In DIY mood today:) I want to convert my Kaiser diffused color enlarger into condenser one for B&W printing to get sharp contrasty prints. Color head is designed to be easily removed leaving 6x7cm condenser and filter tray showing. All it needs is some sort of point light source in a black enclosure. Any idea for light source? How about small lamps from pen lights or ultralight white LED?

Have anybody tried this or seen it done before?

-- Leo Bodnar (lbodnar@armstrong.com), May 30, 2001

Answers

Only if you're prepared for half hour exposure times. What's wrong with a 50 or 100 watt Tungstem Halogen bulb?

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), May 30, 2001.

Damn! I wish the keys on this machine would stay put.
Should have read 'Tungsten Halogen', of course.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), May 30, 2001.

I stuck a dichloric (?) lamp (from a downlight) in an enlarger when I couldn't buy the special lamp... it worked a charm and dropped exposure times which was a plus!

-- Nigel Smith (nlandgl@unite.com), May 30, 2001.

Pete:

Perhaps your fingers were started with tungten and finished with wolfram?

Charlie

-- Charlie Strack (charlie_strack@sti.com), May 30, 2001.

Most likely Charlie. My brain doesn't know what my fingers are doing half the time anyway! And vice versa. ;^)

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), May 31, 2001.

Pete--

Mine two.

The best.

-- Charlie Strack (charlie_strack@sti.com), May 31, 2001.

Leo

What do you mean by "Point Source". Do you mean the small bare bulb used in point source enlargers that give you incredible sharpness and punchy contrast? If so then I would have second thoughts if I were you. Whilst this method of printing is considered by some to give the sharpest results it also shows up EVERY imperfection on the negative. It can be a real pain in the posterior. A well set up diffuser head should not diminish sharpness in any way. My Kaiser enlarger has a colour head with a diffusing screen that passes the light through a pair of condensers. These enlargers are modular and I suspect that the appropriate monochrome heads are easy to find. Not very "DIY" but then I was never mechanically minded.

Good luck and buy some decent sable brushes. You will need them for the retouching.

Adrian

-- Adrian Twiss (avtiwss@ukonline.co.uk), June 14, 2001.