Enlarger advice

[Drew Wiley]

Nobody buys those things new. The 138 hasn't been made in decades. A handful are still in crates in Italy in brand-new condition. But $6500 is probably just for the chassis anyway. The point is, unless those things are downright trashed from abuse, they're so well built that they can be reconditioned to last another fifty years with just basic shop skills. Lots of high-quality stainless machining that is simply unaffordable in this current era of aluminum extrusions and nylon parts. Some of those commercial Dursts could run a 100K fitted out with all the bells n whistles. I'd personally avoid anything old too dependent on fancy circuits, unless you figure out how to hardwire them (which is what I've done). Avoid anything auto-focus. However, the 4X5 Durst you're looking at is more modern in that respect. You just want to plug in the whole nine yards and make sure everything works. Get some fresh bulbs in advance, cause a bouncy road can ruin a bulb. One step at a time, but the fuss is worth it. Durst is a joy to use. Kinda the Ferrari of enlargers, while Omega and Beseler are more like Ford,Chevy.

[Ted R]

Most enlargers, can be adapted to make prints larger than the enlarger baseboard by mounting on a table and projecting the image over the edge onto the paper easel on the floor. Alternatively wall mounting is also possible which makes for more comfortable operation while standing.

The LPL 4x5 models have available an accessory clamp for wall mounting. LPL4x5s have a vertical column and the determining factor for maximum print size on the baseboard is the distance from the center of the lens to the column face. There are several LPL 4x5 models, some sold under the name Saunders/LPL

7451 and 4500-II distance 11.5 inches
7452 and 4500XL distance 14 inches
7452L and 4550XLG distance 14 inches (later models having taller column and larger baseboard)

The largest theoretical print size is twice these figures so 23 inches and 28 inches front to back, the easel requires a little clearance so the practical maximum paper size is probably one inch smaller. So 27 inch short side prints are possible with conventional table-top arrangement.

In my darkroom is a 4550XLG and it has been a pleasure to own and operate. The black and white module KCCE is for BW variable contrast papers. There is a DICHROIC module for color work, and a basic BW module that is probably the least attractive option.

When I set up my darkroom about three years ago I was starting from scratch, with previous experience of 35mm and 6x6 BW printing. I found a lot of items on ebay.com and was able to fabricate the workbenches and tables myself. Altogether the purchases came to about $4500 of which $1500 was for the enlarger, about $1000 for lenses and the rest for easels, negative carriers, lighting, power, benches and cupboards, chemical handling items, and so on.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Okay, just pulled the pin on the Durst https://www.ebay.com/itm/Durst-Pro-C...72.m2748.l2649 I asked if I could pay half now and half at pick up and he lowered the price to 600, when I told him I was just inquiring about half down, he said sure and still sold to for 600. I guess that is an okay price for everything it comes with.

[Drew Wiley]

Yup. You got a good deal.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Nobody buys those things new. The 138 hasn't been made in decades. A handful are still in crates in Italy in brand-new condition. But $6500 is probably just for the chassis anyway. The point is, unless those things are downright trashed from abuse, they're so well built that they can be reconditioned to last another fifty years with just basic shop skills. Lots of high-quality stainless machining that is simply unaffordable in this current era of aluminum extrusions and nylon parts. Some of those commercial Dursts could run a 100K fitted out with all the bells n whistles. I'd personally avoid anything old too dependent on fancy circuits, unless you figure out how to hardwire them (which is what I've done). Avoid anything auto-focus. However, the 4X5 Durst you're looking at is more modern in that respect. You just want to plug in the whole nine yards and make sure everything works. Get some fresh bulbs in advance, cause a bouncy road can ruin a bulb. One step at a time, but the fuss is worth it. Durst is a joy to use. Kinda the Ferrari of enlargers, while Omega and Beseler are more like Ford,Chevy.

Here is the link to the site. http://www.durst-pro-usa.com/L138SP.phpThese prices are for turn key enlargers, with some including lenses in the package. Leasing makes it attractive, maybe not economical, but then shipping is included and from what I have seen most won't shop and there isn't a lot in my area at the moment. But when I am ready, I will either buy a used one in superb condition or buy new, even if it is just a kept in crate unsold one. I am setting up for retirement. Once I retire, I want my money going for trips to photograph, supplies, etc, not on the hardware. I want that in place and good to go till I drop in about 60 years or later.

[Bob Salomon]

You did see how high these go up? They are limited in most homes!

Last time I was there PPR in Atlanta had a load of 45 enlargers that they were having problems getting rid of. Durst, Omega and Beseler models, among other. You might contact them, also Quality Camera also in Atlanta had 810 units down.

[Tin Can]

Realistic $$

[Drew Wiley]

Steven - Durst Pro is out of business (the owner is deceased). And unless you were willing to sign a very expensive maintenance contract with him, you might never get anything shipped, paid for or not! He did know his stuff and was an expert machinist. I visited his operation. But his customer base was govt and remaining big labs; his ethics relative to anyone else, well, no sense complaining now. If the website is still up, there is plenty of good info on it, including enlarger manuals; but he never actually had half of those things in stock, and would at times sell them first, and hope that he could either find or mfg the order after taking your money up front! And I never knew of him selling a working enlarger for less than 15K. Generally it was far higher than that. Ironically, it was one of his Durst 8x10 units that a local lab paid around 23K for that I got for free, once that lab closed down. The only enlarger still left in that particular lab, which I convinced him not to give away, is a fancy autofocus pain-in-the-butt 4x5 unit with an asking price of 75K. That design needs unique carriers unlike the common models, almost impossible to find at any price now. Perhaps the carriers are still around, but they won't do you any good. The 4x5 carriers you need commonly turn up on EBay, and hopefully will come with your enlarger purchase anyway.
After you get it set up, you'll probably need to calibrate and re-level a few things. Durst gear is designed to do this easily.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I got 9 foot ceilings maybe higher in garage where I am building my dark room. I will make sure to have plenty of room.

Well, if he is out of business,there goes that. Since I will be that way at Christmas, I will try to check out PRR and Quality Camera.

[Drew Wiley]

A legit dealer of reconditioned Durst is Glennview. He can also customize. But you'll have enough to keep you busy awhile. High ceilings are a good start. Put your exhaust port near the top, cause the heat of a colorhead rises. Use an outdoor fan to pull the air rather than push it, and keep the noise outside too. But that's a project for down the line. The onboard fan of the 4x5 Durst will probably be fine for the interim. I lined the walls and ceilings adjacent to my big colorheads with FRP (fiberglass fiber-resistant panel) just for an extra margin of safety, and local fire code as well as insurance compliance. Again, something
to think about if you step up to a more powerful, potentially hotter machine someday. The only reason I mention it now is that it's far easier to install during the initial remodel rather than later. It's also easy to clean. Same goes for insulation. I used
R-23, which makes those darkrooms quite comfortable most of the year.