Steadying 5x7 Elwood enlarger

[MichaelGJ47]

G’Day All
My enlarger when at full height is susceptible to vibrations when large vehicles drive by my darkroom shop.any suggestions on how to anchor this enlarger.
Thanks
Michael

[LabRat]

I had a printing room 100 yards from a busy freeway, and a 1/4 of a mile from a trainyard, so understand...

If you install one or two wooden "struts" that connect to the top of the enlarger column, and attach to the back of the baseboard edges will dampen out that ringing sensation...

If column is hollow, you can fill with clean construction sand for dampening, or pour liquid clay inside until it dries... Or construction foam filler material with a vinyl hose on the can to squirt material deep into tube cavity (works well, but messy)...

Baseboard can be dampened to the table below by using screw-on shock mounts made for machinery underneath... There are heavy rubber ones with height bolts, smaller metal/rubber ones made for electronic equipment (usually Lord Manufacturing Co.)in different weight ranges (available as surplus), speaker dampening "feet" and others...

Holographic optical tables used to be supported by tire intertubes under deck to dampen, so maybe a bicycle tube under enlarger, but might be tricky to get the weight spread right and level, but possible...

Now, free diffusion and tray agitation!!! ;-)

Good luck,

Steve K

[MichaelGJ47]

Thanks ,many good ideas much to think about , with my 4x5 it was easy they had a kit that bolted on to the top of the column back to the wall,with the Elwood there does seem to be away of doing that so hopefully one of your ideas will work
Michael

[Tin Can]

I have wall mount 5x7 Elwood

The difference is the entire big gear plate is attached to OE standoffs

Then I mounted all that to 3\4 plywood and hung with one big lag screw a-bit off CG

Once aligned with shim I used another screw to lock it to wall

Thanks ,many good ideas much to think about , with my 4x5 it was easy they had a kit that bolted on to the top of the column back to the wall,with the Elwood there does seem to be away of doing that so hopefully one of your ideas will work
Michael

[Tin Can]

Here are images of my Wall Mount aka the show and tell enlarger that is not in DR

I have 3 Elwoods, had 4 and gave one away.

This even has a computer monitor attached to it, the black arm

1 by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr

2 by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr

5 by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr

3 by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr

[Ironage]

Your source of vibration sounds very severe! IMHO, you may have to do your printing during low traffic. I had a little vibration after mounting mine to a base cabinet, so I strapped it to the wall. Mine has a whole in the cast iron frame that was perfect for this purpose,

[Tin Can]

I once 'slept' on bed next to bus stop

The 'stop' had a big bump

I was tossed up several inches exch time

[Conrad . Marvin]

Yep, I was one house down from the first light off the highway…..wait for the light to change, wait for the trucks to go through 47 gears…PUSH PRINT!