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Post by SeaRat on Jun 19, 2017 22:41:23 GMT -8
Anyone have any ideas on how to get the "spring block" (plate directly under the sintered filter in the first stage nozzle) out? Oh, forgot to say, this is corroded and getting the filter out took some effort. Is this thing just held in by friction or is it normally "loose" and that six decades have used their influence to make it stay in with super grip? Anyway...I have hit a hurdle with this part. Also, the "valve body" does that have to come out? I have everything out of it, but not sure how to get it out and wondering if it really needs to come out? Mark Mark, No, it did not need to come out, and there is a "body wrench" that is normally used to get it out. Now that it is out, it may be difficult to get enough torque on it to hold the pressure unless you make (or find) a body wrench. This is a special tool which holds the body without putting the pressure of the torque on the top box. John |
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Post by tomcatpc on Jun 19, 2017 22:56:52 GMT -8
Glad to hear that, I was under the impression that it did not need to come out. From what I hear from another site, the later Conshelf (and I'd hazard a guess the current Titan?) share the smaller diaphragm in this reg.?, so one more item I can buy at the local dive shop.
Don't laugh too much, but I'm going to attempt and see if I can salvage the main diaphragm.
Mark
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Post by SeaRat on Jun 19, 2017 23:07:33 GMT -8
Glad to hear that, I was under the impression that it did not need to come out. From what I hear from another site, the later Conshelf (and I'd hazard a guess the current Titan?) share the smaller diaphragm in this reg.?, so one more item I can buy at the local dive shop. Don't laugh too much, but I'm going to attempt and see if I can salvage the main diaphragm. Mark Actually, the early Conshelf regulators share most first stage components with both the DA Aqualung and the DA Aquamaster. The diaphragm (HP) stayed the same through many generations. John |
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Post by nikeajax on Jun 20, 2017 8:06:03 GMT -8
Gee-whiz Hoss, what happened: you said you was gunna save that fer the winter! Now yer gunna have to find something else to do then. My latest things to bob up again are a lantern from the 1930's and direct drive fishing reals from the same period, oh and braided fishing line, none of that icky monofilament for me!
If you want to save that diaphragm, I'd use grease, not spray, and let it sit in a warm, not hot, place for as long as you can.
Glad yer having fun with it!
JB
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Post by tomcatpc on Jun 20, 2017 10:33:53 GMT -8
I guess my definition of Winter means "whenever"? I just wanted to get my Healthways SCUBA up and running first before I tore into this one. I took me about 14 seconds to see what was wrong with the SCUBA. A loose set screw and that was totally my fault...ha ha! So the DA was right there and I opened it up.
By the time I get the nozzle apart, it will be Winter!!! This rebuild will take a while and that is fine with me.
One thing I learned last night is when I run into a road block, stop and come back later... I will be doing that a lot with this one!
Mark
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Post by tomcatpc on Jun 21, 2017 22:26:35 GMT -8
Update on this project. I now have the nozzle apart and the crown block, spring and HP Seat out. I'm thinking of putting this aside until I can get the new parts. I have a Scubapro Mk. V that is close to getting in the water, and still have to look into why my Voit Swimaster MR-12 free flows at the drop of a hat...would love to take that on an actual dive this Summer. So think I'm going to concentrate on those little projects at the time being.
But a bit of progress has been made...this one is going to take time, and that is fine with me.
Mark
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Post by tomcatpc on Jan 26, 2018 20:16:30 GMT -8
Progress has been made and for all practical purposes this reg. works. Awaiting getting hoses, mouthpiece, etc., but other than that it looks like it might get a dive this coming Summer.
Mark
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 26, 2018 20:32:18 GMT -8
I mentioned this is the PM, but you also need to place a bend in the "hinge pin," part #23, so that there's no possibility of it working loose underwater. 'Thought I'd mention it here too so that if someone else is working on this regulator, they had this information.
John
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Post by tomcatpc on Jan 26, 2018 20:43:18 GMT -8
Is the Hinge Pin the "funky wire" chingadera?
Mark
Disregard, I just read your message.
No I have not bent it yet, but will do. Honestly if this wire works loose,...something very drastic happened!!! This was a pain in the bum to get back on the first time. I don't think it is going anyway?, it was not bent when I got it, but it does make sense to do so.
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 30, 2018 18:36:43 GMT -8
Mark and I have been exchanging information on Facebook. So here is some of that exchange:  This is my DA Aqualung regulator, with a La Spiro metal mouthpiece. This mouthpiece has no non-return valves.  Here is a closeup of the face of this regulator.  This shows the inside, with the stainless steel pin I've talked about. This pin provides a fulcrum for the horseshoe to sit on and pivot on. I told Mark that I broke open the case to bend the horseshoe up just a tad more, as when I breathed on it there was a gap noticed before the diaphragm engaged the lever. This made the regulator breathe even easier. What I didn't tell Mark in the Facebook posts is that the screws that hold it in also adjust the pressure on the seat. Fred Roberts recommended that we "If necessary to take outadjusting screw (32) or (30) and (32), count exactly the turns in order toget the same adjustment. Same method suggested for each horesshoe hinge screw (22). By the way, I had Deep Sea Bill's, actually Bill Herter, look at this regulator and he put my name on the inside, along with "D.S.B. 7-75," the month and year he looked at it. But that regulator did not get to breath even half way well until I sent it to Broxton Chuck. He adjusted it so that it breathed reasonably well.  This is how this regulator looks today, on one of three tanks with USD twin valves that I can mount it on. Mark asked about the color, and asked if these were Sportsways tanks. I told him that "No, USD tanks, 52 cubic foot at 1800 psig. They are steel tanks." Mark replied, "I knew the manifold was US Divers, but I just saw the orange and thought Sportsways." So I explained, "The orange is because I'm a Oregon State University Beaver, and OSU's colors are black and orange.  " Then Mark added, "And I see a Hope-Page lurking in the background...see what Jay Bird has done to me!! LOL!!!" And I again replied, "Yes, and the mouthpiece on my DA Aqualung is a La Spiro Professional Mouthpiece, which by the way has no non-returns in it. The Hope-Page mouthpiece is on my Mossback Mk 3 regulator." And, we kinda left it at that. I had a bit of a problem getting this case back together, as I lost one of those little clips. It came off my vice grips under a lot of spring tension, and sprang away from me, but I never heard it land. Later in the day I swept my garage, and found it about twenty feet away where it had landed under my Honda Pilot. I tested the DA Aqualung against my two Dacor R-3 and Clipper regulators, and the DA Aqualung breathed better than my Dacor R-3, but not quite as good as the Clipper/R-4 (it's in an R-4 configuration now). John |
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Post by tomcatpc on Jan 31, 2018 2:15:54 GMT -8
Yep, found out the joy of adjusting the screws and then having them align up just right so the hinge pin fits...
