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Post by Nemo on Sept 29, 2008 1:41:51 GMT -8
Howdy All!  Long time! Been busy! Here's what's up... As some of you will recall, a while back I acquired an authentic Disney 20,000 Leagues Diving helmet that was severely damaged and missing some parts. I asked whether folks thought I should restore it or leave it as-is. After talking it over with you, other divers, helmet collectors, Leaguers, my friends at Disney, and with the one known surviving Disney Diver Bill Stropahl, we came to this conclusion: If there was some kind of known provenance where we could show that the damage was connected with the movie, I would have left it as it was. I have a theory about how the damage might have happened, but there are no witnesses still alive, and I can't prove it. So, no provenance exists. Therefore, since most-all other existing Disney Leagues helmets have received some sort of damage and repair over the years, we figured it would be OK to do the minimum amount of work necessary to restore this one. So that's what I've done. And, in keeping with the expressed wishes of my friend Bill Stropahl, I intend to dive the helmet once it is seaworthy again. This will be the first time any authentic gear from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has been dived since filming was completed in 1954. As of today, I've completed the metalwork using mostly cold-working processes and the controlled use of minimal heat, so there was almost no damage to the original special effects paint; replaced all the missing parts with authentic items whenever possible (either vintage or "new" old stock parts), and manufactured reproductions when the vintage pieces couldn't be found. The square brail nuts are handmade per Disney's specs; and I scratchbuilt the "crown" from copper using an authentic crown as a reference. This one is accurate down to small details most people don't know about, and fits perfectly into the trace marks remaining from where the original once sat. The "gills" are a still little bent, and I haven't done anything about that because they all got that way during filming. If I make any corrections there, they will be minimal. Here's a picture of it taken out in my yard today:  Right now, I'm waiting on some leather from which I'll cut new seals for the faceplate and corselet; and I'm expecting delivery of some antiquing fluid to "age" some of the new brass parts so they'll appear the same as the originals. After that, she's ready to dive. Figure to be ready by next weekend. Will keep you guys posted. The next time you see this helmet, it will be underwater, breathing off my DA! VBR, Pat |
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Post by JES on Sept 29, 2008 3:37:16 GMT -8
Pat, That's awesome! The Disney helmet looks great thanks to your masterful restoration skills. Thank you for sharing this with us and we can't wait to see pictures of you actually using it soon.  |
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YankDownUnder
Pro Diver
Broxton 'green label' Aqua Lung and 1954 USD Rene triple 44s.
Posts: 162
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Post by YankDownUnder on Sept 29, 2008 19:28:53 GMT -8
Nemo,
The helmet looks great. I hope you are thinking about completing it to dive. I think the film version used a demand valve system. We use hookah lines to an original air valve to dive our helmets. A set of twin 72's with a reduction valve and a belly valve would do the trick in your case. Suits, boots and lead are available and I can get the information to you if you wish.
I am restoring a TOA jake at the moment.
PM me an email address and I'll send some pictures.
Steve
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Post by duckbill on Sept 29, 2008 20:32:47 GMT -8
Great job, Pat! Nice to see another Leagues artifact saved.
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Post by Nemo on Sept 30, 2008 0:35:14 GMT -8
Thanks Guys! The shipment of patinization chemicals arrived today, right on schedule; and tonight I "antiqued" the newish-looking brass parts. Now everything is looking as it should for an old helmet. I tried taking a picture a minute ago, but I'm going to wait until tomorrow and get some in natural sunlight. Steve, yes we do plan to dive the helmet as soon as possible: maybe this weekend. Thank you for your kind offer of help; I have the entire rig ready to go. I'd like to see your photos, and maybe the others would, too. How about posting some pics of your TOA Jake right here in the forum, so everyone can enjoy them? If you don't have a host server there's always Photobucket; and if you need some help with picture posting procedures, either I or the guys here can help you with that. They showed me how...if I can do it, ANYONE can!  Dawg tired and heading for the land of nod....more to follow soon.  VBR, Pat |
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Post by Nemo on Oct 8, 2008 2:00:08 GMT -8
"It always takes longer than you planned." But today, it's done. The helmet's ready to dive. Hopefully this weekend, because some of us actually have to work for a living during the week. Had an interesting talk with Disney Diver Bill Stropahl today. He's recovering from the stroke and is about as busy as any twenty beavers. Glad to see him up and about again. Bill had some great recollections about Ellis Royal Cross and the Sparling School of Deep Sea Diving. I'm writing a page about Bill for VSC at this time, and hopefully it will have some of those anecdotes, too. You guys might find them interesting. More to follow...... VBR, Pat |
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Post by Nemo on Oct 13, 2008 1:10:32 GMT -8
Everything's finished. Did a successful pool test today: worked fine with a DA.  Setting up an ocean video event for the last week of October. Film at eleven..........  VBR, Pat |
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YankDownUnder
Pro Diver
Broxton 'green label' Aqua Lung and 1954 USD Rene triple 44s.
