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Thread: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

  1. #21

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    Re: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

    I'd seriously consider sealing those concrete walls... I'm sure they kick up a lot of dust! Anyway - great homebuilt job - can't be that much worse than a beseler for alignment, right??

  2. #22

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    Sep 2003
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    Re: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

    Too many watts and then you'll need cooling. Even those lights give off some heat and sticking them in a closed head makes it worse.

    So it's a trade off. I'm planning on using some small fans. Hopefully that will provide enough cooling.

  3. #23
    Whatever David A. Goldfarb's Avatar
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    Re: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

    Quote Originally Posted by Nick_3536
    Too many watts and then you'll need cooling. Even those lights give off some heat and sticking them in a closed head makes it worse.

    So it's a trade off. I'm planning on using some small fans. Hopefully that will provide enough cooling.
    Fans in the housing will cause vibration. The solution is usually to isolate the fan from the enlarger mechanically and connect it by a flexible hose.

  4. #24

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    Re: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

    I'm planning on a pair of smallish 12v fans. I think 3 or maybe 4". One pushing in the air the other pulling it out. Compared to the fan on my Beseler head I'd say these produce a light breeze versus the storm the Beseler makes. Makes sense. The Beseler uses more watts from less efficient bulbs plus it's on the end of a hose. I'm also not planning on sticking the head up on a stick. Mounting it horizontally will hopefully let the case be mounted more securely.

    Worse case I've also got a switch that I could easily wire in. So I'd turn the fans off during exposure. Just need to watch the temps to make sure it doesn't get too hot during the exposure.

  5. #25
    Rafael Garcia's Avatar
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    Re: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

    You can use flexible dryer vent duct, 4" in diameter and bend it 180 degrees so that it forms it's own light trap, with the fans at the end, mounted independently from the head. Since this duct is flexible/accordion pleated it will stretch to accomodate head height adjustment, and you can spray paint the exterior with flat black vinyl paint (sold in hardware stores for outdoor pvc furniture) to keep the ducts from glowing (unless you want to paint them red and use tham as safelights).

    I was considering this for ventilation, and have been monitoring the heat output, which has not been enough to warrant the change yet.

  6. #26

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    Re: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

    Great idea. This is the kind of thinking that the pioneers in photograohy did. By the way, when you want a really big print and project on the wall, do you have to tilt the house?
    Michael

  7. #27
    Rafael Garcia's Avatar
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    Re: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Daily
    Great idea. This is the kind of thinking that the pioneers in photograohy did. By the way, when you want a really big print and project on the wall, do you have to tilt the house?
    Michael
    Hmmm... lets see - with a long enough lever... LOL!

    I think at this point I'm committed to dig a hole in the floor if I want something that big. With a 5x7 negative the projected image on the floor is over 3'-0" long. I doubt that I need anything that big! Thanks for all the comments, they have been very helpful.

  8. #28
    Senior for sure
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    Re: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

    Phooey - you've just brought the realm of 8x10 into possibility for me...Arrrrgh! another project!

  9. #29

    Re: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

    I love your ingenuity! A customer/friend decided to make his own 4x5 camera and brought in a homemade bellows that was very well made. However, it was square and I asked why he did not taper the bellows to make the camera smaller. Next day, he brought in a tapered bellows. It was well made, also, but I wondered why he did not make a blue one or red one. Next day, he brought in a blue one. It was beautiful! It will be interesting to see the modifications and improvments your enlarger goes thru. Please keep us posted.

  10. #30

    Re: Fired up my homebuilt enlarger!

    Phooey - you've just brought the realm of 8x10 into possibility for me...Arrrrgh! another project!

    How about an 11x14 enlarger? This has to be one of the best post/threads I have seen. The enlarger is so straight forward as to be remarkable. It's really just film at one end and a lens on the other with a degree of care in placement of the two with a light on top. I think you have encouraged many others without knowing it. It shows what a person can do is He/She wants to.

    tr

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