[LargeFormat] Info on the Fotar brand enlarger

[Les Newcomer]

Fotars are the Omegas of the industial world.  While a DeVere and even a 
Durst as some design, the Fotar explifies "form follows function"  And if 
the fuction was to bruise shins and hipbones, the form fit the function to 
a 't'.

They are not freestanding and insist being bolted to a substantial wall.  
The mast or colum is more or less a custom designed box beam.  Most of the 
rest of the parts were designed by a machinist rather than Raymond Loewy.  
Lots of roller bearings and socket head cap screws. It defines the term 
"fully adjustable" as most things are on cams to tweak the play. There are 
two counter weights in the back for the head and the table which are 
linked and counter directional (as you raise the head, the table lowers)  
They are not brutally heavy, but those counter weights can put a nasty 
dent in a steel toed shoe should it fall out of the car.(I was lucky, didn'
t have the steel toe to dent :-)

I've never used one, but was lucky(?) enough to be at an auction that had 
three and two friends bought them.  The first one took about an hour to 
get off the wall.  The third came down in 15 minutes (and was still 
useable afterward)

Anybody with a little garage experience in mechanical engineering and a 
couple of years in the darkroom with even an Omega could get one up and 
aligned.

The smallest ones I've seen were just over 7ft,(okay 6ft after my friend 
realized he miss-measured his basement)  but have seen some 10 footers.
On Monday, February 10, 2003, at 04:48 PM, Clive Warren wrote:

> At 15:46 08/02/2003 -0800, LauvoneT wrote:
>> I am in the market for a big enlarger to make prints
>> from 8X10 negs.  A Fotar was on EBAY this week and
>> went for $1500.  This seemed like a fair price as the
>> person said it was almost like new.
>>
>> Does anyone in the group use or has used one of these
>> enlargers??  If you have, what is the quailty,
>> reputation, service, down times, ETC. of this brand.
>> I had never heard of them before this week.
>>
>> Any advice based on experience, knowledge will be
>> appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>
> Hello Lauvone,
>
> I don't know the Fotar but managed to miss a DeVere 5108 8x10 vertical 
> and a 5108 horizontal enlarger a while back. I did manage to pick up a 
> Kam 8x10 enlarger recently - well I say pick up loosely as it weighs a 
> huge amount and I have yet to determine how to strip it down so that it 
> can be transported and reused in my garage. There is a separate extractor 
> fan unit and all the control boxes you are ever likely to need.
>
> I would have preferred one of the DeVeres as they are a little more 
> manageable and having played around with the vertical 5108 they seem to 
> be a good enlarger.
>
> Cheers,
>            Clive
>
>
>
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