Beseler sold its 45M series on how rigid it was, and rigid means heavy. Moving a big enlarger is mostly a matter of taking it apart the way the factory shipped it. Here's what you're lifting, how the makers boxed them, and how to get one home and printing square again.
How heavy they are
Sources that give weights are scarce, but the ones we found make the point. KHB Photografix, a Canadian dealer that refurbishes and services LPL, Omega and Beseler enlargers, lists LPL's 7452L 4x5 enlarger at about 31 kg, on a 135 cm column with a 60 by 80 cm baseboard. LPL's medium-format 7700 is about 16 kg. Heads are heavy on their own. Beseler's Dichro 45S color head, which fits the 45M series including the 45MX, weighs 6.5 kg with its mixing box, and Beseler shipped it in a box 21 by 14 by 13.5 inches at 8.3 kg.
That's more than one awkward box. New LPL 4x5 enlargers left the dealer in three cartons, one each for the head, the column and the baseboard. Even the 7700 shipped in two.
Pickup or freight
Pickup is the easy answer when you can do it. You can see it light up, and it comes home in the pieces you took it apart into. If it has to ship, parcel services set size and weight limits. KHB warns that those limits can rule out shipping some items by post, and its checkout drops to a "cost to be advised" option when an order is over them. Ask the seller up front how they'll ship and how many boxes it'll be.
Glass is the fragile part. Condensers, carrier glass and heat-absorbing glass are all separate, model-specific parts on these machines, so a broken one means a parts hunt. Ask how they'll pack it, too. The factory way was to separate the head, the column and the baseboard, and to box the glass by itself.
How the makers packed them
Omega's manual for the D2 lists the condenser model packed as lamphouse, chassis and baseboard in one carton, with the dichroic lamphouse in a separate one. The glass condenser lenses came packed apart from the lamphouse, and a dowel through the carriage stopped it sliding in transit. Omega told owners to keep the cartons and inserts in case they ever had to reship, and its C760 manual says the same cartons were "designed to give your equipment maximum protection during storage and shipment." Durst shipped its 606 broken down into the baseboard, the head with lens panel, the column and arm, the lamp holder, the carrier and the opal disc.
If the seller still has the original boxes, that's the best way to move it.
Taking one apart
Every model differs, so find its manual first. The steps below come from the makers' own instructions for mounting and removing heads.
- Unplug everything. Omega's C760 manual says to disconnect the lamphouse from timers, stabilizers and outlets before removing a head.
- Lock the carriage. Omega's D2 manual says to make sure the lock is tight before handling the chassis, and the C760 manual locks the carriage at a comfortable height before changing heads.
- Take the lens off and pack it on its own, with the lens board.
- Pull the carriers, the condensers and any mixing box. Wrap each piece of glass separately, including any heat-absorbing glass.
- Lift the head off. Beseler's Dichro 45S is held by latches, and Omega's C760 by screws and a bracket. Box it alone, with its power supply beside it.
- Separate the column from the baseboard. On the D2 the column bolts to a baseplate on the board.
Before step one, note which cord went where. Beseler's Dichro 45S has two line cords, one for the wall outlet and one for the timer. Omega's C760 plugs into its voltage stabilizer, which then plugs into the timer or the wall. Omega's D2 color model even packed its lamphouse lifting levers separately, so check those are in the box.
Bag and label the screws and knobs. Small parts like these are model-specific, and KHB's parts lists are full of replacement knobs, focus rods and column caps for that reason.
Setting it up again
Bolt the column back down firmly. Then check the alignment, because re-tightening bolts can throw it out. Versalab, which makes the PARALLEL laser alignment gauge, quotes a printer who found that just tightening the hold-down bolts on his Beseler 45MX pulled the planes out of parallel. The baseboard, the negative stage and the lens all need to be parallel for sharp corners.
A spirit level does the job on most machines. Omega's alignment tool is a level on a 15-inch rod. Zero it on the baseboard, then lay it on the negative stage and the lens stage in the same direction, then turn it 90 degrees and repeat. Beseler made a two-level version with an adapter for its lens boards. Omega's D2 manual also shows how to square the lamphouse to the film stage, using a carrier as a shim under the low side. On a color head like the C760, make sure the light seals sit flat on the carrier with no light escaping.
Last, check the light is even. Durst's 606 manual has you center the lamp until the baseboard is evenly lit, with no hot spot.
If the room is short
Some big machines can mount to a wall. Omega's D2 manual covers wall mounting and a floor stand, and KHB lists a wall-mounting kit for LPL's 4x5. Some heads also turn for wall or floor projection, like the LPL 7700, and Omega's C760 mentions a reversible girder for mural prints on the floor.
Before you agree to buy
- Ask the weight, or the model, so you can look it up.
- Ask whether the original boxes or manual come with it.
- Agree on pickup, or how many boxes it'll ship in.
- Ask the seller to remove the lens, carriers and glass before packing.
- Plan an alignment check once it's back together.
For what to look at on the machine itself, see our guide to checking a used enlarger, or browse the large-format enlargers and the Omega D5.
