D2 cogged wheels not fully engaging rear column

[Ben Calwell]

Bought a used Omega D2 a while back, and its main issue is that the black geared, or cogged, wheels don’t fully seat into the corresponding cogs on the rear of the main column. This makes it real difficult to raise and lower the head. It’s getting worse, as the more I try to raise and lower the head, the more the teeth in the plastic wheels are wearing down from failure to fully engage the column. Not getting enough purchase. Is there a simple fix for this? I see bolts that I could undo, and maybe this would loosen something up and let me push the wheels in, so that they would fully seat into the cogs on the column. I’m not the handiest guy on the planet, and if I start tinkering I’m likely to cause other problems, like knocking it out of alignment, etc. Any suggestions?

[dsphotog]

Are the rollers that the carriage rides on seated against the column?

[John Layton]

Are the top-mounted counter springs still present (and functioning) ?

[Ben Calwell]

I’m away from my darkroom, but I’ll check what you two have suggested I look for tomorrow. I’ll try to post some photos, too. I maybe didn’t describe the problem too clearly.

[Ben Calwell]

Here, hopefully, are two pictures showing how the gear cogs on the back aren't engaging well with the teeth on the column.238729238729238730
The cogs on the wheel that do contact the teeth are worn away from being forced to turn against the teeth. The other geared wheel's cogs, do not mesh at all with the teeth on the column, although it might look that way in the photo. Sorry for the lousy angles on the photos. My enlarger is on a cabinet base, and there's no room for me to rotate it around in order to get better shots.
The top mounted counter springs are present and in place.

[Ben Calwell]

Sorry for the double picture post on that first image. In the second photo, you can see how the gear teeth on the wheel are chewed up. The other wheel doesn't even contact the column teeth.

[Ulophot]

Ben, this is not an answer to your question but is relevant. I have a D2 also, with the gears even more chewed up. One cause of this, I have learned, can be a mismatch between the pull of the springs and the weight of the head. Ideally, the head should move up and down with finger pressure. Good luck with that; at least, I have never gotten to that point. However, I did not think about it when I started using a coldlight head decades ago. Whether the teeth were already so chewed then, I don't recall; the enlarger came well used and I'm not mechanically minded (understatement). When I started using a light-weight LED head in the past year is when it really required effort to lower the head. In correspondence with the place in Canada that supplies parts for old Omegas, I was told to added weight to get a balance. I got some cheap lead weights off the web that I have tied onto the carriage back, about 6.5 lbs, I think. Major difference.

I'm on a waiting list for a new gear assembly; I should probably check in with the gentleman again, but these items are not made often.

[Tin Can]

I gave away 4 D2 to my Film/Print college instructor 2 decades ago

4 fit in the trunk of his small car

I decided to FOCUS on Beseler as I like them better

[Ben Calwell]

Ben, this is not an answer to your question but is relevant. I have a D2 also, with the gears even more chewed up. One cause of this, I have learned, can be a mismatch between the pull of the springs and the weight of the head. Ideally, the head should move up and down with finger pressure. Good luck with that; at least, I have never gotten to that point. However, I did not think about it when I started using a coldlight head decades ago. Whether the teeth were already so chewed then, I don't recall; the enlarger came well used and I'm not mechanically minded (understatement). When I started using a light-weight LED head in the past year is when it really required effort to lower the head. In correspondence with the place in Canada that supplies parts for old Omegas, I was told to added weight to get a balance. I got some cheap lead weights off the web that I have tied onto the carriage back, about 6.5 lbs, I think. Major difference.

I'm on a waiting list for a new gear assembly; I should probably check in with the gentleman again, but these items are not made often.

Thanks, Philip, I’ll try that. I have an Aristo cold light head on it. I’ve tried grabbing the whole head assembly (the carriage?) and moving it up or down, but it won’t budge. And that’s with the knob loosened that locks it into place on the column. It’s at 8x10 height, which is the size I normally print, so it’s not a crisis. But it would be nice to do an occasional 11x14, or otherwise fine tune the cropping on the easel.

[Ulophot]

If it won't budge, you've got some other problem, and it's no wonder the teeth are getting stripped. Forget the weight until you figure it out. You need a careful examination of the carriage to determine what's up. I can't tell well enough from the photos to diagnose anything.

KHB Photographix is the Canadian supplier for parts, and the D2 manual is available for $10: http://store.khbphotografix.com/Omega-D-2-D2V-4x5-Enlarger-Manual.html. Also you can email them with questions. I can;t find my emails from them from last year, but the gentleman who replied to me knows the machine inside and out. --FOUND IT: Kevin Brown.

My recommendation would be to remove the Aristo and look carefully at the carriage mechanism, or email KBH.

[Ben Calwell]

If it won't budge, you've got some other problem, and it's no wonder the teeth are getting stripped. Forget the weight until you figure it out. You need a careful examination of the carriage to determine what's up. I can't tell well enough from the photos to diagnose anything.

