[LargeFormat] Ilex Shutter Servicing

[Clive Warren]

At 5:57 pm -0800 25/1/02, Les Newcomer wrote:
>I've got a big batch of prints to number this weekend, finally got heat int=
o
>the darkroom after 7 years, and have been working on getting water and sewe=
r
>or at least a drain in there too. Imagine a darkroom with a real "wet" side=
!
>
>Within a week or two I should have my 8x10 B&W nitro sinkline up and
>running.
>Why does that sound like a hot rod out of the 60s??--- Next year I'll put i=
n
>double pumpers, maybe a blower and straight pipes too!!!  By the time I get
>done I'll be able to take my contrast index from O to 10 in less that 6
>minutes!!!   :)
>
>Alas the weather makes me I feel like I've moved to Georgia (the US state,
>not the Soviet state) today is the only day in the week where the high will
>be less than 40=B0F.  And I can remember when we never got above 32 the ent=
ire
>month of January. This new generation of New Year's babies have gone all
>soft!
>
>Les
>
>Oh Yes Ilex servicing.  I'm not sure that it's still true, but as of a few
>years ago Ilex was still repairing their own.
snip

Hello Les,

Glad there's someone doing some darkroom work out there! At least 
you've got as far as numbering prints - I have put the negs in a 
rather daunting pile to print but my darkroom is still cluttered with 
various bits of furniture. Have made enough room to get around the 
enlargers and am lucky in that there is a sink all plumbed in with 
running water etc.

Tonight was going to be the night for inhaling the sweet smells 
(ah...) of chemicals (cough!) but the distraction of the shutter put 
paid to that. Ended up doing some f32 stuff instead.

Life has been very busy here - picked up a new (to me) enlarger last 
week and it hasn't yet made it from the hall to the darkroom - the 
furniture problem again. Guess it'll have to be tomorrow for the big 
tidy up and furniture moving.

As for that shutter, it would be amazing if Ilex were still around 
and servicing their old shutters. maybe they haven't made it onto the 
web yet. More likely that they are making CCD lenses and most people 
working there have no idea about their great tradition in large 
format lenses.

As for the temperature - which state are you in anyway? You wouldn't 
want what we have outside right now in the UK!

Cheers,
        Clive