koraks]

That's a very usable enlarger and it seems to be in excellent condition as well. Moreover, this setup is not one of the 1980s-high-tech electronics contraptions that have become a maintenance nightmare by now; this one is more of a mechanical device and Durst's mechanics are generally very high quality and long-lived.

In short, if the price is right for you, I'd consider this a very good option indeed.

[mpirie]

It had better be usable.....i have two of them !

Fantastic enlargers and spares aren't too bad in Europe.

Mike

[Gudmundur Ingolfsson]

If you were offered a Ferrari for a decent price would you then worry about the parts you might need in a distant future ? I have had many enlargers and none of those compares to the Durst 1200 with the VLS 501. I have had mine for almost 30 years and until now I have not had any need for spare parts.

[s389]

This is a great enlarger. VLS501 is a diffusion head.
You can find diffuser on auction site but they are not cheap. The same for the film masks, but you can also make them in 3D printing.
Very reliable, weak point may be the spring band if rusted (it may break and be dangerous) and nylon gears that command height and head adjustement.
The EST500 transformer (I do not see it on the links...) is very rare. If you can, a good advice is to swap old capacitors with new ones in this transformer.

Another advice may be to look at the bulb socket that can be a source of bad contact. It's a ceramic socket that you may find easily.

I like very much mine (except it goes "only" up to 4X5 ;-) ) The head can be tilted to make wall projection and it is capable to correct perspective.

[Tin Can]

All 10X10 enlargers are simple machines well built

They have 2 major parts

The Thing itself and the Lamp

Most 10X10 were made to mount a variety of Lamps and now we have LED

Years ago a very active member made 12X15" enlarger out of simple off the shelf bits, if fact he used shelves

The young are making new Things too, such as Ethan a member here

[MartyNL]

It's a great enlarger and it looks in fabulous, well preserved condition. It's true that the transformer isn't visible in the pictures but with so much available, it's probably just an oversight.
They don't often come up in such nice condition and if you're serious, be prepared to put in a realistic bid.

[lassethomas]

The EST500 transformer (I do not see it on the links...) is very rare. If you can, a good advice is to swap old capacitors with new ones in this transformer.


The text states that it comes with a TRA 500 transformer. I don't know if there is a difference of that and the EST500?

[ic-racer]

I believe TRA uses an iron core transformer. EST may be a regulated switching power supply.

[Drew Wiley]

Tin Can, the L1200 is a top of the line 4x5 enlarger, the largest one which came out of the amateur division, with a largely extruded aluminum chassis, not the true commercial division which made the bigger ones using a lot of much more expensive machining, and which closed down some time earlier.

[lassethomas]

Thanks everyone for chiming in and for advise.

I ended up winning the auction. I got it for $800 + $150 in gas to pick it up.
A more than fair price I hope, considering the condition and the completeness. If not I will still have a lot of fun.

And planing the weekend is not a problem anymore

[MartyNL]

Thanks everyone for chiming in and for advise.

I ended up winning the auction. I got it for $800 + $150 in gas to pick it up.
A more than fair price I hope, considering the condition and the completeness. If not I will still have a lot of fun.

And planing the weekend is not a problem anymore

Congratulations! You won't be disappointed.
Have you picked it up already?

[lassethomas]

Congratulations! You won't be disappointed.
Have you picked it up already?

Thanks! No I'm driving down on Saturday.

[MartyNL]

I don't know if you wish to have any advice about transportation but it takes 2 people to carry it, 50-60kgs. And depending on whether your vehicle has the height to transport it whole and vertical or horizontal or in parts (tools)?I have 4 in my darkroom, so feel free to ask. The last thing I'd want is for any damage or injury to occur.

By the way, I paid €1000 for my last enlarger, with a CLS 501 head, it was bought new by just one careful owner now in his 80's. He still had the receipt and it clearly had been his pride and joy.
In my opinion, you got it for a good and fair price.

[Cor]

If you remove the head, probably wise for transport, be aware that the reaming part of the head will jump up to the top of the big rail. Better secure the head at the lowest position, and use a good belt or spanner to secure it there. Take off the colour head and transport it separately. If you can, transport the enlarger horizontal. I moved mine just a short distance, and I had a Renault Kangoo, and I seem recall I could transport the enlarger upright.

But maybe there are other opinions on transporting a L1200

Good luck,

Cor

[fj55mike]

Not to spam all of the Durst 1200 threads, but I use a VLS501 that came with a faulty EST power supply. Rather than try to repair, I use a modern switching power supply that's been going strong for 6+ years. Just in case this helps anyone with a faulty TRA or EST: https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?140014-Using-a-modern-power-supply-with-an-old-enlarger-(Durst-1200-DIY)

By the way, I love my VLS head although the changes on the dial are not perfectly calibrated to the current Ilford papers but in practice that doesn't matter to me.

[platypus]

Better secure the head at the lowest position, and use a good belt or spanner to secure it there.

