I have the new-used enlarger now set up in my darkroom. The enlarger is not quite as nice as I had hoped, a bit too much plastic and thin metal in my opinion (am spoiled by my higher end Durst's). I am also having issues with the column-head as there is a lot of weird movement going on. Some of the multigrade cold light heads sealing foam fell away as well and I need to find and replace that. The last problem is that I cannot seem to attach the fine focusing nob (screw seems stripped). I will have to get the screw out and attach another.
The good news is the head does move up and down on the column properly if I use the smaller knobbed wheel on the left side and I can still focus using the larger focusing on the left as well. The head powers up and seems to be functioning properly, the multi grade head adjuster board changes the colour of the cold light tubes, the timer runs properly with foot switch and sound.
If I had to do it again I would probably not buy the enlarger but I think I should be able to get it properly printing for me in the next little while. When and if I see some beautiful prints I should be more at ease about the money spent. As always when my equipment starts making good photos, everything settles nicely in my mind. Money is only money, it comes and goes, but making great one of a kind pics is the reason I wake up each morning.
I now have a cold light in my darkroom which gives me the ability to print in cold light, harsh condenser light, colour head light, and a b/w multigrade diffused light. I can enlarge negs in the 35mm, X-pan (panoramic), 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 formats.
It was quite a bit of work to set up the Zone VI cold light. I had 5 packages shipped to me, So I had to put it all together which took a while. I then had to find a table top to place it on. I have a secondary enlarger table at one end of my darkroom that had 2 enlargers I got cheap but almost never use. One is a NAIT school condenser machine the send a Durst colour head I bought off Kijiji. With much effort and some back strain I managed to move those to my mom and dads home. I plan on setting up a secondary darkroom there for platinum printing, teaching and possibly renting.
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| New Zone VI enlarger set up |
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| Contrast control and timer with foot switch-sound and drydown button |
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| Zone VI cold light enlarger and beautiful "May Lee" |
