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Mike Katona
29-Mar-2000, 18:52
After owning my old 5X7 Elwood enlarger for 20 years I have decided to start sho oting some 5X7 negs. It seems to me that a better light source than the huge diffusion head and incan descent bulb would be appropiate. Any thoughts on that and where one might be available? thanks in advance

Charlie Stracl
29-Mar-2000, 20:55
I think Aristo makes a cold light head for this model.

Charlie

fred_1006
29-Mar-2000, 22:17
I have used an 8x10 Elwood with the Aristo cold light head and it did a good job, but before I invested in the Aristo I would work with the setup you have and see how it works. Might be nice--who knows--you will eventually--good luck.

C.W. Dean
29-Mar-2000, 23:30
I have been making prints most of today with a 5x7 Elwood outfitted with it's original tungsten head as you describe and after some 30 years of printing with all the other options, I can't say that I've ever made better prints. I also have an Elwood with a recent cold light head by Aristo and from time to time, I'll set it up but I always seem to go back to the tungsten original job because the prints seem to be intangibly nicer.

Pete Andrews
30-Mar-2000, 05:22
Just a thought: Mustek make a transparency adapter for their range of flatbed scanners. It gives a really even light over a 6"x8" area, and looks plenty bright enough to use in an enlarger. With a minimal amount of DIY it might make a cheap alternative to a cold-cathode head.

Doug Paramore
30-Mar-2000, 11:43
Mike: I agree with C.W. about trying out the original light on the Elwood. It isn't a consenser system, and give a nice soft light akin to a cold light. I used a 5x7 Elwood for years and liked it. It is capable of making great prints. Most of all, I suspect an Elwood could survive an atom bomb and still make pictures. I only switched to a D-2 because my present darkroom didn't have enough room and ceiling height for the Elwood. Make a few prints before you dump the original light system and see if you dont like it. The cold light heads are great and I use one on my D-2, but I don't think you would gain anything except a little less heat over the Elwood light system. I think the Elwood system would be better for variable contrast papers where you use filters. Good shooting, Doug.

bob moulton
30-Mar-2000, 18:48
You can adapt an aristo 8x10 head to the elwood and get ecellent cold light results with no falloff. You might contact Howard Bond. It seems to me he spoke about this transformation once.

Rosanne Stoops
28-Nov-2006, 05:58
looking for information elwood pattern works enlarger 8X10 it is a floor unit .....I want to restore and can not fine info on the web....can you help please...
Rosanne

Jim Jones
28-Nov-2006, 07:09
Elwood also made condenser model 5x7 enlargers. I used a 5x7 diffusion Elwood for several years. The center of the image was a bit too bright, but sanding the center of a sheet of glass to overlay the diffuser cured that. That, and the lack of a filter drawer, was the biggest drawback. If the darkroom hadn't burned down 20 years ago, I might be using the monster yet.

Jim Noel
28-Nov-2006, 16:38
I alternate between the original head and an Aristo cold light according to mood.
Aristo did still list the 5x7 head a few weeks ago.

j.e.simmons
29-Nov-2006, 05:34
I have one of the Elwood 5x7 enlargers, but have not yet used it. It needs a bulb - can anyone suggest which would be appropriate?
Thanks,
juan

Bob Chambers
29-Nov-2006, 08:34
I just built a new floor stand and easel table for my 8x10 Elwood and no longer have to lay on the floor to print. I also switched from using multigrade contrast filters below the lens to taping Roscoe filters (per Howard Bond) to the top of the neg carrier, a big improvement!

ronald lamarsh
29-Nov-2006, 12:35
I have a B&J solar in 5x7 which is about the same as an elwood maybe a little less beefy. I have a source for bulbs of the 300W variety that have approximately the right neck length to give proper diffusion without a hotspot(I have the original glass diffuser also). The bulbs are carried by Ace Hardware and as far as I can tell are generic with no identifiying numbers etc. If you have trouble locating them let me know and I'll try to find out more.
The only advantage I can see to using a cold lite would be faster printing times. I made a new diffuser to replace the "milk glass" one that is sandwiched with the heat shield. I made it out of opaque(milk colored) pexiglass that actually gives me about a 1 stop increase in light output, as the pexiglass is thinner.

John Kasaian
13-Dec-2006, 00:27
I wish I had the diffuser disc for my 8x10 Elwood. I currently use an 11x11 sheet of ground glass. It works but I've heard a lot of very nice things about that diffuser.

erie patsellis
14-Dec-2006, 17:25
John,
I wish I had one too, mine has a 14" diameter set of condensors, only belittled by the set in my horizontal DeVere. Once I move and get settled in, the elwood 8x10 is high on the list, I also have a little 5x7 elwood that I was given recently, though the illumination is far from equal, even after adjusting the lamp housing to the correct position.

erie

Turner Reich
14-Dec-2006, 17:28
I wish I had an Elwood enlarger or any 5x7 or 8x10 enlarger. I just won't be seeing one I guess.

