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Forum section: electronics / general

author: Fisher77
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 03:25:17 am
content: What the hell is this thing?

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 03:27:15 am
content: It's an enlarger.Used to produce prints from negatives - as in old school film photography.

author: Fisher77
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 03:33:06 am
content: Thanks Brumby. I was looking at sales on craigslist and ran across it. I had no idea what I was looking at. I figured somebody here would know.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 03:43:47 am
content: This is a Simmon Omega B600 set up for black and white operation. It was made between 1976 and 1979, and was priced for the hobby/prosumer photographer.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 03:46:24 am
content: The 'Head' works just like a slide projector.You place the negative into the carrier (like you would a slide) and this shines down onto the baseboard, where your photographic paper would be placed (usually on an easel of some sort).The image size is determined by how high the head is above the baseboard - and the head can be moved up and down the column to do this. Focus the image using the knob. The lens will usually also have an aperture setting (just the same as a camera) to control light.Cropping is done by a combination of adjusting image size and location of the photographic paper. Correct exposure of the paper is a mix of lens aperture and time (just as in a camera) - however, time is usually measured in seconds (sometimes minutes), not fractions of a second.There is much more that can be told ... but these are the basics.

author: Fisher77
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 05:09:02 am
content: I spose with all the computer technology of today, there wouldn't be much call for one of these now days.

author: DTJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 06:20:20 am
content: I rescued a colour enlarger out of a skip bin last week.The base board column has a nice constant force spring mount built into it that might make a good support for a microscope or other similar application.

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 07:33:46 am
content: Probably no where near as popular as it used to be, but B&W photography does seem to be reasonably popular these days. I do my own B&W photos at home with a Meopta enlarger.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 08:04:04 am
content: My father had his own darkroom, complete with 3 enlargers and trays that could take up to 16" x 20" prints. He even had an extension piece made for the column of one enlarger to raise it another foot. Several easels, a couple of timers and various other bits and pieces.I did some processing too. Film developing and printing in B&W (colour was a bit too demanding, especially in regards to temperature requirements). I once won a prize in one of the children's categories in the photographic competition of Sydney's Royal Agricultural Society's Royal Easter Show. Geez ... that was a long time ago.

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 12:58:18 pm
content: I may have used one of those. In Gifted class in 6th grade (would have been 77/78 for me) the teacher was in to photography, so we did all sorts of interesting things with photo paper up to and including taking b&w pictures with a 35mm camera and developing them and making prints. Don't recall exactly the equipment used but it was a fairly simple home type and if not exactly that model, something similar (well, they all look pretty similar, and work pretty much the same way).

author: Bill158
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 03:42:52 pm
content: I was into photography when I was in my early teen years, some 60 years ago, for a while. I developed B&W 35mm film along with prints. I used an enlarger to make 8" x 10" prints from 35mm film. Boy is that a LONG time ago. I can't remember what I did with my enlarger and other equipment but I think I gave it to my younger half brothers when I went to college. It sure brings back a lot of memories. Somewhere I still have a lot of those negatives. Now I have a scanner which can turn a 35mm negative into a positive image, with software, and then I can print the photo. Some day Real Soon Now I will have to find the negatives. Sadly another project I will probably never have time to get "a round to-it".Bill

author: Fisher77
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 04:12:38 pm
content: I went and checked it out this morning. It was in pretty much mint condition, but at $150, it was to rich for my blood to buy it and tear it apart to make something else with it. Guy wouldnt come down on it at all. I did score some electronics books, and a nice fuschia colored(LMAO) glue gun at the sale.