Durst laborator 1000 focus

[Charris]

Hi all,

Hope you can help.

I bought a Durst Laborator 1000 yesterday and I have encountered a problem with the focus.

When I turned the focus lever the bellows did not move. I fiddled around with it a bit and felt it catch and was able to move the bellows up and down but it has not worked since.

have anyone encountered this problem before and if so how did you fix it?

[Doug Howk]

The mechanism appears to rely on pressure for the column to move up/down (no gears). If the handle moves w/o moving column, would suspect something needs tightening.
If you don't have a copy of the manual http://www.vanhuyckphoto.com/DurstL1000Manual.pdf

[jlorengo]

I have the CE 100 which has the same focusing mechanism.

If you look at the right hand column behind the bellows, you will notice a groove running up the length - this is the friction trough where the adjusting knob mechanism rests - make sure it is clean and not gummed up.

[Tony Lakin]

I too have a CE1000 and had a similar problem with the focusing movement, unfortunately in my case the nylon drive gear had partly stripped, I sincerely hope that this is not the case with your enlarger as finding a replacement could prove very difficult.

Good luck.

[ac12]

It is an OLD enlarger and if the original lube has not been replaced, that is likely the problem.
CLEAN and relube the shafts that move up and down, and the focusing knob. The old lube on mine was so gummed up it felt like putty. I cleaned it with alcohol and relubed with white lithium grease (Ace Hardware)