alignment on Beseler MCRX

[michael_franc]

I am going to buy Beseler MCRX this weekend. How can I check the alignment in the seller's garage?

Thank you

[steve_feldman]

This may help.

 

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I'm assuming (bad word, I know) that the alignment is similar to a

23C or a 45MXT.

To check alignment you'll need a small (12-15") level (plastic is ok).

1. Place enlarger base on a level surface. Must be LEVEL. See #2.

2. Place level on base board. Check from to back and L to R. Shim to

correct as necessary. You must start from as level a position as

poddible.

3. Place level inside neg stage. Read level L to R and front to back

Leveling screws will swing the entire head foward and tilt the head

L/R. After that is level go to #4.

4. Place level on the face of the lens. There should be some

adjustment to level the lens in the mount. Or adjust the bottom of

the lensboard mount.

Good hunting,-Steve

This is NOT the most accurate method, but it will get you into the

ballpark for gross checking of a unit you may be considering. It's

all in the adjusting screws.

[steve_feldman]

Not Poddible . . . possible. Darn!

[steve_feldman]

My suggestions will be more readable when I learn how to type. SORRY.

[dk_thompson]

The quickie way would be to do as above, only the MX series enlargers

don't align completely like a 23C...the struts in the back, and the

carriage--the motorized assembly that raises & lowers the

lamphouse/neg & lens stage--both play a part as well as the controls

for aligning the lamphouse etc. On an older MX--pre MXT--basically

anything with a tapered lower bellows; on one of these, there's a

small screw type adjustment just behind the the rail that the lens

stage rides up & down on to focus....you should be able to adjust the

alignment of the whole unit here, both L-R with the swing adjustment

and front to back, with the tiny screw that's set off the lower

carriage....

 

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What I would do would be to take a torpedo level, and a sheet of glass

(like you'd use to make a contact) with you.

 

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First, get the baseboard level in both directions...get it on a level

surface or shim it up....

 

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Put the glass in the neg carrier spot, just like you were inserting a

carrier...put the level on this to check the alignment in both

directions. If it's off here, you can make the adjustments I described

above to get close, if not darn close....

 

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Now, put a lens in the lens stage, and place the level firm against it

(hold it up underneath)....NOW, this is where the problems may arise

with an older MX...there is no provision on these to precisely align

the lens stage...if for some reason, it's out of alignment here (may

not be)....it's going to be tough to ever get it completely aligned.

We had this problem on our MXII, and wound up replacing the whole

lower bellows assembly to make it like the MXT more or less. You can

also get some aftermarket lens boards, that will let you align in both

directions as well....but basically, the only alignment option for the

lens stage on a pre-MXT enlarger, is from L-R, if you need front to

back, you will have to shim some things around to get it....or it may

mean there are other problems....

 

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Lastly, the carraige can jump a tooth or two on one of the sides & get

off-level...it's possible to run it all the way down, and reset it and

get that aligned as well....you'd use a level, and a carpenters square

for this usually....if the enlarger has been moved alot, or picked up

by that part, it's not uncommon to find this out of place....if the

struts in the back have been adjusted right, there should be no

problems....if not, then there's a chance the chasis could be

warped....

 

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But, if you can get it roughly aligned, then chances are it's

okay....what I would do is to check it out, or have the seller do it

for you & show you...if they can't show you that it's aligned, or do

it for you...then it might not ever have been....chances are you'll

redo it when you set it up in it's new home anyways....other things to

check are the motor--sometimes they can leak oil--check out the teeth

on the rail that you focus with...if the knobs have been

overtightened, while focusing? They can chew up this rail, and miss

teeth at certain settings....or get wobbly too...

 

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I think that's about it, I know this is a rambling answer & probably

confusing as hell...but just look at it closely, and try to make sure

the frame isn't bent or twisted/warped...I've seen some old beaters

that have been this way, that were almost impossible to use....good

luck. (p.s. we have 3 of these in our lab, real workhorse enlargers)

MY opinions as always.

[steve_feldman]

Looks like Mr./Ms. Thompson above has the more exacting ticket to

check out and align you're buy. I stand (sit) corrected and educated.

Thanks.

 

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-Steve

[michael_franc]

Thank you for the great advice. I know what to look for now. I am sure future

readers in the same predicament will find this post very usefull as well. Thank

You.

[dk_thompson]

I wouldn't worry about it too much, but if you buy it, get a copy of

the manual from Beseler because you'll probably have to align it when

you get it all set up again. The struts in the back? Really you

shouldn't have to mess with these...the only reason would be if they

weren't set up right to begin with, or the thing was horribly out of

alignment...what I would look for, besides overall wear & tear--would

be to see if the thing _can_ be aligned easily right there....if it

looks like it can't, that may be a warning sign....the parts we had to

replace on our older MXII cost about $400 to upgrade it to be able to

fine tune the alignment of the lens stage...we only did it because we

got tired of having to shim things around...so, if I had to take my

pick of a used MX series, I'd go with the MXTs. But there's no reason

why an older one won't be just fine for you...that MXII has been in

our lab forever and old-age and high mileage finally did it in...MY

opinions as always.

[j._mose]

Michael,

 

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DK Thomspon is right on all counts. I just went though the alignment

procedure with my 45MCRX which I have owned since 1973. I moved her

more times than I care to admit. After taking her out of the moth

balls, I had to perform a major CLA and happy to report she's as good

as new. Beseler helped me a lot on the alignment procedures. Call

Steve McFadden at 1-800-BESELER, ext. 262. Beseler does have a manual

for alignment procedures on this enlarger. The biggest alignment

problem with this model is the lens stage. If the swing feature for

perspective control was used a lot, the ball bearing may have a lot of

wear. This will cause the lens stage to drop forward, thus throwing it

out of alignment. The ball bearing is no longer available. I would

question the seller on use of this feature. A lot of owners may have

never used it much. In my case, I didn't. When I wanted perspective

control, I always grabbed the 4 X 5 and didn't worry about it

otherwise (not that I shouldn't have!). Like DK Thompson said, there

are limited adjustments. You may have to resort to shims. While I

think it is important to determine whether the enlarger is capable of

being aligned before purchasing it, I would wait and do all the fine

tuning once you place it in the new location. Beseler claims that

most alignment requirements are the result of physically moving the

beast.

 

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Best regards,

 

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J. P. Mose