build your own scuba

[terencegoth]

gday can anyone send me a copy or scan of the article on how to make your own scuba setup from the popular science magazine july 1953 mine seems to have gone with a x girlfriend....thanks for any help my email is [e-mail]

[terencegoth]

thank you ive found a nos one one ebay for 7.99$ well i have to make the 1953 scuba set up now my son and i will have fun this summer

[duckbill]

Welcome, Terence.
Have fun making one, but beware! They are truly dangerous! That was the consensus even then. If I had more time, I'd type out Fred Robert's comments on them. I will, if and when I get the chance. Just be careful.

[duckbill]

From Fred Roberts' "Basic SCUBA", Second Edition (1963), pp.283, 286:

"Home Built Lungs and Equipment

The do-it-yourselfers are building almost anything these days, and often as well as any professional. This is true in diving as well as other fields, with at least one exception- the demand regulator.
The majority of the home regulator builders use one of two types of surplus Air Force diluter regulators, which were designed to operate at high altitude, and with oxygen. Under these conditions the regulator was never subjected to deliver more than a normal lung full of oxygen at a time. Commercial regulators made for underwater use must be able to deliver many, many times as much air in deep water as on the surface.
High altitude regulators are made principally of aluminum or magnesium alloys, anodized and otherwise, and these are subject to severe salt water corrosion. Internal parts are light weight, and made to operate in air or oxygen, not water.
Often the conversions are made with fittings from the corner hardware or surplus store. These fittings generally are not designed for high pressure operation and thus are a menace to your safety!
I personally know a number of divers who began their careers with a converted Air Force diluter regulator, and several of the conversions were quite thorough and well planned. However, not one of those divers would trust his unit in water over 30 feet deep, and all but one experienced a failure. One of the men, with what I considered the best conversion of all, had his unit fail in a swimming pool during one of my early classes. The high pressure valve seat was blown clear out of the seat assembly, and was completely destroyed. I have not allowed surplus conversions in my classes since 1954 because of this incident.
This also brings up the point that no spare parts are readily available, other than cannibalizing another regulator, and this is no solution when you are far away on a dive.
You may own or know someone who has one that did work. He has my sympathy. No other unit, or device, in diving has caused more deaths in the course of equipment failures than the home built lungs and surplus apparatus in the hands of a novice.
Unfortunately surplus outlets still have such units available, often in kit form. These units may appear to be the only hope for the diver with limited funds, but in the long run they are not. They appear safe because of unscrupulous false advertising, and most of the time the people selling them do not know how to use a lung, or think more of a dollar than your life.
Many good regulators and lungs are now available for every pocketbook. When you think you have found a real bargain ask someone who is in the business for advice, before you buy."



(italics in the original text, bold is my additional emphasis)
Use caution.

[Creed]

Judging by his avatar photo, I think Terry is well aware of the dangers. This is probably just a fun learning exercise for him and his son.
I, too, thought it would be fun to do a conversion. But then I got too busy rebuilding Aqualungs and the like. You might consider picking up a ratty old doublehose and helping your son rebuild that, instead. More parts availability, a safer unit for operation, and you'll have a regulator you can dive anywhere when you are done.

[easydiver]

I have built a couple different of these units just for the fun of it. Just make sure all your fittings are for high pressure. A common early problem is using a hardware store reducer bushing to reduce the goverment surplus cylinder neck from 1" NPT to 3/4" NPT. I aways used high pressure reducer bushings preferably SS. I would recommend playing with it in a pool if you must try it. I have some parts. I can use some 1800 psi bottles with round bottoms if anyone has any.

[easydiver]

Also see Jan 1955 issue of Practical Mechanics. It is a british magazine similar to Popular Science. It uses mostly british parts and is hard to understand but still good reading. The story is called "Build your own Aqualung" and has really neat artwork on the cover.