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Post by diverdon on Apr 1, 2014 18:27:41 GMT -8
Hey Jaybird,
I'm not sure if I can re-purpose that old duckbill or not. I'm leaning towards an eliminator for the Mistral right now, but I will probably pick up a couple DBs as they are kinda cheap and I'd like to keep a spare around. Then I'd have a brand new one to fiddle with for my SCUBA. I'm also waiting for John. He said he had a HW in the shed that he could post pics of. I work best with visuals and I'd feel better knowing there was a DB in there even though some say it isn't necessary. Thanks again bud,
Don
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Post by diverdon on Apr 3, 2014 2:54:15 GMT -8
Hey Don, what do you need the long yoke for?!?!?!?!? The only reason I can see having one, and I could be wrong but, it's only for an SPG, you have a plethora of valves, Healthways and Dacor, to give you an SPG... I'm wondering if you can use the duckbill off of Mistral on your Healthways? Looks like you need a new one for the Mistral, or have you stuffed the end of it into the air-horn? My thinking here is that since the HW DB isn't as long, you just trim to fit, yes...no? Jaybird Hey Jaybird, The only reason I could justify going the banjo route is for dive trips or multiple tank usage. Either I purchase multiple SPGs or get used to switching them to the valve of a fresh tank, and it needs to be one of my tanks with the correct valve. Decisions, decisions.
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Post by Michel on Apr 6, 2014 17:25:45 GMT -8
Welcome to the board! Congratulations on the Mistral it looks like a beauty. I have restored a few and possess 2 Mistrals in excellent working condition which breath effortlessly. they are by far the easiest to work on and tune and were the favorite reg(Spirotechnique version) of Cousteau's team on the Calypso! The long yokes are really only needed if u want to use a banjo for a SPG. They are costly and rare, remember dive with a good watch and a serviceable valve with reserve, remember this is vintage and simplicity is the order of the day! The 2 I have have been fitted with the long yokes for versatility and I have discovered that u can use a heavy yoke off a Conshelf xiv that does not have the threaded nozzle but it won't match because it is shiny chrome and obviously not period correct, anyway I digress, welcome again, Michel.
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Post by diverdon on Apr 7, 2014 2:04:46 GMT -8
Thank you Michel. I have ordered a svc kit, new hoses and valves for this reg and hope to have it tuned up and diving soon. The yoke and banjo are on my list too,but it a lengthy list and as Jaybird mentioned, I have plenty of valves with high pressure ports for now. Like SCUBA, this is quite addicting.
Don
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dsmac
New Member
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Post by dsmac on Apr 7, 2014 16:14:33 GMT -8
If you use channel locks and pad the jaws (rubber tubing). Pinch the Box halves together the clips come off easier, and you won't damage the box. The Diagonal Pliers leave sharp burrs. I have had many bloody fingers using those.
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Post by diverdon on Apr 8, 2014 2:33:14 GMT -8
Thanks for the input dsmac. I never thought about compressing the can. I'll remember that in case I get another in the future. As for this one, I ordered a ring from VDH because these little buggers won't be going back on my reg. Welcome to the boards!
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Post by diverdon on Apr 10, 2014 18:50:37 GMT -8
Well the duckbill came off cleanly and the new one went in along with the kit, non-return valves c-clip and hoses. I hooked it up to one of my lp80s and she inhaled easily enough. Its not a easy to breathe from as one of my new regs but I'm pretty sure I'll like it enough. I'll get it in the pool next week. Stoked! The new hoses sure dress it up some, don't they? Now when I first hooked it up, I was surprised how I actually had to blow the air out with some force. So I opened it back up and, referring to my disassembly pictures, noticed the duckbill was a little shorter than what I had after I put the new one in. I took it out, shortened it and reassembled it and tried again. Better. Odd that it had such an effect. Or maybe it was doubled back upon itself but it seems much better. Being unbalanced I know that it is supposed to breathe easier once the tank pressure is reduced. If so, I think this reg will be a fine one to use.
