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Post by SeaRat on Jan 15, 2013 18:41:27 GMT -8
I found some old negatives and decided to scan them. This one is of Limons Otis, a research biologist on a subtidal clam bed research project I participated in during the summer of 1975.
I have my dive logs, and looked up the dive. On September 15th, 1975 between 10:24 and 12:03 I conducted 5 dives for 56 minutes, at a depth of 44 feet. The purpose of the dives was "Subtidal dredging," which meant we dove down to the bottom with a iron ring, which allowed us to dredge out a 3 square foot circle of bottom, looking for all the clams in the sediment. We got about 6-18 large clams, and there were a large number of smaller ones. On this particular dive, I was going down to photograph the dredging operation with my Nikonos. We had a current of 0-2 knots, and visibility of 10 feet. In my "Remarks" section, I wrote this entry:
I entered Dennis Graver's sheet on "Buddy Breathing, Friend or Foe" in the Diving Instruction part of this site. As can be seen, this was at the time considered a rather routine part of the dive. There was no incident noted, and contrary to the text that I quoted from Dennis Graver, we did not consider it life threatening. Ascent was "normal" in that I did not note any problems at all. So what I said about what Dennis wrote is a bit off from what my actual experience was years ago. As I said, this little sheet was more for discussion during the ITC than anything. But note that buddy breathing has been routinely conducted as part of a dive, and this dive.
The enclosed photo is one I just found in my negatives, and shows Limons Otis with the ring we used for dredging. He is using a Healthways Scubair regulator, one of the early versions. These were rather rigorous dives, and it did just fine.
John
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 16, 2013 10:15:17 GMT -8
John, super boss image, love the Mae West! I don't think that's a Scubair-300 though, look at the bonnet closer... there's what looks like an adjuster for the diaphragm! Here's their first model, note the flat bonnet: The second is rounded, but a very smooth dome, the third is again, flattened out. Also, I'm just not seeing the really long cylinder, or cone for the audio mechanism. Could that be a USD? Jaybird
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 16, 2013 15:26:56 GMT -8
YIKES, now I'm scaring myself: that's a Stebco Mae West Not the same, I know, but... Jaybird
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 16, 2013 17:42:28 GMT -8
Yes, it was a Stebco vest! We all used that vest a lot. Now, are you sure about the Healthways regulator. This actually is the first Healthways Scubair, which was a diaphragm first stage and the second stage was the tilt valve. It is pictured in the lower right of the photo. I know it was Healthways, as I was diving with Limons for several months that summer. I think I even used it for about five minutes of buddy breathing at one point on a photography dive when I ran out of air. I was using an AMF Voit MR-12 at the time. John (Photo from Fred Roberts' book, Basic Scuba[/B].) Attachments:
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 16, 2013 18:04:48 GMT -8
This is fun--detective work! So, it's the one in, Figure: 3-56? So, Scubair, but not 300... I was always led to believe that Healthways were only piston-regs--why'd they stop makin'em ya 'spose? Was that first stage good?
Jaybird
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 16, 2013 18:17:08 GMT -8
Jaybird, Make like your an executive, in charge of procuring the parts for the regulators. Take a look a the number of parts for the Healthways Scubair (1960 version) and the Healthways Scuba Star first stages. What would your decision on design be? I don't know about performance, but I like diaphragm first stages. John (Diagrams from Fred Roberts' book, Basic Scuba[/B].) Attachments:
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 18, 2013 9:29:24 GMT -8
Hmmmmm? Were any of the first Scubapro regs diaphragm; weren't they all piston?
Jaybird
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 18, 2013 13:58:05 GMT -8
Jaybird, the diaphragm first stage only lasted a few years with Healthways. They made the conversion, and when Scubapro come into being they simply refined the piston first stage. The only Scubapro regs with diaphragm first stages were those of us who put their second stages onto an MR-12 first stage.
John
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 18, 2013 16:04:26 GMT -8
I keep forgetting they have "balanced piston" regs! Like the Calypso-J's and Scubapro Mk-5 and 7's...
I was going write something a while back, but I realized as I was writing that Scubapro and Healthways was like Chrysler and Dodge: high-end and low-end products. I guess by the mid-70's people were wanting more from their gear than an unbalanced reg could provide, no? It just seems odd that they kept the Healthways name for such a long time without actually doing much to their regs, mostly cosmetic stuff: the exhaust valve stayed the same size while others were making them bigger and bigger with new models. Seems like the very last models had improvements, but too little, too late. Am I wrong here? I was a bit taken aback when you told me that a Scubair was even tested by the USN.
Jaybird
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 21, 2013 11:13:45 GMT -8
I was chatting with my LDS owner, who's been there for about a cagillion years, since 1953, and he was telling me that Sherwood was the the actual manufacturer/maker of Healthways equipment: I'm pretty sure that's who he said! He mentioned that they make fire extinguishers too...
He was telling me how he and his father went to LA, back in the early 1960's, and met Gustav Dalla Valle: man that guy can really talk scuba--UFF DA!
