writes:
Thanks Junkman,
I may try to codge something together, just for fun. I'm monitoring
some Beselers on eBay, and so far they're not THAT cheap. We'll see. At
any rate this has been an interesting and educational discussion for me.
Gene
_______________________________________________
Dear Gene:
Many moons ago, I bought my first "real" enlarger for doing newspaper work.
If memory serves, (And that's not a given these days!) it was a Bessler
23cII. Anyway, it was big, heavy, and served me very well indeed. It could do
up to 6x9 without my having to buy anything that I didn't already have. I
think I paid about $125.00, and then had to replace the gears in the column.
I already had lenses for it. I put it in the basement and sandbagged it and
the table it was on. I rigged a remote control for the lamp, and did
everything else I could to eliminate vibrations. It was a small investment,
considering how much I got out of it. I have no idea what they go for now, on
eBay or anywhere else, but I should think you could find one or something
similar locally. The shipping on that old heavy 23cII would be as much, if
not more, than the thing costs to begin with.
If you really want a good laugh, I could send you a photo of my first
enlarger... One I built myself. I will NOT post that photo anywhere! Too
embarrassing! It was quite a piece of work, made from the remains of an old
Polaroid camera. Talk about doing something just for fun! But, hey, it
worked. I keep that old photo around just to remind me of what one can do
without any expensive equipment. That may be why I like pinhole... I'm a
cheapskate.
Best of luck finding what you need.
Junkman
