|
Post by Aquala1 on Oct 21, 2017 8:47:12 GMT -8
Great post as usual DRW. I’d like to run across one of those blue, tunnel entry drysuits. It would be cool to see how close they were a Bel-Aqua/Aquala. Perhaps Aquala OEM’d them for Healthways.
|
|
|
Post by DavidRitchieWilson on Oct 22, 2017 11:17:41 GMT -8
Great post as usual DRW. I’d like to run across one of those blue, tunnel entry drysuits. It would be cool to see how close they were a Bel-Aqua/Aquala. Perhaps Aquala OEM’d them for Healthways. Thanks! Having researched 1950s American drysuits, the OEM thought had occurred to me too. Healthways was not the only company other than Bel Aqua/Aquala to offer a two-ply tunnel-entry suit. The Early Manufacturing and Retailers section of the Skin Diving History website introduced me to two more: Voit VDS10 Full Dry Suit - Front Entrywww.skindivinghistory.com/mfg_retailers/v/Voit/06.htmlNautilus 300 Scoop Chute Front Entry Suitwww.skindivinghistory.com/mfg_retailers/m/Metro_Marine_Inc/index.htmlUnfortunately, neither advertisement is dated, so it's not possible to find out when these suits were first marketed and how long they remained in production. However, I'm pretty certain that the two-ply tunnel-entry recreational dry suit was a uniquely American design during the 1950s. By way of contrast, British drysuits of the time (e.g. Dunlop, Heinke, Siebe-Gorman) came in one-piece (neck-entry, back-entry) and two-piece (waist-entry) single-ply versions. The same appears to have been true of dry suits manufactured elsewhere in Europe. The "Sladen" Suit manufactured by Siebe Gorman did have "tubular trunk entry", which was subsequently folded concertina fashion and secured with a cuff ring, but it was exclusively for British Admiralty use. DRW
|
|
|
Post by SeaRat on Oct 22, 2017 12:04:56 GMT -8
Vintage divers, take a good look at DRW's post above, specifically the bottom advertisement. Imbedded in it is a representation of a very early capillary depth gauge. It is rectangular in shape and the capillary portion wraps around the outside, then up the center. It reads accurately (except for temperature and sea water/fresh water differences) to 300 feet, and is very inexpensive.
John
|
|
|
Post by Aquala1 on Oct 22, 2017 20:57:42 GMT -8
Cool ads DRW. If Aquala did OEM for Healthways or Voit, the tell would be in the molded latex feet. Aquala used a proprietary mold, which is easily identified if ones knows what they’re looking for. Those molds survived through all owners, and I own them now. They’re with my latex dipping company, and I still use those same molds to mold the feet for modern Aquala suits.
|
|
|
Post by tomcatpc on Dec 21, 2017 13:27:12 GMT -8
Guessing this Scubapak is circa early 1960's? Sorry for the bad photo. Mark
|
|
|
Post by tomcatpc on Dec 21, 2017 13:28:15 GMT -8
1967 Healthways LP 72 Tank. It has a Healthways K-Valve, I'd love to replace it with a Healthways J-Valve when I can. Mark
|
|
|
Post by nikeajax on Dec 21, 2017 14:45:24 GMT -8
Mark, I believe that pack is 1950's, but I could be wrong. Could you get me a nice clear shot of that super cool label: don't make me grovel! I'm going to remake one for my pack that's missing... I have a HW j-valve I'll trade you for the K'! JB
|
|
|
Post by SeaRat on Dec 21, 2017 14:51:05 GMT -8
Mark, I believe that pack is 1950's, but I could be wrong. Could you get me a nice clear shot of that super cool label: don't make me grovel! I'm going to remake one for my pack that's missing... I have a HW j-valve I'll trade you for the K'! JB Jaybird, I'm pretty sure this is from the 1960s, as the valve is a 3/4 inch valve, and in the 1950s there were no O-ring 3/4 inch valves; they were all 1/2 inch tapered thread valves then. John
|
|
|
Post by tomcatpc on Dec 21, 2017 20:06:04 GMT -8
The pack is on a 1965 Healthways LP 80 tank, I was showing the Scubapak, the tank has already been shown on here (not the LP 72 I just shared). Mark
|
|
|
Post by tomcatpc on Dec 21, 2017 20:09:15 GMT -8
I was under the impression that Healthways used a goldenrod coloured webbing/belts in the 50's and early early 60's? And the blue webbing was a 1960's thing? That is what I was basing my time period guess on. JayBird, let me make it through Christmas and I will talk to you about valve swap/sales, etc... Mark
|
|
|
Post by nikeajax on Dec 22, 2017 14:14:10 GMT -8
Mark, you are correct! I now see that the HW packs up until 1960 didn't have an "H" on them, but instead had a U-shaped cutout, and the quick-release on the shoulder was like that of the crotch-strap's, and not snaps... JB
|
|
|
Post by tomcatpc on Dec 22, 2017 19:14:01 GMT -8
From what I have seen in photos, the Healthways shoulder strap release was just a standard wire buckle like they used on the waist strap and weight belts? The crotch strap is missing on my Scubapak, which seems to be common? I really don't have a problem the way it is.
If you have a Scubapak without straps and wanted to "re-web" it, you could use two wire weight belt buckles. Trident still makes them. The Trident buckets are not 100% identical, but fairly close. Mark
|
|
|
Post by williaminfc on Mar 24, 2018 11:43:26 GMT -8
I recently sent my dad's (RIP) 2 72 Healthways LP steel tanks with first hydro date stamp 1956 for hydro. The tanks past but the dive shop can't get a seal on the tank valve to fill them. The tank valves look like the ones in Vance's post above from 5/18/17. However, my dad's tank valves have a white plastic seal not a rubber o-ring. My dad used to say the material was Teflon but Joe at the dive shop thinks they are plastic. I remember it was hard to get a seal when we used the tanks back in the early 1980s but they were still useable then. Does anyone have a solution or information that can help? Does anyone have compatible valves that used replaceable O rings? Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by nikeajax on Mar 24, 2018 12:29:10 GMT -8
Ahoy William, welcome!
It is my understanding that, yes, they are Teflon, and can be a real bear to seal if they aren't totally perfect. I have two of these that I'm going to use for my Divair, Healthways first regulator. There may be gaskets out there that will work, but I think I'm going to use some gasket-punches to create my own: don't know when this will be though, as I'm not diving right now...
JB
|
|
|
Post by cnotthoff on Mar 24, 2018 13:13:12 GMT -8
Yep, those were plastic/teflon. They were a result of early scuba valves being based on medical oxygen valves. The plastic gaskets never sealed well.
Healthways carried what looked like flat rubber o-rings to replace those plastic gaskets. My supply ran out a few years back. I bet you could find a faucet washer that's the right size to fit that valve.
If you just want a 1/2" mpt post valve with a standard o-ring, I bet I have a few.
Good Dives, Charlie
|
|