Jaybird
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 21, 2013 18:17:15 GMT -8
Jaybird,
Sherwood did make valves for other manufacturers, but I'm not sure about Healthways. It is interesting that they might have, because I happen to have a Sherwood Magnum Blizzard regulator. I also have a rebuild kit, which I installed but I kept the left overs; that included an extra Sherwood diaphragm. My excitement was quenched when I opened my Healthways Scubair (downstream second stage), took out the diaphragm and inserted the Sherwood diaphragm--it was slightly too small in diameter. But I looked at it, and then placed the face cover on top of it, and the face cover was exactly the same size. There was a bit of wiggle room though, until I put the metal spring clamp in place, and it held. I then took a deep breath off it, without turning the air on; it held vacuum and did not leak, nor did it come loose. I then turned the air on, and there was no response from the regulator; no LP leak. So I took a breath..WOW what a difference. It WOOSHED! ALMOST WITHOUT EFFORT! I left the diaphragm in the regulator, and will be using it..at first in the pool to make sure that it won't come loose, then probably in open water.
Speaking of the pool, I'm pretty frustrated here. I have several Healthways regulators set up, and no place to dive. The pool, all this weekend, was again closed due to a swim meet. This is the third weekend in a row.
On top of that, we have had a high pressure area here, which means freezing weather--clear, low water in the river. But because I did not want to risk a slip on the rocks (we've also had freezing fog), I have not gone diving in the river. In prior years, I have been in the river in January under similar circumstances, but this time I did not want to risk the slip. No problem with the diving, only getting to and from the river. Oh, well...
John
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 21, 2013 21:32:05 GMT -8
John, you came to mind when he mentioned Sherwood: I was thinking, "Hey, John gave me a really nice Sherwood valve set for twins!" Eventually, I'd like to have maybe my Scubastar as the backup for my Scuba Deluxe on that manifold.
My neighbor who works for the USCG, civilian, told me they have a pool that no one uses, and when I'm ready, she'll "sponsor me" (let in) so as to test my gear, whoooo-hooo! The wife and I have been racking our brains trying to figure out where we can do that: most pools wont let'cha do that ya know? Or when they do, there's always someone wantin' to play with yer gear when you're under...
Jaybird
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 27, 2013 21:36:28 GMT -8
Still frustrated, and still haven't gotten into the pool with my Healthways gear. I probably could have today, but my wife wanted me home and I was pretty hungry after church too. So, next weekend (if I don't get into the river first). I have been doing several little projects with my Healthways single hose regs. First, about that ol' diaphragm, the one everyone hates. I did not remember it as a big problem when I was diving my Healthways Scuba Star in the 1960s. But then again, I never took it apart then. Now, those diaphragms are 50+ years old. They are made of neoprene-impregnated nylon, and they take a "set." So this last week, I pulled several of these diaphragms out of my regulators. I have three, so I compared them. One was more flexible than the other two, so I coated the other two with silicone grease, and let them sit a couple of days. I then took them out, and started flexing them. What I've found out is that these diaphragms are very, very rugged. They can take a beating, and need to be "conditioned" with many flexions. While they will never be as flexible as a new silicone diaphragm, they can become more flexible by simply flexing them, over and over. I then wanted to look at the size of the exhalation wagon wheels. What I found out is that even when Healthways increased their size, they never achieved the size that were present in even older Scubapro regulators. I have an old Scubapro adjustable second stage, and its exhalation port is much larger than the larger exhalation port of the newer Healthways regulators. And, the Scubapro was not as large as the USD Calypso/Conshelf third generation metal second stage exhalation ports. So there was a reason that the Navy rejected the Healthways regulators. It was the exhalation of the second stage, combined with the restrictions of the first stage (Scubair 300, Scubair II). I have a White Stage second stage, which internally is pretty close to the Healthways from their construction. But, again their exhalation wagonwheels were larger than the Healthways second stage. Well, I'm watching Discovery Channel, and their story of the search for the giant squid, so I'll quit for a while. While I'm watching, I'm conditioning my Healthways diaphragm; it gets more of a workout when the squid makes an appearance. John
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 31, 2013 12:18:50 GMT -8
John, am I missing something here, or... the original Scuba Star is a "dumb-regulator", in that there is nothing to adjust. It has an unbalanced piston first stage, and the second is a tilt-valve: I don't mean that as a bad thing either!
Jaybird
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 31, 2013 16:40:23 GMT -8
John, am I missing something here, or... the original Scuba Star is a "dumb-regulator", in that there is nothing to adjust. It has an unbalanced piston first stage, and the second is a tilt-valve: I don't mean that as a bad thing either! Jaybird Jaybird, you are correct in that with the original Scuba Star, there is nothing to adjust. But they must be cleaned regularly, and as I pointed out above the diaphragm need to be "conditioned" to maintain its flexibility. That means coating it with silicone grease, letting it sit, then giving it multiple flexes. That really does improve the breathing of these old Healthways regulators, even the tilt valve types. The O-ring in the first stage also needs lubrication regularly. John
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