Durst technician needed for Durst 138s

[croski]

Hello I have durst 138s.
And my enlarger's supporting arm of the table has a problem ( wire seems tangled inside... so the table doesn't go lower than 15 cM...

Does anyone know a durst technician I can ask for help?

I found the guide to redo the counter weight but it seems I need a special tool to do this... so not sure how I can do it without tool...

Thanks so much.

[koraks]

Does anyone know a durst technician I can ask for help?

It might help those who are 'in the know' where the machine is located.

But I wouldn't hold my breath for a 'Durst technician' given that the company ceased to exist years ago. Also, the 138, while a sturdy beast, is of course ancient technology.

I'm also not entirely clear on the problem; what's the wire you speak of? Do you mean the electrical cord that goes to the switch? (Mine was cut off apparently years before I got it, which doesn't matter since I don't use the ancient electronics anyway.)
I'd be surprised if a repair of this problem would necessitate the counter weight/spring system for the head to be disassembled since the head and be removed without disturbing this, then the upper column can be removed with the spring system installed to it, after which you have free access to the table. It takes only a few minutes to take this whole thing apart.

[Luis-F-S]

Can you post a photo of the wire issue? L

[Drew Wiley]

Many of us have repaired and refurbished our own. But one does have to be careful with those tensioned cables for safety reasons. And it is entirely possible to bypass that whole cable system with a simple exterior pulley dumbwaiter system using a sufficient suspended weight.

[croski]

Thank you for the comments.

actually I have figured out how and now I am reparing everything inside the supporting arm of the table. dismantled all the parts and making everythinig clean and now it looks working good. now refurbishing the spring and metal cable. will do it with few friends to make sure everything is ok ( one can keep the spring etc..)

so thank you so so much !

Kosuke

[koraks]

Nice, have fun with your enlarger. It's a very reliable and sturdy piece of equipment; if you have the room for it, it's really nice IMO.

[Oren Grad]

But I wouldn't hold my breath for a 'Durst technician' given that the company ceased to exist years ago.

Not that it matters for this discussion as they got out of the enlarger business years ago, but for the record, the company very much still exists:

https://www.durst-group.com/

[Delfi_r]

Before trying to open the reel I would lubricate it with a modern oil like INTERFLON FOOD LUBE. We had the same problem and this aerosol solved it.

[Drew Wiley]

That lube works, but doesn't last very long like old fashioned grease does. I was given samples early on to test. I can't even find more of my favorite enlarger lube at the moment, so no sense mentioning that.

[croski]

thank you everyone for the tips.

I actually bought old school lubricant ( sticky one but modern ingredients) .

I will do it with few people this week. other than that I refurbished the how to say... the part that holds the supporting arm with the column and now it looks like brand new.