[Leica] Focomat question -- oddball 1c

[Bmceowen@aol.com]

I have un unusual Focomat enlarger and wonder if anyone can shed any light on 
it. The chassis looks like a 1a -- with the elevation controlled by releasing 
a knob on the riser arms -- but the head is from a 1c (in fact, it SAYS 1c). 
The head tilts back like a 1c but the hardware looks like it was made in a 
machine shop (they look like one-off parts rather than production items). 
Also there are releases on both sides rather than just on one like on most 1c 
enlargers. The enlarger was purchased over the Internet from a photographer 
in New York and was shipped from the Time-Life building (at least that was 
the return address). At the time I bought it I recognized the photographer's 
name but it escapes me (DIrck Halstead sounds right but probably isn't). 

Anyway, I suspect that this was an old 1a enlarger that was converted to a 
psuedo 1c. Do any of you old-timers remember this being a common practice? Or 
perhaps there was a transition model? Any ideas? I'm going to try to sell it 
but I wanted to be able to offer a better explanation for this oddity . . . 

Bob (Foco-baffled) McEowen