KHB Photographix is the Canadian supplier for parts, and the D2 manual is available for $10: http://store.khbphotografix.com/Omega-D-2-D2V-4x5-Enlarger-Manual.html. Also you can email them with questions. I can;t find my emails from them from last year, but the gentleman who replied to me knows the machine inside and out. --FOUND IT: Kevin Brown.

My recommendation would be to remove the Aristo and look carefully at the carriage mechanism, or email KBH.

Yep, I think there’s some major malfunction somewhere. I’ll contact KHB. Thanks, Philip.

[Fred L]

does the D2 have a locking knob on the bottom that needs to be loosened before raising the head ? on the D5 it's on the bottom of the carriage, facing user, below the elevation crank.

[Ben Calwell]

does the D2 have a locking knob on the bottom that needs to be loosened before raising the head ? on the D5 it's on the bottom of the carriage, facing user, below the elevation crank.

Fred, yes, it does. It’s loosened, but the head is still frozen in place.

[dsphotog]

There are 4 rollers riding between the column and the carriage, they look like small train wheels. Check those for alignment.

[Jim C.]

Deleted post incorrect info

[Ben Calwell]

There are 4 rollers riding between the column and the carriage, they look like small train wheels. Check those for alignment.

I think I see what you’re talking about. On one pair of rollers, one turns freely against the column, while the other is stuck and won’t turn. Same for the others.

[dsphotog]

Sounds misaligned, it should be fairly easy to put them back on track.

[dsphotog]

Best way to work on it would be to set it on a table allowing access from all sides.

[Jim C.]

I had to double check mine to confirm, the shafts that the guide wheels are on
are off center drilled, so the become an eccentric shaft.
You can loosen the screws on either end of the shaft and rotate the shaft
so the wheels make contact with the rails, there is a hole drilled thru the shaft
just for that purpose ( stick an allen key in it to act as a handle to rotate ).

Just make sure the lamp housing and condenser are removed.

[Ben Calwell]

I had to double check mine to confirm, the shafts that the guide wheels are on
are off center drilled, so the become an eccentric shaft.
You can loosen the screws on either end of the shaft and rotate the shaft
so the wheels make contact with the rails, there is a hole drilled thru the shaft
just for that purpose ( stick an allen key in it to act as a handle to rotate ).

Just make sure the lamp housing and condenser are removed.


Thanks, Jim. I appreciate it. I’ll give it a go.

[jga]

Hi,
I bought an Omega D-3 a couple of weeks ago, reasonably complete, but very dirty. The lens and the carrier were missing, and I had to fully disassemble, clean it, an reassemble. I realized by doing that that the gears were very damaged, and the reason seemed to be that they were adjusted way too tight against the rail, so I'd recommend to check that too.
Since here it is very difficult (and expensive!) to get an Omega spare part, or anything that is not metric, I made a drawing and 3d printed the gears.
I'm very happy with the results, and I can upload the model to thingiverse (or similar) if anyone is interested.

[Axelwik]

Check the wheels that ride on the column. If they're out of place the gears won't fully engage. Mine is a D5 XL, but your D2 is likely similar - On mine there are two plastic wheels at the bottom of the moveable assembly and two at the top. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53013004737_815900b8cb_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2oLzvn4)thumbnail_image1 (7) (https://flic.kr/p/2oLzvn4) by Marco Wikstrom (https://www.flickr.com/photos/197947664@N05/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53013757579_f3e252c92f_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2oLDna6)thumbnail_image0 (18) (https://flic.kr/p/2oLDna6) by Marco Wikstrom (https://www.flickr.com/photos/197947664@N05/), on Flickr

[Axelwik]

I had to double check mine to confirm, the shafts that the guide wheels are on
are off center drilled, so the become an eccentric shaft.
You can loosen the screws on either end of the shaft and rotate the shaft
so the wheels make contact with the rails, there is a hole drilled thru the shaft
just for that purpose ( stick an allen key in it to act as a handle to rotate ).

Just make sure the lamp housing and condenser are removed.
That eccentric is for adjusting the alignment (to make the lens board parallel with the base board). There shouldn't be enough adjustment there to disengage the gears. The wheels should be in contact with the column - they're designed like train wheels to keep them centered on the column.

[Ben Calwell]

Check the wheels that ride on the column. If they're out of place the gears won't fully engage. Mine is a D5 XL, but your D2 is likely similar - On mine there are two plastic wheels at the bottom of the moveable assembly and two at the top. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53013004737_815900b8cb_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2oLzvn4)thumbnail_image1 (7) (https://flic.kr/p/2oLzvn4) by Marco Wikstrom (https://www.flickr.com/photos/197947664@N05/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53013757579_f3e252c92f_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2oLDna6)thumbnail_image0 (18) (https://flic.kr/p/2oLDna6) by Marco Wikstrom (https://www.flickr.com/photos/197947664@N05/), on Flickr

Thank you. I have those “train wheels,” but two of them on the left side of the column won’t budge. The other wheels (on the other side) spin freely. It’s a mess. It think I need to dismantle the enlarger and see what the problem is. Given my utter lack of mechanical aptitude, it’s likely to end up a bigger mess. As it stands, I’m locked into doing 8x10 enlargements (actually a little bigger), as I’m unable to move the head up or down.