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Post by diverdon on Apr 10, 2014 18:55:25 GMT -8
Herman, I was reading up on the Kraken and if that is you on the other threads, welcome indeed. Once they become available, assuming I like diving double hose, I too may be waiting in line for one. I need to make contact with Jim or some other Deep Six fellows as he likes to dive in my neck of the woods from time to time. Well, off to apply the SCUBA's new hoses and whatnot.
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Post by SeaRat on Apr 10, 2014 21:27:48 GMT -8
Don, it looks like the hoses may be mounted just a bit off for a good, comfortable mouth bite. Set the regulator down on its bottom box (the one with the label) and orient the mouthpiece so that it points directly back at the regulator. That way, it will be in a neutral position when in your mouth with the regulator between your shoulder blades.
Concerning the duckbill, shine a light through the exhaust holes and look from the other side. The duckbill should sit flat against the diaphragm without any twisting. You should not need to shorten it, and that could cause some air to escape if you get into a position where the duckbill openings are more than an inch from the center of the diaphragm.
It surely looks good! Congratulations!
John
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Post by diverdon on Apr 11, 2014 1:49:06 GMT -8
Thanks for the tip John. I believe I have it now. I didn't cut the duckbill to shorten it I merely wrapped more of it over the horn to center it. I wanted to save the DB for the SCUBA and I'm only using it in the Mistral temporarily as I want to get it in the pool next week. Once I've done that I'll disassemble it once again and install the DBE which I understand takes a while to dry fully. Have you done anything with those?
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Post by herman on Apr 11, 2014 4:36:51 GMT -8
Yep, guilty as charged. The placement of the duckbill is more important than you may realize. It is the final part of the air loop and needs to be positioned correctly. The center of the opening of the DB needs to be close to center of the cans, is should not be off to one side or the other and laying flat. When installing them they need to be kept straight with no twist. If you are not careful the DB will fold over when you are putting the cans together causing it to be very difficult to exhale through. When you reopen the cans to see what is wrong the problem "dissappears" making it hard to understand what was wrong. A lot of us place a small daub of silicone in the center of the cans to tack the BD down. It only takes a small amount and it needs to be mashed flat then allowed to harden before assembling the cans.
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Post by diverdon on Apr 11, 2014 4:49:34 GMT -8
Yep, guilty as charged. The placement of the duckbill is more important than you may realize. It is the final part of the air loop and needs to be positioned correctly. The center of the opening of the DB needs to be close to center of the cans, is should not be off to one side or the other and laying flat. When installing them they need to be kept straight with no twist. If you are not careful the DB will fold over when you are putting the cans together causing it to be very difficult to exhale through. When you reopen the cans to see what is wrong the problem "dissappears" making it hard to understand what was wrong. A lot of us place a small daub of silicone in the center of the cans to tack the BD down. It only takes a small amount and it needs to be mashed flat then allowed to harden before assembling the cans. Yep, I think thats what I did. I didn't add the silicone though, (good idea for next time) but I did compare to the pictures I took as I was taking it apart. Glad I did that. Anyway, I suspected my error and adjusted the DB and tried it again. Much better. I do have the DBE and I'll install it once I can set it aside for a while.
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Post by nikeajax on Apr 11, 2014 8:42:33 GMT -8
Don, I don't know if this applies, but on my Voit VCR-5, the engineers had decided to point the venturi in the wrong direction: I think it was 180 off! So, make sure you have your venturi pointing toward the air-horn... I'm just thinking out loud here. The USD and Voit look close, but are not the same mechanism, one is an upstream valve and the other is a downstream: I'm just wondering?
Jaybird
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Post by herman on Apr 11, 2014 9:15:27 GMT -8
The Mistral internals have a locating pin that correctly orients the internals with the can and keeps them from rotating inside the can....assuming you reinstall the pin after a rebuild..
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Post by diverdon on Apr 11, 2014 10:17:55 GMT -8
Oh yeah, Got the new pin in there. Provided with the rebuild kit from VDH. Nice Funny the old one would work just as well... Odd that Voit would give you the option of messing it up so badly. I'd love to read the warning paragraph on the manual or the service guide. Jaybird I will have something in the mail to you Monday. And yes, I did get the venturi,thanks bud!!!
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