Durst 138 counterweight adjustment

[Dik]

I'm converting a 138 into a copy stand and need to reduce the tension on the counterweight spring.
I understand this can be very dangerous. Can anyone tell me the safe way to do this?

[William Whitaker]

Might it not be simpler to add some mass to the arm that held the head (that now holds the camera)?

[Dik]

Good idea!, I think I'll go looking for some giant steel washers (2" hole).
They would slide right onto the 2" shaft of the camera mount.
Should be cheap enough. Thanks.

[William Whitaker]

Good idea!, I think I'll go looking for some giant steel washers (2" hole).


Maybe the kind they have at the gym...

[bob carnie]

I would be very very careful... I have seen an enlarger spring break and it is not a pretty site.

[Dik]

Yes, tha's why I'm hunting for a couple of Barbell plates. Thinking about getting the holes opened up to 2" and sliding them onto the camera mount shaft.

I would be very very careful... I have seen an enlarger spring break and it is not a pretty site.

[Drew Wiley]

What I did is take a bit of stainless aircraft cable and suspend a short section of ABS drainpipe with caps on both ends, filled with lead birdshot. This way the counterweight remained relatively small in size compared to steel. And it turned out to be quite a bit
cheaper than buying deep-sea lead fishing weights.

[Drew Wiley]

Oh ... just noting Bob's wise warning .... I did not monkey with the original enlarger spring, but attached the counterwt cable attachment to the outside of the column. Works great
and is safe.

[Dik]

Are you using it as a copy stand?
How did you attach camera/head to the 50MM shaft?


Oh ... just noting Bob's wise warning .... I did not monkey with the original enlarger spring, but attached the counterwt cable attachment to the outside of the column. Works great
and is safe.

[Drew Wiley]

No. I have a separate dedicated copystand. I neglected to state that the 138 is firmly mounted to the wall with huge welded L-braces (this is earthquake country), providing the
space for the counterweight tube behind, and that the cable runs thru wall-mounted pulleys, which could be arranged to support counterweight to either the head or the
platform as needed. Sorry, but I don't own a digital camera suitable for taking web pics of
this setup.

[jbrianfoto]

I was able to loosen and remove my counterweight flat-spring on both of my L184's with no problem. Actually I was really worried about the process until I did it, found that it wasn't that bad. If you roll the head all the way to the top of the column most of the tension is gone. If you like, I posted photos of what I had to do to remove a broken spring from my first L184 (google "Durstzilla" and you'll find the site). Also, there is a description of the L184 procedure found on the Durst-Pro-USA website. The spring on the 138 is pretty much the same, just 1/2 the size. I recommend laying the enlarger on its side and having someone else help you hold it down. Aother fellow who hangs out on these fourms really knows alot about restoring big Durst enlargers goes by the name "ic-racer" - you might look for him and ask some questions - he's really good at what he does.

Good luck !

[quine]

I would /not/ recommend laying the enlarger on its side. Bolt it to the wall or leave it alone.

Andrew