John Kasaian
14-Dec-2006, 17:44
Tyrner Reich

They're out there, you just have to keep looking. Often times they can be had for the taking----but it is getting the darn things home that takes a strong back and a weak mind;)
My preference is for contacts, but every once an awhile there will be an 8x10 negative that shouts to be blown up.
Cheers!

Bob Chambers
17-Dec-2006, 07:45
I have one of the Elwood 5x7 enlargers, but have not yet used it. It needs a bulb - can anyone suggest which would be appropriate?
Thanks,
juan

I just recently bought a 250 watt GE opal bulb from B&H for my 8x10 elwood, it's bright enough for 16x20 prints. You might try a 150 watt opal bulb for the 5x7. I have a 1940s Elwood catalog and would be happy to send scans to anyone using or restoring these great old beasts.

Donald Miller
17-Dec-2006, 11:01
John, I think that a PH 212 may work for you. It is a 150 watt lamp that some have used on the Durst 138. I converted mine to a 1000 watt lamp when the opal lamps were no longer produced.

http://www.bulbman.com/index.php?main_page=product_bulb_info&products_id=14235

lee\c
17-Dec-2006, 14:15
Don,

that bulb is not big enough for the Elwood 5x7 or 8x10 enlargers. The neck on the bulb is not long enough to get the lamp ball into the sweet spot of the light housing. I am of the opinion that the PH 212 will create a hot spot if not in the right spot. There was a 300 watt bulb and a 500 watt bulb for that enlarger

lee\c

j.e.simmons
17-Dec-2006, 15:01
Thanks, guys. I think Lee is right - I've found reference to the need to place the lamp in the sweet spot, and it appears to need a bulb with a long neck. I'll take a look at Ace Hardware.
juan

Bob Chambers
17-Dec-2006, 19:25
The bulb I bought at B&H is a GE ph/213 enlarger bulb. To put the bulb in the sweet spot of the dome, I used a 3" extender with two plug sockets from the local hardware store. I have even illumination and no hot spots.

Donald Miller
17-Dec-2006, 21:32
Don,

that bulb is not big enough for the Elwood 5x7 or 8x10 enlargers. The neck on the bulb is not long enough to get the lamp ball into the sweet spot of the light housing. I am of the opinion that the PH 212 will create a hot spot if not in the right spot. There was a 300 watt bulb and a 500 watt bulb for that enlarger

lee\c

Lee, I guess that would be correct but I had an bulb extension that someone had inserted into one of the Dursts as you will recall. I think that the 300 watt and 500 watt enlarger lamps are probably not readily (if at all) available anymore. I know that the Thorn lamps in 115 volt are history. Bulbman does have the PH 213 lamp which is the same length as the 212 but 250 watt. It may take some reconfiguring to get a lot of our enlarger lamps replaced before much longer.

timsumma
18-Dec-2006, 00:19
Hay boys, there is a similar problem working with some of the older mogul and standard reflectors used in hot lights. A mogul adaptor will step the lamps down to standard, but then they are not in the correct place for the reflectors. Also, a lot of the new photo flood lamps come as standard length shanks instead of the long shank lamps of old. In effect the lamp is too close to allow proper placement. Here is the simple solution. Hardware stores sell two types of adaptors using dual prong adaptors. First you screw into the socket an adaptor that allows you to put a common two prong house hold male cord into a ceramic socket. Then you take an adaptor that converts a two prong female wall outlet into a socket holder for a normal house hold bulb. This extends the bulb deeper into the bowl by several inches. Of course you can put two more together to extend it further. The weird thing is that putting these two adaptors together is as if engineers had design them with the idea of combining the things to extend a standard bulb exactly the amount of a long shank bulb. This is how I have several hot lights set up now for the shorter or standard lamp bases into the older reflectors requiring a long shank bulb.

erie patsellis
13-Jan-2007, 12:44
ok, found the bulb #s at ace, the bulb that I use for my 5x7 is a 300w-PS25, ace # 3019684, or GE # 90454. both of these have writing on the top of the bulb, I removed it with solvent, probably either lacquer thinner or mek, don't remember which. At less than $5 it doesn't make sense not to have a spare.

erie

Charles Webb
13-Jan-2007, 23:04
ok, found the bulb #s at ace, the bulb that I use for my 5x7 is a 300w-PS25, ace # 3019684, or GE # 90454. erie

erie,
Are these bulbs opal, frosted or clear?

Thanks a bunch!
C Webb

erie patsellis
14-Jan-2007, 01:53
frosted, from what I recall, worked well in my enlarger (once I carefully pressed out one or two seemingly minor dents).

erie