De Vere 504 question

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Barney

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I have recently Purchased an old De Vere 504 (thanks Paul)

I have two questions, first how can I identify the Lightbox? I have read that there are differences between 5x4/6x6 etc.

Second after transporting this in the back of my sons van over several hundred miles on very bumpy roads are there any considerations I should be aware of when setting up to make sure anything has not come loose or moved out of alignment.
 
Take your time dont force anything , a check of all the fixings screws/nuts/bolts you can see to make sure nothing is loose.
Read through that manual Ian linked , pay attention to the cables and pulleys to make sure nothing is dislodged or misaligned .
They are pretty tough and the design using main castings helps a lot compared with steel pressings of most other manufacturers.
Once it is installed then checking the focus of a black and white negative with a magnifier to ensure the grain is visible in all 4 corners on the baseboard is a good start , as long as the negative carrier is not damages- unlikely.
Enlarger alignment is akin to a sharpening thread in any special interest group - knives/wood/metal/digital and analog photography - best to do a basic check and carry on - if it’s not right check basics like enlarger lens flange/fitting and what is adjustable.
 
Actually I would be more concerned about the electrical side - bulbs/holders and mains wiring - there is a reason that mains earth connections are mandated to have grip washers to stop them coming loose - so if you can check that side of things and if you have no clue on that side of things perhaps get somebody who does have a check over , there may be filters and mechanisms in the light head that could be dislodged or loose I would have the cover off to see if anything is loose and operate the filter adjuster to watch any mechanical movement if there are any in that head.
 
Last year I bought a very cheap Durst CE1000 Laborator , it was too far to pickup so I got it picked up by DHL. 2 parts baseboard and column/head , it cost more to transport than to buy it was worth a try .
This is not an easy thing to package - the baseboard came a couple of days after the main unit unpacked with the label on it.
The column and head made it but with some damage - cold light tube smashed - not really a problem for me I plan to make an LED conversion , the column/head had adjustable rollers to take up clearance/align the head - a couple were cracked/broken but can be remade as they are chunky plastic , I was not surprised it was only wrapped in clear pallet wrap no box .
All a work in progress as I have no place to set it up yet,
 
The naked photographer youtube channel has something about aligning Devere enlargers which you might want to check out.

Here's the link:



Hopefully I'm not breaking any rules in putting a link here?
 
I have assembled it and checked electrics, it turns on the timer and lights are working, Paul did a great job separating everything into individual boxes, it was not just a jumble of stuff.

I have put in a negative and projected an image onto the board and learned how to adjust the size etc.

Thanks for all the tips and the manual!
 
That video is good for showing the adjustments and how they work but don’t touch anything until you check all the stages - baseboard /lens/ neg carrier to see if it is not already aligned , level is different from aligned and to get both you would need an engineers level , which you might be able to get help with from a friendly owner of one - they most likely would not let one out of their sight as if dropped they can be damaged they are not cheap or robust.
There are optical alignment tools and methods even diy , worth researching but I would not change anything until you know it’s wrong.
 
HowLarge said:
That video is good for showing the adjustments and how they work but don’t touch anything until you check all the stages - baseboard /lens/ neg carrier to see if it is not already aligned , level is different from aligned and to get both you would need an engineers level , which you might be able to get help with from a friendly owner of one - they most likely would not let one out of their sight as if dropped they can be damaged they are not cheap or robust.
There are optical alignment tools and methods even diy , worth researching but I would not change anything until you know it’s wrong.
Click to expand...

How will I know its wrong?

What are the indicators?

No doubt that Paul would have it set up right, I am just concerned if I have potentially moved anything in transit.
 
Start with a focus scope and that negative looking at all four corners and the centre to check that the grain of the film looks the same - hopefully you have a scope? Not hard to find or expensive .
You can check with a level but unless it’s really out of alignment it will be hard to see without a highly accurate level .
Don’t panic don’t adjust anything without checking twice no rush .
There main indicator would be a print that does not look evenly sharp where you expect it to be , or if you keep having to refocus the enlarger to make the grain sharp in different areas of the negative.
The grain in a black and white neg should be visibly sharp even when the image is not sharp - best seen with a grainy film.
 
