Classic Straight MP Gone Bad

[scubawhr]

Greetings

The first batch of reproduction "Classic Straight" mouthpieces that I made were formulated wrong, and within a year or two went stiff - I mean rock hard! I was unaware and put my faith in a "rubber company" as that was their business - well that was money down the drain as the company did not warranty or stand behind the production

Same thing happened with the reproduction rubber "mushroom valve" for the wagon wheel / mouthpiece....

For those who do not know the story, I got into making vintage reproductions like many others who make vintage scuba items, for the love of the sport and not to get rich. I came upon a collection of 150 some double hose regulators that did not have any rubber - hoses and mouthpieces were thrown in the trash and the regs were slated for the brass merchant So with the business model that I use at the dive store - sell just below my cost and make it up in volume - hey it's a write off for my real job...which is?

The goal was to reproduce an exact product, and the original was made of rubber - so make the reproduction out of rubber. Well lesson learned and I have moved on and had the company re-formulate the rubber to last, now I have changed production to silicone.

I would like to propose an exchange that will be fair to both parties. I know the year they were made and sold 2001 - 2002 - but I don't have complete records - I also know the material, so they can't be originals that simply went stiff with age.... I will charge a $10 flat fee and send you a new silicone Classic Straight MP & 4 new silicone mushroom valves

Please provide a copy of the sales receipt for the mouthpiece, mail it back to me with a ten spot and I'll return post the product.

Sill more to the learning curve - I've been perplexed at the finish of the material and wanted a higher gloss to the mouthpiece...so I had the mold polished again - to no avail??? After meeting with the engineers, the idea was raised that the de-flashing process; a cryogenic tumble with media was not around in the days of double hose so it is proposed that this process is dulling the finish - dooh!!!

At current date I am waiting for a sample of the new classic straight mouthpieces that will be made with the new silicone formula, and will not undergo the de-flash process. Hand cleaning of bits will be required if so.

Good news is that the curved mouthpiece that was bid at the same time (back when) and went horribly wrong has been fixed and I now have samples of a perfect reproduction "Curved EZ Clear" mouthpiece as used by US Divers and Voit. Money can fix a lot of problems (except my boat) Pictures of new products to follow soon.

Only bad news is that these items are not high priority on the companies production docket, so I am patiently waiting.

Please feel free to email me at [e-mail]

Regards,

Ron Benson
ScubaWhore

[duckbill]

Ron,
What material was used in your mouthpieces and one-way valves between 2002 and now?
Thankyou very much for your customer concern and care. Pretty rare nowadays.

[scubawhr]

The rubber company re-formulated the neoprene and I can dig through my batch records as I believe they list it on each production run, but it was neoprene rubber.

The new formula was pretty darn close to original and has lasted with good flexibility, etc. Again the goal was to make re-productions as original as possible, now I have a different tune as Silicone seems to be the rage.

It is odd how I have run across original 60's parts (stored in optimal conditions) that are as pliable as the day they were made? Apparently the Voit people really knew rubber.

Maybe silicone is the easy way to manufacture today, no skill or chemistry knowledge is required? Is it a miracle substance.. I guess the 80's decade of breast implants were popular, and it made for good porn

The way the scuba industry adopted silicone masks - they are impervious to everything and will outlast neoprene, yada yada yada... well I know well that silicone masks do not last forever. It must be different grades or quality of silicone, then there is silflex and knock off substances We keep selling new masks to old divers

Silicone it is...

[duckbill]

Ron, what I'm asking is what material would be in mouthpieces and one-way valves sold last year? I thought the one-ways were silicone at that time. What about the mouthpieces?

[scubawhr]

I've tried to find the order sheet which lists the compound - sorry my file system is chaotic at best. If they were sold last year, they should be silicone. These are hard to tell apart, the only way I can tell is to take a lighter and light the tip - if it chars or ignites - buna/neoprene/rp, if it doesn't do anything it's silicone. This is only my science and perhaps not perfect test....

Don't inhale

Do you have a spare one that is not in a reg to test -let me know as they should be silicone that I sold. Some were sent to Bryan, and Dan has made his own... but if anyone has any problems with the quality of ones I've sold - I'll replace them n/c

I've heard people say that silicone mushroom valves make all the difference in the world! I don't know if this is over active imagination... When I got the rubber company to work out the first problem in natural rubber compound - you choose the durometer / flexibility - whether it is neo or silicone - they are both soft, supple... Yes I would agree over the long run, rubber would stiffen - time and elements....

Good news - there are going to be more hoses, mouthpieces and mushroom valves on the market at or below cost...so all of the vintage divers will be in silicone heaven.

let me know - i'm curious now what you have on your regs.

thanks

ron