Sorry, this is terrible and possible extremely dangerous advice.
Moving a Durst enlarger always set the head at the TOP of the column first.
Then you can remove the colour head without fear of having your face hit or arm broken by the counterweight pulling the head plate up to the top of the column.

L1200s aren't that big, if you can transport it complete (obviously take the neg carrier out, and pad everything very well) that's a good idea.

[ic-racer]

You got a great enlarger!

[interneg]

Tin Can, the L1200 is a top of the line 4x5 enlarger, the largest one which came out of the amateur division, with a largely extruded aluminum chassis, not the true commercial division which made the bigger ones using a lot of much more expensive machining, and which closed down some time earlier.

Not really, the only major extrusion on the L1200 is the column, the rest is formed/ welded steel & die castings. It just looks a little different from the older Dursts that used the metal tube column(s) & die castings. Not much evidence inside those Dursts of very high precision tolerances, paint-on-paint surfaces seems to have been accurate enough for them. There were/ are enlargers built with precision ground surfaces at the critical alignment points (De Vere - and other even costlier machines) - but Durst seems to have aimed to get parts accurate enough at the time they were cast.

[Barry Kirsten]

I want to emphasize platypus's advice above. Always have the carriage at the TOP of the column before removing the head. I learned this the hard way. I have two L1200s, one condenser, the other with Multigrade head. When giving them a cleanup on bringing them home, I removed the head of one of them with the carriage locked around the mid point of the column. For some reason I released the carriage whilst my fingers were holding the top plate of the column. The carriage shot up with incredible speed and force and jammed two fingers on my left hand. Somehow I was able to summon enough strength to pull the carriage down one-handed, which was no mean feat with the other hand seriously jammed. Fortunately there was no bone damage, but my fingers were swollen for a week. Those roll springs are incredibly strong! Good luck with your new L1200, they are beautiful enlargers.

[interneg]

I want to emphasize platypus's advice above. Always have the carriage at the TOP of the column before removing the head.

And I'll re-emphasise this too. Tensator/ constant force springs are not to be trifled with. On the other hand, once run to the top of the column & dismounted from the baseboard, the L1200 column is not terribly heavy or awkward to move.

[lassethomas]

And I'll re-emphasise this too. Tensator/ constant force springs are not to be trifled with. On the other hand, once run to the top of the column & dismounted from the baseboard, the L1200 column is not terribly heavy or awkward to move.

Well that is exactly what we did. Run it to the top, wrapped it in loads of bubble wrap, and dismounted it from the baseboard. Worked fine. 500 miles later :D

But my, sort of large, isn't it? Or should I say high. Don't know if it will fit with my ceiling height. But that is a future problem.
Condition was absolutely pristine, and everything was there for 35. medium and large format. Bought in 99 by a professional commercial photographer, used for a year or so before he converted to digital, and then standing in a disused darkroom for over 20 years. Don't think the door was ever opened during that time.

Thanks again for all the advise!

[interneg]

But my, sort of large, isn't it? Or should I say high. Don't know if it will fit with my ceiling height.

The column needs about 136cm height - and the whole machine about 166cm - but it depends a lot on the maximum print size you want to make - if you are only going to 40x50cm, you can essentially get away with enough clearance for the column. Good to hear that moving the L1200 was otherwise painless.

[lassethomas]

The column needs about 136cm height - and the whole machine about 166cm - but it depends a lot on the maximum print size you want to make - if you are only going to 40x50cm, you can essentially get away with enough clearance for the column. Good to hear that moving the L1200 was otherwise painless.

To start with I thought of 24x30 or at most 30x40. Going larger I just have to scan and print, as I already do.
Thing is that my upper floor only has 195 cm in ceiling height so I anyway have to build a low table to accommodate it. And a darkroom around it, lol, since it won't fit in the bathroom as I had hoped.
Well well, this is perhaps not the most well planed purchase in history, but the auction just was to good to resist.
I'll find a way

[ic-racer]

I don’t understand when people write of low ceilings as that would only be an issue with free standing enlargers. Certainly no one has a darkroom with ceilings lower than 166 cm:confused:

[Bob Salomon]

I don’t understand when people write of low ceilings as that would only be an issue with free standing enlargers. Certainly no one has a darkroom with ceilings lower than 166 cm:confused:

My first darkroom at home was under the stairs!

[interneg]

To start with I thought of 24x30 or at most 30x40. Going larger I just have to scan and print, as I already do.
Thing is that my upper floor only has 195 cm in ceiling height so I anyway have to build a low table to accommodate it. And a darkroom around it, lol, since it won't fit in the bathroom as I had hoped.
Well well, this is perhaps not the most well planed purchase in history, but the auction just was to good to resist.
I'll find a way

I'd reckon that building a setup/ bench where the baseboard is setup maybe 30cm off the floor, but with side/ back panels on the bench that go up higher with slots to take an extra baseboard at around 70cm off the floor - and maybe an intermediate stop at 50cm too - would resolve this awkward space issue. A bit like a slightly inverse variant of drop tables that have been built over the years - but instead of the base of the column being at the top of the drop table with a drop baseboard, you'll have the baseboard/ column sitting at the base & an effective rising baseboard. Depending on lens choice, you'll probably want somewhere in the 70-90cm range between baseboard/ easel and neg stage for the print sizes you mention. The less rational option would be to get a spare L1200 column and get 35cm machined off the top & redrill/ tap the tensator spring mounts etc.



