In my last post, I mentioned to use a Unipla instead of the Tripla turret with long lenses on the Durst L-138. These large boards can be used on the Durst L-138S or the L-184. Enlargers with the removable turret have a large plastic knob in front of the turret that is used to remove it. If you have a fixed turret, then you cannot use the Unipla board. I thought I'd post some photos of these boards:
First is the 3 lens Tripla removable turret and the single lens Unipla board. The hole opening of these two boards is the same diameter.
Attachment 198845
The Unipla can be used for lenses that stick out behind and prevent the turret from turning. I think it's also easier to align the enlarger with the Unipla than with a Tripla (fewer moving parts).
Lenses mount onto small boards called Laplas. The individual Laplas mount onto the Unipla. Lapla boards have threaded openings of either 25mm (Lapla 25), 39mm (Lapla 39 with Leica threads), 50 mm (Lapla 50) and others, or you can have custom threads cut if one is not available. I've routinely bought Lapla 25 boards to use to have custom larger threads cut to mount a lens. The Lapla with it's threaded lens then mounts on the Unipla ( or the Tripla). There are also recessed Laplas known as the Seipla, and the Setiopla which mount onto the Unipla.
Attachment 198846Attachment 198847
For lenses that are too large to fit a standard Lapla, you can get custom adapters made. Below is a 240 Rodagon in an SKG custom Lapla, plus a 180 and 135 Rodagons mounted in standard Laplas.
Attachment 198848
For lenses that were too large for the Lapla (like the 300 mm Rodagon, etc.), Durst made the Vapla, which was the large Unipla type flat board without the Lapla mountings and you could then screw a lens' mounting ring directly on the Vapla board. The lens would then screw onto this ring. Typically, the 210 mm lens is the longest you'd use on 5x7. A 210 lens can be made to fit on a Lapla and the turret, so the earlier L-138's did not have removable turrets, since there'd be no need to mount longer lenses.
Uniplas and Vaplas were available either at auction, or through Durst Pro-USA. With that company's demise, luck and the auction site are probably the best way to secure one. Hope this helps.
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