Anyone know what this old piece of equipment is?

T

timng

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Hi,

Had this in my garage for years.... If anyone could tell me exactly what it is it would be much appreciated. also would it be of use to anybody or should I put it out for the scrapman?

Thanks Tim
IMG_0378.jpg
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http://s14.postimg.org/qrx78795d/IMG_0378.jpg
 
that didn't go as planned have no clue how to do this image thing... apologies if any site rules have been broken.
 
I have no idea what it is but hopefully I can get the picture on for you :)

IMG_0378.jpg


Probably well before my time!
 
I'm going out on a limb here, but a negative/microfiche reader?

You place the negative/microfiche underneath somewhere, the light tubes shine through the negative/microfiche similar to that of tracing paper, the lens enlarges the image onto a shadowed glass plate on top sitting in the recess (which is missing) and the two handles are for your X and Y axis movement? And the knob/dial is for your zoom level?

What do I win? :naughty:
 
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It looks quite similar in format to a printed circuit board etching machine that I last saw back in the 70's......are the tubes UV?

Bob
 
the way its scaled at the top looks almost like some kind of old square format enlarger. reminds me of bellows in the top section then what looks like a lens below it.
perhaps you place something on the top of the tubes underneath and then a plate of some kind in the top ( almost like a photocopier or a vertical camera )
 
TP Jaffa Cake Copier.
 
Still think it's an enlarger.

Like this, just the upside-down

pic_03.png
 
It's a Grant enlarger, usually known as just 'the Grant' in the graphic arts and publishing industries. Last used in the 1980s for sizing and scaling images to fit magazine and newspaper pages..

There are a couple of bits missing, but you basically put a photo or sheet of film on the bottom and the image is projected on to the glass (missing) on top. Turn the handles to adjust size and focus, then crop and trace the image onto layout paper. The image could be quite dim, so often used with a black cloth over your head.
 
Thanks for the answers :-) and thanks noneforit for getting the pic to show.
I do have some glass and Perspex pieces for it....
Scrapman then?
 
When I left school in the mid-seventies I worked in the art department of an advertising agency, and used a very similar piece of kit - ours was made by Agfa and lived in the darkroom, as the image could also be photographed using special paper that was then sandwiched to print paper and developed in a machine.

We used it for making the typographer's Letraset efforts fit, enlarging and reducing images and copy, and applying screens to photographs - overlaying a sheet of very fine dots to enable newspaper reproduction.
 
It's just gone up in value then.....

From scrappie to antiques roadshow in 10 seconds flat!
 
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HoppyUK said:
It's a Grant enlarger, usually known as just 'the Grant' in the graphic arts and publishing industries. Last used in the 1980s for sizing and scaling images to fit magazine and newspaper pages..

There are a couple of bits missing, but you basically put a photo or sheet of film on the bottom and the image is projected on to the glass (missing) on top. Turn the handles to adjust size and focus, then crop and trace the image onto layout paper. The image could be quite dim, so often used with a black cloth over your head.
Click to expand...

This

I used to use one in a drawing office.

From memory - some models also had a vacuum pump to pull everything flat. There was also a transparent grid which you placed on the upper bed to ensure the scale was correct and also adjust the barrel distortion.

The one we had (in the dark room) could also be used to make prints. I still recall trying to get the two bits of paper through the rollers in the other machine afterwards. The smell of the chemicals in the dark 'broom cupboard' has stayed with me ever since.

Happy days lol
 
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