Posts: 162
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Post by YankDownUnder on Oct 13, 2008 1:36:01 GMT -8
Nemo,
I received a DVD produced by the Historical Diving Societ- UK in 1992. It covers the history of diving and features many early film clips. I was wondering if you have seen it. It has original film clip of the silent 1914 production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The diving scenes show standard dress divers with oxygen rebreathers fitted. They have small oxygen tank on the rear outside of their dress. They are shown expelling "bad air', shooting at tiger sharks and going through a lock out from the Nautilus.
I was wondering if you had considered marrying a rebreather to a helmet and recreating the 1914 gear. Russian rebreathers, such as the IDA-64 would make for an interesting approach.
Steve
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Post by Nemo on Oct 13, 2008 12:51:27 GMT -8
Nemo, I received a DVD produced by the Historical Diving Societ- UK in 1992. It covers the history of diving and features many early film clips. I was wondering if you have seen it. It has original film clip of the silent 1914 production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The diving scenes show standard dress divers with oxygen rebreathers fitted. They have small oxygen tank on the rear outside of their dress. They are shown expelling "bad air', shooting at tiger sharks and going through a lock out from the Nautilus. I was wondering if you had considered marrying a rebreather to a helmet and recreating the 1914 gear. Russian rebreathers, such as the IDA-64 would make for an interesting approach. Steve Steve, Yes, I have the Williams Brothers silent version of Leagues. Interestingly enough, the underwater scenes were filmed at Lyford Cay on the West tip of New Providence Island: same place Disney chose for their divers. Regarding a Russian hybrid project: no, I haven't thought about that at all. All my efforts have focused on recreating the underwater technologies from Disney's Leagues. It's an interesting idea, though. Oh, BTW: I heard from Betty. Many thanks for the contact info! VBR, Pat |
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Post by duckbill on Oct 13, 2008 22:28:39 GMT -8
That looks so cool, Pat! Congrats on getting the project finished. Now go scare some tourists!
(Is this your Halloween costume for this year?)
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Post by SeaRat on Oct 14, 2008 7:42:35 GMT -8
Pat,
I'm very curious about the Disney hard hat gear, and what it feels like to get into it, go underwater, breath in the gear, walk on the bottom, etc. Could you give us a more detailed description of what this type of diving "feels" like? Most of us use vintage scuba gear, and this must be a much different sensation.
The gear looks awesome! Thanks for everything in keeping this technology alive.
John
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Post by Nemo on Oct 14, 2008 12:54:14 GMT -8
Thanks Duckbill! Nawww..this Halloween I'll be dressed as an old fat guy. Come to think of it, I do that every day. And thanks also, John. Unfortunately I'm going to work tonight and don't have a lot of time to do a detailed overview on what it's like to dive a Leagues rig right now; though that is something I have planned for the future. But I'll try to summarize briefly here: On land, the suit is cumbersome and heavy: it takes some work and help getting into it; but underwater, inside the suit is a very pleasant place to be. You're in a dry environment looking out through viewports with the sites and sounds of the ocean around you; except you're not tied down to an umbilical. It's like being inside a small submarine except you walk rather than drive. As for walking, I think Ty Alley hit it on the head when he said, "This must be what it's like to walk on the Moon." You are virtually weightless in an environment where you can walk around, or float slowly over obstacles in a single bound. It's just a blast! Divers have been known to enjoy it so much, they leap up into the water column and click their heels for the sheer joy of it, before settling gently back down to the seabed.  It's a unique style of diving: enjoyed by those who want to know what the Disney Divers experienced while filming the movie that started many of us diving in the first place, and those who are looking for new experiences underwater. It's extreme vintage diving: vintage drysuit, DA regulator SCUBA, and all. The main difference is we're wearing boots instead of fins, and a helmet instead of a facemask. Like other forms of vintage SCUBA diving, the appeal is niche-oriented: like some guys enjoy flying antique taildraggers even though modern high-performance aircraft are available. It's not the only way I'd choose to dive, nor is it the most practical. But it is a lot of fun and everyone who has ever tried it absolutely loved it. VBR, Pat |
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Post by divertim on Nov 1, 2008 6:19:27 GMT -8
Thanks for the experiece, Nemo! Tim
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Post by OystrPir8 on Nov 1, 2008 13:50:52 GMT -8
Do you have any video of yourself or any friends doing it in a great location?
Where was that picture taken?
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Post by Nemo on Nov 2, 2008 1:36:26 GMT -8
Thanks guys! Yes, we have stills and video of us diving the rigs. Plan to do something with it one of these days.... The "clicking his heels" picture was taken at a spot on the East side of the Island of Hawaii called Kapoho. Nice dive site. Today we photographed the restored Disney hat at Puhi Bay, also on the East side of Hawaii. Here's a look at that:  These dives mark the first time any of the authentic Disney Leagues diving gear has been used underwater in the 54 years since the movie made its debut. More to follow......... VBR, Pat |
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