Your Favorite Reg

[surflung]

Your Favorite Regulator and Why
- I'm hungry for some pretty pictures and opinions on Vintage scuba regulators. So, I thought this might be a fun thread to start. What's your favorite regulator and why?
- Actually, every reg I own has been my "favorite" for at least some period of time. Here's one of them...

Voit 50 Fathom VCR2

I have several reasons for calling the VCR2 my favorite:
- First, it is a unique Emil Gagnan design that was never sold by AquaLung... It was exclusive to Voit. As a "downstream" single stage, it breathes super-easy from a full pressure scuba tank.
- Second, I think it was the only regulator that the Sea Hunt TV show had as an "official" regulator for a brief period of time. It's the one reg you can definitely identify on screen when you see it.
- Third, there's some mystery to how it appeared in Voit catalogs, was advertised as the easiest breathing regulator on the market, and then disappeared when the USD DA Aqua Master and Voit NAVY 2-stage regs appeared.
- Fourth, there's conspiracy theory... The experts on rebuilding and restoring 50 Fathoms say the large venturi port should point directly into the breathing hose. But on both 50 fathoms that I own, the Voit factory position of the large port was pointing in the wrong direction. Leaving me (and others) to wonder if the 50 Fathom was DE-Tuned at the factory so it wouldn't make the more expensive 2-stage regs look bad?
- Last But Not Least, I love diving my 50 Fathom. It breathes easy and it's just like the regs on many Sea Hunt episodes. I know its design makes it breathe harder as the air pressure goes down. But, I have breathed my tanks down to zero with my 50 fathom several times and the breathing effort has not been difficult.

[nikeajax]

Eb, as an artist, I have to say I think the second generation Scubair-300 is one of the best looking regs I've EVER seen:





But for absolute bullet proof engineering, my Dacor Olympic-400 is tops:





Jaybird

[nikeajax]

Oh, and my fave DH is my Goldie when I have it coupled with a Hope-Page:







Again it's such a simple design and so few moving parts

JB

[surflung]

Thanks for posting Jaybird. Pretty pictures for sure... That Healthways 1st stage is downright elegant!

Here's my next installment...

"Mystery Mess" DA AquaMaster Restoration

The Mystery Mess...
- I bought a DA Aquamaster on Ebay that was in horrible shape. Not just corroded but deeply pitted on the inside. And, it was busted inside... The mushroom head and pin had been jammed and ruined. It was such a crummy frankenreg mess of corroded junk, I was considering whether to throw it or fix it.
- Drado advised that since it wasn't a "collectors quality" piece, I might as well rebuild it with all of the modern bells and whistles. And so, that's what I did.
- I began by refinishing the whole thing... Even the pitted internal parts. Bead blasted all of the corrosion off and plated with satin electroless nickel. Then I replaced the damaged parts and upgraded all of the soft parts with new. Installed a Duckbill Eliminator. Got a long yoke for using a banjo gauge. Repainted the label with flat black baking lacquer. I used this for a year or so and then upgraded it even further with the Cyclone balanced first stage and HPR 2nd stage. This I tuned to block one secondary port... Essentially turning this into a Royal Aquamaster ON STEROIDS.
- I changed to green hoses since the above picture and I use this regulator probably more than any of my others... It is super reliable and super easy breathing. The green hosed reg in my avatar is actually this Mystery Mess!

[SeaRat]

I've held off on posting here because I'm a bit conflicted. I have several "favorite" regulators, and so will have to break this down into categories. These will be two hose single stage, two hose double stage, and single hose regulators. So here goes.

Two Hose, Single Stage

Favorite: DX Overpressure Breathing, highly modified:


This regulator has been re-chromed, has a new top box, a long yolk (to enable the banjo HP adapter), and much longer hoses. It also has a new hose-within-a-hose, as the original had deteriorated. The metal mouthpiece is original, but has a new rubber mouthpiece on it.


I like the horn attachment, which allows for a duckbill to be attached on the inside of the horn, over the tube that protrudes into the bottom box. This means that there is no deterioration in the duckbill like happens with the duckbill folded over the new-desgned horns. I haven't replaced this one in years.


I also have a band clamp on this regulator to allow it to be easily accessed.


These are the original hoses, which are too short for my liking.


Here's the longer, SCBA hoses that i put on this regulator. This gives me the freedom to lower the regulator way down on my back.


This photo shows the orifice for the DX, as opposed to the orifice of the Mistral (on top of the adjustment platform).


Here is the hose attached inside the regulator.


Here is the metal mouthpiece, with the metal tube for the inner hose.


Here is the metal washer that originally held a non-return valve. I have not been able to reproduce this mushroom valve, as it had two attachments to go through those two small holes. Makeup air comes through the slots, and provides very even breathing.


Here is the diagram of this regulator.


And finally, here is a photo of me diving this regulator this Spring, from a GoPro video I have yet to edit.

John

[nikeajax]

John, to get off subject...

If this was mine, that DX, I'd find a mushroom valve that is the right size, then use a paper punch to cut the center out, hopefully that would be tight enough... As to holding it in, I'd cut two holes where it attaches, then find some nylon screws small enough, or some sort of plastic rivet, etc., it needs a head on one side, then take a hot screwdriver to flare out the other end to keep it permanently in place, until you cut it O-F-T, (off). Well, you could try this method anyway, it couldn't hurt, eh?

