Omega D2 keeps falling out of focus

[ShannonG]

Ive read the manual but i guess im missing something.Ive tightened the tension screws the 2 metal strips which puts tension on the rubber bushings.Am i not tightening them enough? the focus knob seems firm when i move it, but it still falls/rises out of focus between almost every print. I hope im making sense,,,thanks for any advice
S

[Will S]

There should be a stop on the front right that actually just has a screw that provides tension to stop everything from moving and keep it in focus. Do you have that in? Also, it sometimes helps to get a wire and attach it somewhere to the top of the enlarger and run it up to the ceiling at an angle to keep the top from moving. It might be that something is shifting when you put weight on the baseboard.

[ic-racer]

Ive read the manual but i guess im missing something.Ive tightened the tension screws the 2 metal strips which puts tension on the rubber bushings.Am i not tightening them enough? the focus knob seems firm when i move it, but it still falls/rises out of focus between almost every print. I hope im making sense,,,thanks for any advice
S

You have not given enough info to solve the problem, so I'm guessing you are printing 4x5 negatives with a glassless carrier and a condenser head. If that is the case, see if you can get the glass 4x5 negative carrier. Otherwise, heat your 4x5 negatives with the lamp on until they stop shifting focus. When you are happy the negative has settled down, then put a lens cap on the lens or swing in the red filter and place the paper. Then quickly shut off the enlarger lamp, swing the filter out of the way, pause a moment, and start the timer.

[Jim C.]

Is it the focusing mechanism or the enlarger head carriage that's moving ?

Will S is referring to the carriage lock that locks the head at the adjusted height, is that missing any parts ?
There should be a U shaped nylon block that the knobbed screw threads thru, that's what clamps the head carriage to the rails.

[ShannonG]

Hi thanks for the replys
- yes i have a small chain attached to the top of the unit to the wall.as is my Bessler 45 MX
- yes i have the lock screw in and tight
- I will check the baseboard

- on this enlarger we (my wifes enlarger) are using 6X9,without a glass carrier. Condenser head so there may be some neg buckling,(,witch i have not thought of ). Ill check on that to see if that works.

Thanks
S

[ShannonG]

Just checked,,the bulb is a 150. In the manuall it says that size of bulb needs a heat absorbing glass,witch i just found under my bench. Do i place the heat absorbing glass above or bellow the condenser? Im thinking this must be the issue as ive tried everything else.
S

[blindpig]

It needs to be above the condenser. Don't know if this could be your movement problem but I had the same type enlarger and when the condenser was lifted for inserting the negative carrier then lowered in contact with the carrier,it would sometimes come to rest at an angle then later scoot slightly by itself and could move the carrier some.After I noticed this happen I always checked the contact between the two before size/focus procedure.
Hope this helps.
Don

[Will S]

Yea, get a glass carrier and your problem will probably be solved. Well, changed to a new problem - how to clean 8 glass surfaces thoroughly :-) You should be able to see it go out of focus if you just leave it on for a bit to heat up I think. I remember my 4x5 negs sort of buckling quickly when this happened, so it was pretty obvious. Is this a D2V with the tray in the top you have to adjust?

Re: lowering the head onto the carrier - you should see a bit of a shift forward or backward in the framing if this isn't all the way down too. I have a masking setup that requires the head to be slightly lifted to move the mask controls smoothly and it is always a joy guessing what the final position will actually be.

[Robert Opheim]

I have had the same problem with two different enlargers D2 and a D2V Omega enlargers. There are tightening screws for the focus that can be tightened which as I recall tightens a piece of spring metal over a neoprene covering over the metal rod that the focusing handle is attached to. Both of my Omega enlargers would go out of focus at this location that I mentioned. I use the best grain focuser I could find. The neoprene covering - I think hardens and doesn't have enough resistance to the metal spring and slips. I check focus ever time I make a print with the Omegas. I also have a Bessler with a color head and it holds its focus completely. It does have a point source bulb rather than a incandescent bulb,.

[ShannonG]

There are tightening screws for the focus that can be tightened which as I recall tightens a piece of spring metal over a neoprene covering over the metal rod that the focusing handle is attached to.

Between this and adding the heat resistant glass above the condenser, we think we have this under control. At least yesterday had no slip. Thank you all for the advice, it's great tips that we will keep in mind. Yes, we could put the grain focuser on an image and watch it slip within minutes but it didn't do that yesterday. Will just stay aware of the issue and keep checking focus before each print.

Thank you again for the wealth of knowledge.