Conshelf VI tech help

[kc]

After i was outbid by Crimediver on the non mag reg (thought he was ATK lol.) i decided to go ahead and buy a normal one off ebay the guy said he used it last year, and was only selling it b/c he bought a newer reg (sixes must be pretty vintage... this one came with a healthways SPG) ended up paying just $21.
Took apart the second stage and everything seemed immaculate, however when i got to the first stage... man oh man i spent an hour trying to get the yolk nut off! I dont think i've ever seen anything torqued so hard. Had to use two vices...
I have heard very bad things about a yolk nut overtorqued reg before, i heard about a year ago that one particular model was prone to breaking in two when the yolk nut was overtorqued.
Is this inherant to one model specifically? Or does overtorquing affect all regs? I bought this reg to use... not to immediately sell for internal parts on ebay again, but if i knew it was the least bit unsafe... i would definately go ahead and disregard it.
Any of you experianced/knowledgeable reg techs out there care to answer this overtorquing issue?

[luis]

kc said:

I have heard very bad things about a yolk nut overtorqued reg before, i heard about a year ago that one particular model was prone to breaking in two when the yolk nut was overtorqued.
Is this inherant to one model specifically? Or does overtorquing affect all regs? I bought this reg to use... not to immediately sell for internal parts on ebay again, but if i knew it was the least bit unsafe... i would definately go ahead and disregard it.
Any of you experianced/knowledgeable reg techs out there care to answer this overtorquing issue?

I believe the over torquing the yoke nut is more of a problem in some modern regulators. At least one manufacturer (Scubapro) had to put out a bulletin with a maximum recommended torque for one of there more recent first stages.

In any case, It very likely that what you experienced is not over torquing, but the threads freezing together from mineral and salt deposits, and a bit of corrosion. What you experienced is very common for regulators that have not been serviced in a long time.

It could have helped to soak in white vinegar. Penetrating oil would have done the trick also, but I avoid any oil even thought you can clean it after it does its job. You have to be very careful to remove any oil residue.

If during a close visual inspection you don't see any marks showing damaged parts, it should be OK. If there is any damage, it could have also occurred during the disassembling since you had to apply excessive force.

[kc]

Thx for the info Luis, noticed no cracking around the body near the nut yet, all the other internal parts seem ok so far, currently getting the 1st stage diaphragm off. You know, no one ever mentions anything about the six, there seems to be no info about it on the net, which the same could be said for the other conshelfs sort of but, at least the XIV has a pdf maintenence file.
(which is what i'm using)
but even on message boards most of the posts are about the 22, SE, XII, XIV etc. Don't think i've seen a single post on SB or here mention anything about the VI, besides WTS/WTB adds. Makes me wonder if it was the first conshelf, or something. hmm....

[luis]

You shouldn’t see any cracks. The brass or bronze (mostly naval brass) used in most regulators (specially in vintage regulators) is a fairly soft/ ductile material that most of the time will deformed without showing any cracks.

The Conshelf VI is a very early one. I think it is an unbalanced first stage. The same as the Aqua Master (versus the Royal Aqua Master). You can follow the same servicing procedures as the newer Conshelf (specially removing the HP diaphragm).

If it is the unbalanced version like I suspect, to adjust the IP you can follow the same procedure as an Aqua Master.

Bryan at VintageDoubleHose.com has a 1971 USD repair manual on CD. It has the Conshelf and the Conshelf IX. The “Conshelf” should cover your model.
www.vintagedoublehose.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=21&products_id=91

Good luck

[Captain]

I have a Conshelf VI and it is balanced.

[Creed]

From what I recall of my research, all of the Conshelf series was balanced.