I haven’t even used them yet, but the IC and 2C are making there hulking presence known in my darkroom … and my life.  My last two weekends have been spent enlarging my enlarging table so that three enlargers could be accommodated with enough room between them to comfortably work. That’s a lot of enlarging in one sentence, isn’t it! With the help of my talented next-door neighbor we were able to extend the table on both sides from near the edge of my entrance door to the wall. After painting the top flat black and the base/legs white to match the existing table you would almost think it was all one continuous work surface.  Things always take longer then expected, especially when you knock over the paint onto the floor, but I am excited … I think … about the outcome.  I had to get rid of a metal bookcase that had been repurposed to hold all my chemicals and paper safes, but those items will easily fit underneath my sink and/or the table top on the built in shelf.

Now for the really fun part, getting a few missing pieces and figuring how to use these beasts as they were meant to be used. I finally managed to get instruction booklets for each enlarger, but of course they are for older models and don’t provide the most “how to”.  I think the IC will be more straightforward and I found an interesting YouTube video on the 2C. Unfortunately the person while looking very knowledgeable is speaking Chinese. I am sure it would have been helpful but $#%@^&* !  Then, I couldn’t get the housing that holds the 60mm and 100mm lenses to shift positions for use; the mechanism was jammed. Again #@$%^$#@%.  After taking things apart I found that a tiny, tiny, cylindrical bearing was jammed and one was missing.  Yet another $%#^%$^ moment!  I needed my neighbor’s help again. Without his help the remaining bearings would certainly fall out and scatter to who knows where (well a few did, but I was lucky to track them down).

Only those pesky Wetzlar elves could have designed such a thing (they had a reason for everything they did, didn’t they?), and even though I was able get things working again sans the missing bearing, deep down I knew it might not be right. I mean it seems to be working, but it’s not Leitz ultimate perfection, is it.

That damn tiny part is on my mind. Perhaps I am loosing all sense of reality because I have begun to see if I can locate or fabricate one if necessary @#$%^&!

I’m also beginning my hunt for the missing negative masks I will need, but think I might have a line on some new ones if necessary from Kienzle in Germany.  And then there are two tiny knurled screws to hold a light bulb socket in place to illuminate the enlargement indicator scale and the red filter that goes underneath the lens.  Why not be a completest? After all, this is a Leica isn’t it? Kienzle is known for supporting these wacky things as well as making their own fine autofocus enlargers. I have communicated with them and we will see that they have to say.

I know it’s all worth it, right … or am I beginning to slowly loose my mind?  Someday I hope to know.

Stay safe and happy Thanksgiving,

Michael