Anyway, current status of this project...AWP (Code we used on VIDS-MAFs for "Awaiting Parts").
I think I am going to just go and use the standard clips that came with the reg instead of springing the extra $20 for the aftermarket ring? Unless down the road I end up diving this one a lot... One thing at a time.
Mark
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Post by SeaRat on Feb 7, 2018 19:02:48 GMT -8
I have been quite active in the pool recently. I've had two snorkeling ventures, and on Sunday took my new set of twin 40s into the water for the first time, testing four different vintage double hose regulators. The regulators were the original R-3 Dacor Dial-a-Breath, an updated R-4 Dacor Dial-a-Breath, the U.S. Divers original Broxton Aqualung regulator, and my Healthways Hybrid regulator. I videoed it, and some photos will be forthcoming. But concerning the Broxton Aqualung, it performed adequately, even under some hard swimming. It is a very quiet regulator to use, and the exhalations with the Professional Mouthpiece by La Spiro are as good as, or better than, the more advanced Aquamaster regulators. I was in the pool, which is 15 feet deep, with two sets of buddy divers, in modern gear practicing buoyancy control. They were in their wet suits, with BCs etc. I got some video of these divers too. At the end, when they were getting out and I was changing regulators, we talked. I told the instructor about the very old gear, and mentioned the Aqualung regulator specifically, a Saying that it was from the early 1950s. The instripuctor asked me what I did for buoyancy compensation. I told him, "For this pool dive, nothing. But in open water I wear a BC that I designed myself, and patented, only nobody bought my patent." I said that with a nice smile. I had no need for a BC, as I was in swim trunks. I mentioned to the instructor that the double hose regulators did not scare fish as Munich as single hose, and he mentioned a lot of divers going to regpbreathers because they want to get close to fight and not frighten them its bubbles. I told him that small fish don't even "see" the bubbles from a dounpble hose regulator because they are blocked by the diver's body. Also, there are now new double hose regulators available from Vintage Double Hose. But I think he will stick to the conventional scuba for now. I was frankly surprised that my DA Aqualung breathed as well as it did. I tested it with some pretty hard swimming, and got the air I needed, but with somewhat more effort than with my more modern double hose regulators. Then I just hung out underwater and watched the kayaker. I saw one with some small feet damgling behind, and so surfaced to take a look. A dad has his small daughter on this small whitewater kayak, and she was having a blast. I waved and said "Hello!" to her, but she became bashful so I stuck my mouthpiece into npmy mouth and "disappeared" beneath the water. Then I watched a kayaker roll his kayak, and then try to get back in. He was very much overweight, and struggled to get on top. After about three tries, he finally got up, but in trying to get into the cockpit of the kayak, he fell out again, and watching him come back into the water butt-first was rather hilarious.  Here I'm diving my Dacor R-3 Dial-a-Breath double diaphragm, double hose regulator. It's doing quite well too, for a fifty-plus year old regulator. John |
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Post by george on Feb 8, 2018 10:49:21 GMT -8
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Post by tomcatpc on Feb 11, 2018 15:59:29 GMT -8
And here is the near end result... I need to adjust the mouthpiece position later when I put it on a tank and on my back. But it is complete and working, yes i know...wrong hose clamps, etc. Not sure how outer limits I'll go on this one?, but I'll try it out and see how it goes.If this were going to be a regular diver I'd spring the extra cash for a clamp ring, but I'll use the stock clips for the mean time. I get the impression that this will not be the best performer?, but I had fun with this project and there is one more vintage working double hose regulator out there now. Mark Yes, the photo was taken on my reloading bench... [URL=http://s64.photobucket.com/user/TomcatPC/media/New%20Stuff /27629146_1825888844129720_5213717323696904269_o_zpsjclupi01.jpg.html]  [/URL] |
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Post by vance on Feb 12, 2018 12:13:59 GMT -8
Hey Mark,
You'll never regret springing for the case ring clamp. I use them on every reg they'll fit, including my Snarks. Those clips are a huge pain in the boo-tage and when you need to reopen your case for adjustments or cleaning you'll be glad you got a ring. Rob's got them right there in Ohio!
They do tend to gall in the threads, so use grease on the screw....
BTW, the duckbill eliminator is also a beautiful thing.
So, where does the air come out of the second stage on these? The big adjuster is right in the way! Does it exit something like the Healthways valve, just into the can 40-ish degrees away from the intake horn?
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