HowLarge said:
Start with a focus scope and that negative looking at all four corners and the centre to check that the grain of the film looks the same - hopefully you have a scope? Not hard to find or expensive .
You can check with a level but unless it’s really out of alignment it will be hard to see without a highly accurate level .
Don’t panic don’t adjust anything without checking twice no rush .
There main indicator would be a print that does not look evenly sharp where you expect it to be , or if you keep having to refocus the enlarger to make the grain sharp in different areas of the negative.
The grain in a black and white neg should be visibly sharp even when the image is not sharp - best seen with a grainy film.
Click to expand...
No, don't have a scope, I bet that Paul had one there I could have bought.

Level does not look a very accurate method, If the only requirement is everything parallel then I would use my vernier height gauge.

Thanks for that description, I think I understand the objective, even DOF with no twists or tilts to throw out the focus. Nice one.
 
Pleased to hear you got back safel. As I mentioned I had to remove the head to get the enlarger out of my darkroom. it would be wise to check that it is still level and the spring clip stillattached
 
A Paterson scope is not expensive , you are lucky with the devere that the baseboard controls make it very comfortable to focus without reaching up to the head , I have to ask if you have trays safelight etc. as a scope trays and safelight , tongs graduates frequently show up for sale as a job lot for not much more than the price of a scope and usually quite local too . If you do have the trays etc I would go right ahead and make some test prints to get your practical skills refreshed then it will be more relaxing when you want to be more exacting , with a clean easel or baseboard , you should find that you can focus very well by looking at the projected image closely - reading glasses if needed it will be ok with the baseboard controls make, you would get bad aches if you had to reach up to focus.
 
Paul Enters said:
Pleased to hear you got back safel. As I mentioned I had to remove the head to get the enlarger out of my darkroom. it would be wise to check that it is still level and the spring clip stillattached
Click to expand...
Thanks Paul, will do.
 
HowLarge said:
A Paterson scope is not expensive , you are lucky with the devere that the baseboard controls make it very comfortable to focus without reaching up to the head , I have to ask if you have trays safelight etc. as a scope trays and safelight , tongs graduates frequently show up for sale as a job lot for not much more than the price of a scope and usually quite local too . If you do have the trays etc I would go right ahead and make some test prints to get your practical skills refreshed then it will be more relaxing when you want to be more exacting , with a clean easel or baseboard , you should find that you can focus very well by looking at the projected image closely - reading glasses if needed it will be ok with the baseboard controls make, you would get bad aches if you had to reach up to focus.
Click to expand...
I have trays and some tongs etc but they are huge, i will probably get another set of 10x8 trays or something purely to best ustilise the chemicals, I reckon that I need a safe light and a scope and I am off and running,

I have my eye on the bay for good second hand sets of equipment. ;)
 
Sounds like a good plan , one tip - have a box to put smartphone/watch in to avoid unwanted light at the wrong moment.
Pickup some cheap out of date paper to experiment and check stuff with and above all have fun.
 
The first thing to get level should be the top surface of the baseboard. A De Vere has adjustments for that but they are not very accessible once you are up and running.
I second the advice to do something with your phone. An unexpected call can be a disaster.
 
HowLarge said:
Sounds like a good plan , one tip - have a box to put smartphone/watch in to avoid unwanted light at the wrong moment.
Pickup some cheap out of date paper to experiment and check stuff with and above all have fun.
Click to expand...
I have a box of OOD 7x5 and another box of 10x8.

I am just building worktop now to locate enlarger, focus checker is on the way, All systems go and having fun already. :)

Cant wait to get a print off.
 
David M said:
The first thing to get level should be the top surface of the baseboard. A De Vere has adjustments for that but they are not very accessible once you are up and running.
Click to expand...
Ha HA, first thing to get level is my new worktop it sits on.

Thanks for tips and advice!
 
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