[LabRat]

A safety warning here is to be very careful of those reeled lift springs!!! Never work on enlarger without head in uppermost top of column where the springs are mostly wound inside their housing, because if extended and released, the sharpish edge can whip and reel in like a flying bandsaw blade that could cut to the bone or even sever a finger!!!

Only remove springs when little of the springs are sticking out, and note there is a sharp point near the buckle...

Wearing heavy work gloves, face shield, and heavy canvas work jacket
not excessive when performing this operation...

Steve K

[Ben Calwell]

A safety warning here is to be very careful of those reeled lift springs!!! Never work on enlarger without head in uppermost top of column where the springs are mostly wound inside their housing, because if extended and released, the sharpish edge can whip and reel in like a flying bandsaw blade that could cut to the bone or even sever a finger!!!

Only remove springs when little of the springs are sticking out, and note there is a sharp point near the buckle...

Wearing heavy work gloves, face shield, and heavy canvas work jacket
not excessive when performing this operation...

Steve K

Duly noted. Thank you for the warning.

[hol571]

When I got my D2 the wheels and gears were out of alignment, it had clearly taken a whack from the side. On one side the wheel spun freely and the other was jammed against the column. I had to loosen some of the bolts to be able to push the alignment wheels back into the proper position which then allowed the gears to engage properly

[Ben Calwell]

Thanks all. The other day I loosened some bolts and managed to get the “train wheels” to spin again. I can now move the head up and down, but I have to do it by pushing or
pulling it up or down, as the gears are badly stripped and are still not fully meshing with the teeth on the column. But it glides pretty easily by hand. I appreciate all the advice.

[jga]

I uploaded a model of the gears here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6113113 If you don't have a 3D printer, there are many places you can send it to print (I have used shapeways multiple times, I'm quite happy with them).
I hope it helps!

[Axelwik]

Thanks all. The other day I loosened some bolts and managed to get the “train wheels” to spin again. I can now move the head up and down, but I have to do it by pushing or
pulling it up or down, as the gears are badly stripped and are still not fully meshing with the teeth on the column. But it glides pretty easily by hand. I appreciate all the advice.
Now that you have it working somewhat, you can align it so that the lens board, negative carrier, and base board are all parallel.

A quick and dirty check to see if it's somewhat aligned is to put a negative carrier in without a negative, turn it on, focus to put the edges into sharp focus, and then use a ruler to measure the diagonal distances between corners. With the lens at its widest aperture all the edges should be in sharp focus at the same time, and the diagonal distance between upper left and lower right should be identical to the distance between the upper right and lower left.

Before doing this be sure the negative carrier is properly seated and the condenser housing is flush with the negative carrier all the way around. If they aren't, investigate why.

[Ulophot]

I have a D2 also, with the gears even more chewed up. ... I'm on a waiting list for a new gear assembly; I should probably check in with the gentleman again, but these items are not made often.

Just a note on this. I had occasion to call KBH Photographix the other day about another D2 part. I asked about the perspective on the gear & axle part coming back into stock. The answer was that KBH, which may be the one person who answered the phone, at least essentially, runs a repair business and gets parts as needed to serve this demand. Parts have to be custom made, and he orders batches. Use the Notify Me button on the part listing to be notified when a desired out-of-stock item is back in. And don't hesitate when it is.

[hol571]

Now that you've got it moving, you might find this video on aligning it helpful: https://youtu.be/83Oj1KDFuJc

[Ben Calwell]

Now that you have it working somewhat, you can align it so that the lens board, negative carrier, and base board are all parallel.

A quick and dirty check to see if it's somewhat aligned is to put a negative carrier in without a negative, turn it on, focus to put the edges into sharp focus, and then use a ruler to measure the diagonal distances between corners. With the lens at its widest aperture all the edges should be in sharp focus at the same time, and the diagonal distance between upper left and lower right should be identical to the distance between the upper right and lower left.

Before doing this be sure the negative carrier is properly seated and the condenser housing is flush with the negative carrier all the way around. If they aren't, investigate why.


Thanks for the tip. I’ll check it. I won’t be surprised if it’s out of whack.

[Ben Calwell]

Now that you've got it moving, you might find this video on aligning it helpful: https://youtu.be/83Oj1KDFuJc

Thanks for the link!

[Paul Ron]

if you have to hand help the head up n down, it sounds like the counter balance springs arent working... that the flat steel springs wound in the round reels. when you lower the head, check to see if the springs are being pulled out of the reels? it just may be the springs were let go and unwound and not retendioned when put back.... so you dont have enough tension to counter balance the weight of the head. that could be why those cogs were out of alignment.