Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free:   AG Photographic   The Imaging Warehouse   Process Supplies   RH Designs   Second-hand Darkroom Supplies  

Notices

Go Back   Film and Darkroom User > Equipment > Equipment miscellaneous

  ***   Click here for the FADU 2015/2014 Yearbooks   ***

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 29th December 2021, 12:39 PM
egrabczewski egrabczewski is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: South Wales in the UK
Posts: 39
Default Weston Photographic Analyzer Model 877

There are a surprising number of Weston 877 densitometers still on the market. This model dates back to around 1950 but the spare parts - bulbs basically - can be replaced without too much hassle.

When new, the 877 came with manuals and other bits that are usually lost when you buy it second-hand. The manual is available for free online and original copies are still found on eBay (usually in the USA).

This is a 120V device, so you'll need a 240V to 120V transformer if you choose to buy one. The UK 50Hz and USA 60Hz difference doesn't seem to be an issue however.

I was lucky to get most of the additional items when I bought mine in the UK, but one part was missing: the Multiplier Disc (used for contact printer measurements). I don't know if I will ever use this part but it fits over the photocell and reduces the light transmission tenfold.

The Multiplier Disc looks like a black opaque disk with six holes, each of approximate diameter 5mm (I don't have an original item to check my measurements but I do have a photo of one).

Since Multiplier Discs are practcally impossible to find nowadays, I decided to buy a 59mm push-on lens cap and drill six 5mm diameter holes to give the same effect. A single central hole with the same area would probably also suffice.

I'll update this post when I've finished testing.
__________________
Eddy

Last edited by egrabczewski; 29th December 2021 at 12:43 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 29th December 2021, 01:15 PM
Terry S Terry S is online now
Friend
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Southend on Sea, Essex, England, UK
Posts: 3,795
Default

So, I'm presuming that you are actually going to use this device?

I've looked at some links about it on ebay, but I'm still unsure of it's use, especially with the papers and chemistry available today.

Can you enlighten me slightly?

Terry S
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 29th December 2021, 01:36 PM
egrabczewski egrabczewski is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: South Wales in the UK
Posts: 39
Default

Terry - I'm intrigued by densitometers and sensitometers too. The 877 manual gives quite a few ways in which it can be used.

I'm not convinced yet that I really *need* to use a densitometer unless the Ilfords, Kodaks and Fujis stop supplying film and paper or it gets so expensive that we eventually need to rely on cheaper unknown brands. Fingers crossed that will never happen.

I was looking at the data sheets for Ilford B&W and Kodak colour Portra film and I see that Ilford supply information on reciprocity but Kodak say you should do your own tests. Thanks Kodak!

So maybe there's still room for testing yet!

One a more general note: as long as we have film and paper then we'll need to have ways of testing these for quality and performance. There is only one YouTube video on using a densitometer and sensitometer. There are no YouTube videos on using the Sinar SINARSIX measuring probe in large-format cameras. We need to document how these things were used because our skilled technicians are retiring and newcomers need the training.
__________________
Eddy

Last edited by egrabczewski; 29th December 2021 at 02:01 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 30th December 2021, 03:51 PM
egrabczewski egrabczewski is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: South Wales in the UK
Posts: 39
Default Replacement Bulbs

The following 120VAC incandescent bulbs are suitable modern replacements for the Weston 877:

Bulb D (User Manual):
Ushio 1000062

Bulb T (User Manual):
Philips 248351

The colour temperature of the original GE bulb D is 2830K. The Ushio replacement is 2850K.
The colour temperature of bulb T is 2120K, but since it's only used to light up the meter then it's not critical.

BTW I've just managed to buy a Multiplier Disc on eBay. When it arrives I'll do some tests and update this post.
__________________
Eddy

Last edited by egrabczewski; 30th December 2021 at 03:58 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12th January 2022, 10:02 AM
egrabczewski egrabczewski is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: South Wales in the UK
Posts: 39
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by egrabczewski View Post
The following 120VAC incandescent bulbs are suitable modern replacements for the Weston 877:

Bulb D (User Manual):
Ushio 1000062

BTW I've just managed to buy a Multiplier Disc on eBay. When it arrives I'll do some tests and update this post.
I've got the Multiplier Disc now. It's a thin circular metal disc that's 40.16mm in diameter, with six holes that are each 4.76 mm in diameter and a 1.94mm lip around the edge of the Disc with three 2mm cut lugs that can be bent-out to hold the disc in place.

When doing contact prints, or just making measurements of intense light sources, you need to push the disc onto the sensor head to reduce the light intensity by 10x. This means that any reading on the scale must be subsequently multiplied by a factor of 10.

Because my disk was completely unused and still in it's sealed paper envelope then the disc was loose inside the sensor head until i pushed out the three cutout lugs to jam it in place.

The Ushio bulb (Bulb D) arrived in the post from the USA too. It's a perfect replacement for the original GE bulb.

Testing the readings on the densitometer - with and without the Multiplier Disc - I found the readings were only very approximately correct - not helped by unhelpful analogue meter scale divisions.
__________________
Eddy
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
weston densitometer 877
Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free:   AG Photographic   The Imaging Warehouse   Process Supplies   RH Designs   Second-hand Darkroom Supplies  

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Philips PCA-061 color analyzer marty Darkroom Accessories Manuals 1 4th November 2015 04:34 PM
lpl professional photographic enlarger model 7451 upto 4x5" MartyNL Auctions of Interest 2 28th July 2013 07:16 PM
Colorstar 3000 analyzer manual Luis Darkroom 0 7th April 2013 08:52 PM
Ilford 500H & Analyzer issues solved. PavelDerka Darkroom 2 27th April 2011 03:37 PM
WTB RH Design Analyzer Pro or Zonemaster II cmolinari Sale or Wanted 8 3rd March 2011 06:43 PM


All times are GMT. The time now is 12:28 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.