film developing enlarger

[reds_21]

My wife has an enlarger that is about 5+ years old. it is a
Beseler - Cadet II - model #3502.

If anyone is fimiliar with this model please chime in. It has not been used for awhile now and id like to see if i can get the equipment back up and running. is it cheaper to take it in and have it serviced or buy a new one?

when my wife developed pictures a few years back she always got frustrated because the pictures would have what looks to be a scratch in the same spot every time. so i realize it could be a scratched lens or something of that sort on the enlarger or the camera, but is it cheap to have these enlargers serviced? is it a waste of time?

 

[usayit]

I have a Beseler 23C. Mine was found in someones basement storage for years and grime really worked its way into the enlarger. Mine had a pretty simple design that was easy to take apart and remove the rather large lenses. I simply used cloth negative gloves a little alcohol and cleaned the lens. It might be worth just checking the condenser lenses yourself for a scratch. I'm thinking there is something on the negatives, camera, or contrast filters rather than the lens itself.

Replacement parts for the enlargers can get expensive and my guess so is service.

 

[reds_21]

thanks usayit,

i dont have a clue on how to take this enlarger apart. if i did that, id be afraid it wouldn't go back together correctly, then id really be screwed. i think i should maybe make some calls and get prices on how much servicing it would be.

 

[JIP]

Honestly, I would not worry too much about taking it apart the lenses and light source should be fairly easily accessable. If you have the instruction manual for the enlarger I would imagine there would be something telling you how to chnge the bulb.