Sunday, September 30, 2018

Another Darkroom Gear Buy

Well did another big darkroom gear buy off Kijij, cost $500 CAD. The plan is to use the new-used Saunders LPL 4500 II enlarger in my personal darkroom and to make up a second darkroom to use in workshops and as a rental darkroom. Maybe I can make some money this way, can start with paying off this $500 buying gear bill. Originally 5 or 6 weeks ago the seller wanted $1000 for this gear (and a few other small pieces, since sold). After not selling the enlarger he changed his asking price on Kijiji to $600, I offered $500 yesterday and was accepted, picked up the gear this afternoon.

Got me up:

- Saunders LPL 4x5 enlarger (my 3rd), with colour head
- Multigrade dial head for the Saunder (great piece, have one with one of my other LPLs)
- a very big water temperature wall mounted device (does it work?)
- 1 6x7 negative carrier
- 3 good quality enlarger lens, 2x50mm (el Nikkor, Rodenstock) , 1x80mm  (Rodenstock)
- Small digital timer
- Large dial Grab Lab timer
- Small Nikkor 35mm colour head enlarger
- metal case for glass thermometer (great little item)
- Ilford safe light
- Itty Bitty Kodak safelight
- 3 cheaper paper easels, 8x10, 11x14 and 16x20
- 4 16x20 trays
- 4 8x10 trays
- weirdass color analayzer
- various graduates, bottles, pitchers
- various cibachrome tanks (useless)
- old style Jobo/Paterson tanks, partials
- loupe
- 3 point point and shoot film cameras
- 1 Kodak point and shoot digi camera (used in this post, will continue to use it to post darkroom things here on the blog and on Facebook).
- Paterson flip flop archival washer
- old 16x20 paper (will use making masks)
- print wringer/squeeze device
- Patterson focuser
- various books, some good some not
- a few print tongs, cloth pins
-  etc. I am sure I am forgetting somethings

From the Kijiji advert
The main reason I did this purchase because this LPL head was better than my current enlarger. Mom and dad bought me my first Suanders LPL 4x5 enlarger about 30 years ago for $1600 CAD from Calgary photo here in Edmonton brand new. A great machine that I printed on for years, including making some  the current "Families of the Dump" photos showing in Pentictton at their art gallery. Problem is the head on this enlarger does not lock down properly. This is not an issue with the Sauders LPL I bought today.

I believe I am the 3rd, possibly the 4th owner of this enlarger but it is in reasonably good shape overall,  in 100% working order. The most important thing for me is the head locks down nicely, no sliding down the column. Having a second multigrade head is also great.

The weirdest part of the deal? The SD card on the Kodak digi camera had photos, including xmas famliy shots, photos of bears and wildlife along with a 15 minute sex video of an old couple. (not the people I bough the gear from, someone they must have bought the stuff from). The sex video included anal toys,..EEK! Here is a helpful hint for you folks out there planning on selling your old digital camera complete with SD cards, you might want to delete your sex videos first.

I helped them out and deleted their passionate moment for them. 

Note* Found out today how to remove the head off the column on the LPL. I never realized you could do that before. It makes moving the enlarger so much easier, you can do it in 2 lighter parts, not one big bulky heavy machine.

Note** I might be able to use the small Nikkor enlarger included in this sale in my future utility trailer traveling wet plate darkroom (KANATA 10 year wet plate photo project). It could be a light source for doing contact prints in the field of my 8x10, 11x14, and 16x20, 20x24 film negs. Possibly also as a contact printing light source for large glass plate negs made using the wet plate process. If I am photographing on the road for 4 months at a time, it might be nice to see some contact prints of the negs. Waiting to return to Edmonton and my regular darkrooms might be too difficult. Sometimes you just need to see what you shot in print form!

The new used Saunders LPL enlarger in the darkroom next to the Durst 1200