Gnome 6x6 Colour Enlarger - condensers

[M Stewart]

Word gets around that I collect old photo gear, and yesterday I was given an unused Gnome 6x6 Colour Enlarger, complete with Instructions & Warranty Card; also filter tray, and with lens, diffusing sheet, and two large ~ 4 1/2" diam planoconvex condensers. The condensers were complete with a typical Gnome external mounting sleeve, and with an internal sprung separator. The screwed up newspaper packaging on some of the parts was dated 1991... There were several other useful items, but sadly, the compact masking frame had suffered from long term damp storage, and penetrating rust was evident.

My query is how are the condensers mounted?
The external tube with a flange at the top, is easy. but after inserting the lower condenser & the internal sprung sleeve thereby securing the lower condenser; how do you get the upper condenser to lie flat with its upper plane surface parallel to the plane surface of the lower condenser? It's easy to get this surface some way off, but I haven't yet got it close to being parallel. I've tried gently pressing the higher edge down, and I've made some improvement. I guess the next step will be to make a cardboard template and check against that!

Perhaps, I'm being too anal, and it doesn't really matter, but I can't imagine that Leitz would be this sloppy...

Thanks for any ideas.

[alexmuir]

Is it possible that the whole arrangement sits the other way up, and the spring pushes the top lens up against a retaining rim? A picture, or two of the parts might help someone recognise the correct arrangement. I had two Gnome models in the past, but one was a single condenser, and the other had been crudely converted to a diffuser system.
Alex


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[M Stewart]

Thanks for your suggestion.
I think I've resolved the problem, and it wasn't where I expected it. Although the enlarger appears to be "new" i.e. not owned and put to use, I noticed a small dent on the lower edge of the condenser sleeve, along with a very small area of missing paint. Careful stretching has removed the dent, and the lower condenser now fits better, and the upper condenser also fits better. Its flat surface is now close enough to parallel with the lower condenser that it's not worth worrying about. The assembly now feels similar to what was in a Gnome Beta enlarger which I sold a short time ago.

[alexmuir]

I'm glad you found a solution. I used a Gnome for 35mm for several years.
Alex


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[John King]

I seem to remember that in my early days I used a Gnome and this had 3.5 inc condensers and in the 'tube' there was also a seperator to keep the condensers apart.
This was a simple flangeless tube that fitted snugly and held the glass at a pre-set distance apart so to get optimum light spread and even-ness.
The air gap was something like 1/4 inch

[M Stewart]

Originally Posted by M Stewart

Word gets around that I collect old photo gear, and yesterday I was given an unused Gnome 6x6 Colour Enlarger, ...

Further to the above, one item was missing - the rather essential enlarger column. Quick query to my donor, it's been found and it's now re-united with the enlarger which I've now fully assembled.

So I've tried turning it on, and fairly quickly turned it off again, as I felt the lamp house was getting too hot - above hand touch comfortable. I've now measured the temperature at the air vent at the top of the lamp-house. Checked with a digital probe, it quickly rose to 77°C at which temperature I turned the 150W lamp off. Ambient was 23°C. The original instruction from Gnome list 150W, 100W and 75W bulbs as being suitable. It also started giving off that "new paint" smell. (Pleased that the brass lamp-holder is earthed, just in case the plastic insulation melted.)

It's easy for me to change the lamp to a 75W, but what were Gnome thinking of? I can't see any ventilation holes low down on the lamp-house assembly where cool air could enter. The film holder seems too well sealed when it's installed, and the filter tray would normally be kept closed - so no lower ventilation port. OTOH, on my Leitz Valoy, there is a lower ventilation port, hidden in the lamp-house mounting arm - clever.

With the colour filter tray installed, it just covers a 6x6cm negative. With no filter tray, and a Light Trap (Gnome part LT137*) installed, it should cover 6x9cm with the large condensers I received with it.

*LT137 - anyone seen a diagram of one?

[John King]

Yes the old enlargers were a bit of a 'hot spot' and even with a 75w bulb they still get too hot to touch very quickly. In the absense of anything else at the time they were made that's what they used.

If you search on the internet for houshold LED bulbs you will find that there some now available with a normal bayonet or screw base fitting. The one I have is not much smaller than a 75W bulb, has an output of 80W equivalent but only consumes 14w. It cost me I think £5 or so. I use it for my darkroom inspection light for when I assess colour prints. The colour temperature is 6500-7000 degrees C - perfect. Going by the physical size it should fit the enlarger lamp purpose perfectly.

Even left on for half an hour it barely gets warm!

I think this was the place I got mine from:- https://www.ledhut.co.uk/led-bulbs/b...nt-parent.html

[M Stewart]

Hi John,
I've now fitted the enlarger with a Philips 13W LED BC lamp with an output equiv to 100W tungsten. Colour temp is Warm White, which I hope will be OK. If not, it's easy enough to change. (A 7,000K wire ended LED I bought had a decidedly blueish colour, so I went for a warm white for photo use.)

[Richard Gould]

Originally Posted by M Stewart

Hi John,
I've now fitted the enlarger with a Philips 13W LED BC lamp with an output equiv to 100W tungsten. Colour temp is Warm White, which I hope will be OK. If not, it's easy enough to change. (A 7,000K wire ended LED I bought had a decidedly blueish colour, so I went for a warm white for photo use.)

yu should be fine with a warm white led, I have been trying and using a led bulb im my Meopta Opemus 6 enlarger for a while now and the warm white bulb at around colortemp 2700k works fine, I am using a Dial LED bulb and find it is as good as the standard Photocrensta enlarging bulb. without the heat and it is brighter than the standard buld, have fun with it
Richard