Plans for building 8x10

[Tom Johnston]

I am thinking of building an 8x10" head for one of my enlargers. Does anyone know where I could find information or plans for building the head? I will probably use it on my Beseler 45V-XL. I would like to build a cold light head but a tungsten light source is not out of the question - I could use cooling fans to draw out heat and it would be a diffusion head - NOT a condenser head. Balancing light temperature to get me in the middle VC contrast range would be no problem.

8x10 heads are SO expensive and, being a very handy person, I think I will build the head myself.

Anyway, if anyone can point me to plans or information that would help me with this project, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks, Tom

[Jay DeFehr]

Huw Evans has built some really cool LED enlarger heads, and seems very free with information. Here's a link:

http://www.huws.homelinux.org./

[Leonard Robertson]

Tom - You might find this 4X5 color head conversion interesting: http://www.bigshotz.co.nz/projects.html You will probably find worthwhile information in the Cameramakers archive: http://rmp.opusis.com/pipermail/cameramakers/ Also these pages: http://www.philsan.com/8x10_enlarger.htm and http://www.wehmancamera.com/vchead.htm

[Tom Johnston]

Thanks much guys. The links I received will be very helpful.

Thanks Again, Tom

[David E. Rose]

I believe that the Ansel Adams book "The Print" has information on the 8x10 enlarger that he made from a horizontal copy camera. The head used multiple incandescent bulbs on a dimmer and fan cooling as I recall.

[Tom Johnston]

Thanks David. I am familiar with Ansel's horizontal 8x10" enlarger but what I'm thinking about is building an 8x10" head for one of my existing 4x5" enlargers - specifically, a Beseler 45V-XL.

Thanks

[Mark Sampson]

I thought that someone (Alan Ross?) had already done this- and that it had been turned into a product. Even if you don't want to buy it- that head would show how it's done.

[Tom Johnston]

Thanks Mark. I'll check out his website and see what I can find. I appreciate the tip.

Tom

[jnantz]

hi tom: there are plans for sale on the equinoxphoto.com website ( darkroom section ) for cold light head plans. they are pretty inexpensive ( $10 ). :)

- john

[Tom Johnston]

John,

Thanks much. I'm going to check that website out right now.

$10!!!!! I don't know if I can afford that! lol

Thanks Again, Tom

[jnantz]

tom -

if you had trouble - sorry i didn't put the whole url -

it should be http://www.equinoxphotographic.com/darkroom.htm

- john

[Kevin J. Kolosky]

whatever happened with this project?