Durst L1840 Enlarger 8x10 10x10--Everything you wanted to know...

[LFPete]

Is this post missing pictures? I don't see anything. I am looking for pics of a complete and working Laraneg with glass in it. Can someone point me to pics? I'm still looking...

Please post some pictures of your enlarger if you get a chance.

Here are the components to my Laraneg.

[LFPete]

I see, this almost looks like mine, but yours has the two tabs with screw-nuts on the sides; mine does not.

How does the glass fit within the insert? Can you post pics?

My L184 / L1840 came with the Laraneg 10 x 10 holder and a hinged insert (and other random parts I suspect are from another holder), but the Laraneg insert does not have glass. How does the glass fit in there & how is it held in place? Am I missing parts?

In this pic (below) the lower left is the Laraneg carrier. The middle two parts are the top and bottom hinged insert. How does the glass fit within these??

I think the 3 parts on the right are from another system; I don't believe they fit with the Laraneg.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

so I've just managed to move my L184 to his new home, well...storage...
one think I was not able to figure out during the moving is how to remove the lamp assembly + condensors drawer.
the manual talks about four securing bolts (ref. 14) but the picture is not clear enough.
anyone can help locating such bolts? thank you

forgot to add, I have found what seems rust inside the colums and onto many of the bolts.
shouldn't this be stainless steel? and should I worry about this?

[Andrea Gazzoni]

the not so clear manual page and where the rust is

[LFPete]

Looks like a little superficial rust, those are thick pieces of steel, it would take lot for that superficial rust to become a structural problem. You could brush it out with soft steel wool, and put a little WD40 on it. As for the bolts, I can't see them, but those might be easy to replace. But stainless is weaker (and more expensive) than other types of non-stainless steel, so Durst could have used stainless, but that I don't know.

[calebarchie]

The manufacturer got the arm onto the lower column, so there has to be a way to get it off. It looks like the easiest way would be to removed the foot first, then slide the whole table mechanism off it. That's just a hunch. I'm not going to be the guinea pig to try it. But what is the point? What are you trying to accomplish? Replace a damaged arm, or turn the enlarger into a different sort of beast? If you're trying to make a huge print with the enlarger vertically oriented, you're still restricted to the center of lens to front of column distance. What you can do is separate the top column from the lower, and design a strong offset support for the entire upper half to get more forward reach from the lens position, if that is what you have in mind. Contact Glenn Evans at Glennview and see if he has tried it.

Hi Drew,

Just determining whether it may be possible to have a movable drop table on castors similar to the papermot arrangement. Although it may present challenges with alignment, would anybody have any experience regarding this? Not necessarily with dursts but with LF enlargers in general?

Also found this picture where the baseboard column appears to be removed.


Bests

[Drew Wiley]

Hydraulic lift tables, or "scissor lifts", are convenient. Only the better ones can be expected to faithfully stay level with elevation change adjustment. And naturally, the better ones are also more expensive and basically ridiculous overkill for holding up something like an enlarging easel. Suitable one typically are rated at hundreds of pounds or even over a thousand. But don't let that scare you. Just hunt around for a bargain at a used warehouse supply, or at the auction sites. They are common items. Otherwise, adjustable slot retainers or shelf clips and pins are easy to make for a three-sided base enclosure as an ordinary bookshelf, if you find that route more convenient. ... Sorry to be a bit of an old grump; but we old grumps do sometimes have some experience, and with relation to a previous post, never use steel wool on a nice piece of machinery like this; it will leave behind troublesome fragments. Use Scotchbrite with stainless polish, and pick a high-quality lube. WD-40 actually traps moisture under it, and encourages rust. See if you can find LPS lube instead (not LPS contact cleaner). If you need any new bolts or screws, you can find what you need at McMaster. They offer not only a far bigger selection than at hardware stores, but also higher quality stainless, which you should use.

[calebarchie]

Yes that is what I was planning to use but I don't think I'll bother with a 8x10 enlarger for now, 4x5 is more than enough. Have you actually used said setup though? Please check my signature for link to my project, I am pretty capable when it comes to design and fabrication.

Bests

[Andrea Gazzoni]

so I've just managed to move my L184 to his new home, well...storage...
one think I was not able to figure out during the moving is how to remove the lamp assembly + condensors drawer.
the manual talks about four securing bolts (ref. 14) but the picture is not clear enough.
anyone can help locating such bolts? thank you

so any hint on how to remove the condensors head?
thanks

[Andrea Gazzoni]

this is what the clamping knobs looked like and how they are now