I don’t understand when people write of low ceilings as that would only be an issue with free standing enlargers. Certainly no one has a darkroom with ceilings lower than 166 cm:confused:

In some cases, free-standing drop-baseboard machines are easier (because you can freely drop the baseboard without having to fiddle around with awkward bench height calculations) - as long as the column goes under the ceiling and you don't need/ want to raise the head to the maximum height. And if it's a De Vere type operation interface (or you have power operation of head rise/ focus) you can operate quite comfortably sitting down.

[Cor]

I want to emphasize platypus's advice above. Always have the carriage at the TOP of the column before removing the head. I learned this the hard way. I have two L1200s, one condenser, the other with Multigrade head. When giving them a cleanup on bringing them home, I removed the head of one of them with the carriage locked around the mid point of the column. For some reason I released the carriage whilst my fingers were holding the top plate of the column. The carriage shot up with incredible speed and force and jammed two fingers on my left hand. Somehow I was able to summon enough strength to pull the carriage down one-handed, which was no mean feat with the other hand seriously jammed. Fortunately there was no bone damage, but my fingers were swollen for a week. Those roll springs are incredibly strong! Good luck with your new L1200, they are beautiful enlargers.

I agree, and my post was indented as such, clearly ill phrased. What I meant to say; always remove the head when at the top, if not possible secure it down with a GOOD spanner and than remove the head. This is what I do in my low ceiling darkroom when I change my condensor head for the VC head, move the head down, use a strong belt/spanner to secure the head, and than swap. The tension of the spring is indeed not to taken lightly.

Sorry for any confusion,

best,

Cor

[Tin Can]

https://www.google.com/search?q=Durst+Laborator+1200&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS850US850&sxsrf=APq-WBtfROZZ-0eEAgps-WUrhms-2v3OBg:1648473635505&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&vet=1&fir=IVnCZ9UEj3y4RM%252CKG7BxA4SbkiI8M%252C_%253B_LNRHUI5Ve27eM%252CG5rx4YnLpKjGGM%252C_%253BEniXGc5MN5N9vM%252CXvtIhiOPv6aLVM%252C_%253BiiHQgfGxx3ttaM%252ChmDaJSoN6nGdOM%252C_%253BDUfJKI25GbRRYM%252CbEnSwvR0GdJSLM%252C_%253BnwwrjG4RPjPloM%252ClcpUZVZvwgBUwM%252C_%253BJcN2bTjXnjL0SM%252C6eNI5EX84IMFeM%252C_%253BQ8JVdoAYDyeYiM%252C3aEd8N1jq0e3dM%252C_%253Bt7qCMJpCxoloQM%252C3aEd8N1jq0e3dM%252C_%253BYt1RNokfZgLd9M%252Ce8Axp-1BFrWwkM%252C_%253Bj6mtz2Kq5wWmyM%252COkafYuN-S-oMsM%252C_%253B-FAc-aBEY3omlM%252CbEnSwvR0GdJSLM%252C_%253BJDaymptbpECotM%252CtlnIaPAo4HVvbM%252C_%253BMY1KymTTULdOIM%252C3aEd8N1jq0e3dM%252C_%253BJ1fAMbCf9aOjWM%252Cdpk5zv8P-eVIvM%252C_%253BXOfXE2QV0nE8kM%252C5PR2BivhKOWQ9M%252C_%253Bp4K3q4sor3w1fM%252CgwMbgVVQYOqsOM%252C_%253BQ9iEKLQ5-7WJfM%252CM1lvAxNMSrIEpM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kSZh-7AqtNaHhH0H6IlX2M4PmInJw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj83dzr8uj2AhU_JzQIHQTNBQEQ9QF6BAgVEAE#imgrc=-FAc-aBEY3omlM

[s389]

That's it. EST are regulated switching power supply.

[lassethomas]

A quick follow-up

226544 226545 226546

Tonight I made the first print with the enlarger. And my first real analog prints in 40 years. Since I came back to photography I've only scanned and printed digitally.

Very interesting. The reason I got the enlarger was to see the difference between analog and digital with my own eyes.
So now I will print in both ways for a while and see what I like.

Since I'm very proficient with photoshop there are many things I'll going to miss in an analog workflow. The ease of creating local luminosity mask is the first thing that comes to mind (And yes I know how to make them in analog)
But on the other hand there are probably thing and properties of optical prints that can't be easily copied in a digital workflow.

Fun days ahead