Replacement bellows for Beseler enlarger

[Elizabeth Beers]

Where can I find replacement bellows (lower) for my venerable Beseler 45MX enlarger. There are light leaks on the tips of each corner pleat. Instructions on how to change out bellows would be helpful, too.

[Bob Salomon]

Any camera store can give you the phone numebr for Beseler. Or check here: http://www.beselerphoto.com/Product_Catalog/a5.pdf

[Pete Caluori]

Before you replace the bellows, you might want to try "patching" those holes. My Omega D2 was doing the same thing and I applied a bit of Bostick & Sullivan's bellow patch (just the liquid, not the cloth and liquid) let it dry and and the light leaks were gone.

Regards, Pete

[Kevin M Bourque]

Elizabeth –

If the aesthetics don’t bother you, tape might be a good option. An enlarger bellows doesn’t need to be as light tight as a camera.

It's worth a try to search eBay as well.

[John D Gerndt]

New bellows can be ordered from the OEM or alternate sources but it seem so unnecessary. Patching is easy. Putting a sheath around the bad bellows is easy. The most efficient and cheap solution is to dab some black Rustolium paint in those leaking corners (from the inside).

Finally, the source I chose for the myriad light leaks in my own difficult to seal darkroom was to hang a cloth shroud around the lens board of the enlarger down to the baseboard. That has done wonders for controlling the light I want to reach my photographic paper.