Jaybird

PS OR... you could just cut the center out of the mushroom valve and run a bead of RTV on the stem/tube to hold/glue it in place!

[SeaRat]

Aug 24, 2015 12:24:07 GMT -8 nikeajax said:

John, to get off subject...

If this was mine, that DX, I'd find a mushroom valve that is the right size, then use a paper punch to cut the center out, hopefully that would be tight enough... As to holding it in, I'd cut two holes where it attaches, then find some nylon screws small enough, or some sort of plastic rivet, etc., it needs a head on one side, then take a hot screwdriver to flare out the other end to keep it permanently in place, until you cut it O-F-T, (off). Well, you could try this method anyway, it couldn't hurt, eh?

Jaybird

PS OR... you could just cut the center out of the mushroom valve and run a bead of RTV on the stem/tube to hold/glue it in place!

Thanks Jaybird,

I may do that. I was going to dive the DX Overpressure Breathing regulator today, but when I got to the dive site and hooked it up, the inner hose had pulled loose from the orifice. This happened once before, so now I check in my pre-dive procedure. I need to re-do that inner hose now (I have some different hose to do it with I got from work a few years back--scrap hose for chemical fittings). I have a non-return identified, and it doesn't seem like it would be much to do. But I've not dived it with that non-return since I got it in the 1970s. It does just fine without the non-return, but it would be interesting to see whether it affected the breathing at all, as the inner hose has no non-return.

I dove my White Stag DEEP 1 regulator as a backup today, and had a great dive. The salmon die-off is over, but there's a lot of bass in the Clackamas River now. Water temperature was 67 degrees.

John

[surflung]

- Hey John, thanks for the great post and beautiful pictures of your DX Over Pressure. I read Phil Nyuttens history on the development of the Gagnan single stages leading up to the Mistral and it's really neat to see the first stage looks almost the same as the Mistral... So, the final refinements were purely in the nozzle, and hose within a hose design?

- I'm wondering also, where did you get the longer hoses?

[SeaRat]

Eban,

I was a safety and health professional for many, many years. Those hoses came from Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, and I think they were from the MSA (Mine Safety Appliances) line of full-face respirators and their Constant Flow Airline Respirator hose. I got them through Sanderson Safety and Supply, Portland, Oregon. They should be available through numerous safety supply houses, and you probably have some locally.

John

[SeaRat]

Jaybird,

I took the Overpressure Breathing regulator apart yesterday, and found that low and behold, I had put a non-return valve into the mouthpiece. I used dental floss! I must have done it some time ago, because I completely spaced it. But when I get done, it will be even better than before. I hope to have a photo in the next day or two.

John

[scubadiverbob]

My Hydrotwin II is unbeatable! I liked my DA and I used to have a Dacor Pacer 900XLE that were good. The only reg I've ever owned that sucked was a Teckna ... and that's probably why they are out of business ....

[nikeajax]

John, is there a delay with the air delivery? I see that the non-return diaphragm activates the levers, but as you explained in your PM the air is coming from a different source, that being the internal hose: BTW I understood that just looking at your images

Jaybird

[SeaRat]

Aug 27, 2015 12:42:12 GMT -8 nikeajax said:

John, is there a delay with the air delivery? I see that the non-return diaphragm activates the levers, but as you explained in your PM the air is coming from a different source, that being the internal hose: BTW I understood that just looking at your images

Jaybird

Jaybird,

There is no "lag" in the breathing with the DX Overpressure Breathing regulator, no delay in delivery that is noticeable. The air suction seems to be translated immediately to the diaphragm, and the response of air is also immediate, so far as I can tell.

Here is what I did with the non-return on the DX Overpressure Breathing regulator.





Note that I did use dental floss, as that is about the strongest thread you can buy, and in this case it is also flat. It does a great job of holding the mushroom non-return valve in place.

John

[sitkadiver]

John,

Thanks for a great set of posts. I also have a DX Over Pressure in it's original configuration. It is one of the few regulators in my collection that I do not plan to restore and dive. Since many of them were transformed into Mistrals, I'm thinking an original example is better left alone for posterity to enjoy.

[sitkadiver]

If I had to choose a favorite regulator, I would have to hesitate, like many others would also.

For sentimental value, my Grandfather's Healthways Scuba wins hands down. I am hoping my sons will enjoy diving with it and that will also pass it on to their children. My grandfather led an extraordinary life and this is one of the few mementos I have.






If I had to choose a regulator that I dive often and am not afraid to use and abuse, then I would have to say my PRAM is my favorite.

I use that reg all the time and it holds a special place for me because it was the first reg I truly re-built and I learned a lot with it. Additionally, it was also in very rough shape when I got it, so I feel like I gave it a new lease on life.

I don't remember exactly how much sand came out of this reg, but it was a lot. No doubt it came from SO Cal, where beach diving is king. It was put away with salt water inside and what a mess it was!



About the only pedigree this reg may have is the "Made in France" stamped on the horn.



Since it's rebuild, this reg has been on many an adventure.



Occasionally I use the reg for work and will have to touch up the paint, but beyond cosmetic things like that and a few cleanings, nothing has been done to the regulator in a few years.