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Post by Fibonacci on May 10, 2017 22:51:05 GMT -8
Been lurking a while trying to soak up as much as I can from the wealth of vintage diving knowledge here... Quick bit of background... I've been diving since 1976, learning on an el derly Kawasaki unbalanced reg hooked up to a 72 cu ft J valved steel tank... I eventually saved up enough to lash out and hook up a Farallon HP 3/8" gauge. I still have it... retired but still going strong, providing air to a blow gun in the garage! When I was learning OW a few die hards were still diving with double hose regs, but in Australia they disappeared fast relegated to the far corners of the shed. I am keen to rediscover DH diving and also service and restore my own gear. I recently bought a 'job lot' of three vintage regs and gauges on eBay... there are no model numbers engraved so I'm struggling a bit to identify the US made ones. One Australian Sea Hornet Command Air (parts are still available in Australia with a bit of looking) One very old US Divers (solid frame, tapered body) One Scubapro (Mk I or Mk II? stamped JA on endcap with 108 second stage?)     I figured they would be good cheap practice for restoration and tuning after assembly... but need to order the correct parts kits. Any help much appreciated! |
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Post by tomcatpc on May 10, 2017 23:35:40 GMT -8
The first one is a US Divers Aquarius, early 1970's until ? Don't know much about them, other than I'm hoping to get one sooner or later. I actually have a line on one, but really need to hold off getting more regs at this moment...
From what I hear and have read...the Aquarius is a piston reg. and is fairly easy to rebuild? I think if I were learning to rebuild Scuba regs., a US Divers Aquarius would be a good one to start with?
I'm so new to Scuba and rebuilding regulators that I hesitate to give info. and advise at this point, but I've heard good things about the Aquarius. Off topic, I'd really like to find a 60's era "Deepstar" reg. someday as well. I think they are similar regulators, other than one being balanced and the other one not...I can't recall which one is or is not and there are others here that have forgotten way more than I know and hope they share on this one.
As for the Scubapro reg...I'm just now starting to learn about them myself, so I hope others chime in on that.
Thanks
Mark
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Post by tomcatpc on May 10, 2017 23:37:38 GMT -8
Oh and welcome aboard Vintage Scuba Forum!
Mark
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Post by nikeajax on May 11, 2017 8:51:19 GMT -8
Mark, you are correct! From what I've seen, this is virtually the same as the Deepstar-I with a different body: that being an unballanced flow-by-piston. I think the SP is a Mk-III first stage and a 108 second stage: again, a flow-by piston and I think unballanced... JB EDIT: Here's the SP timeline: www.scubapro.com/Reg-timeline/Timeline-ENG.html |
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Post by nikeajax on May 11, 2017 12:41:04 GMT -8
From all the research I've done, both of these regs can trace their lineage to this reg:    It's the much maligned Healthways Scuba Star. Yes, the first one was a tilt-valve, and the ones you have are a downstream valve, but HW eventually upgraded that aspect too. If you look at the SP-timeline you will see that they were spawned from HW. The original incarnation of that USD is, as Mark noted, the Deep Star... Scuba Star... that much is pretty obvious, well at least to me anyway. But if you need further convincing: Jacques Cousteau and Emil Gagnan (sp?) both though that piston regs couldn't work as long as diaphragm regs because they believed that o-rings would never stand up to prolonged exposure to salt-water. They would quickly pull their foot out of their mouths... In 1955 Healthways chief-designer, Dick Anderson, designed the first piston-scuba-regulator. He found shortly thereafter that Sherwood made a regulator for use in hospitals, and it was actually better than he made. So he went with the Sherwood first stage, and everyone followed in the footsteps of the man who is lost in the shadows of diving history to your average-Joe... Jaybird |
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Post by Fibonacci on May 13, 2017 19:38:45 GMT -8
Thanks for your help everyone... seems both classics can be rebuilt. I have now stripped them down for inspection, a 15 minute soak in 50:50 white vinegar and distilled water followed by a scrub with bronze wool (more gentle on the chrome plate and piston bore in the brass body... see Brownells ) then a 15 minute ultrasonic clean.  The USD Aquarius is like new inside, so should rebuild very well... the piston had some small corrosion where the spring sat but the shaft and o-ring recess are fine. It has a smooth upper surface, with one HP and one LP port pointing downwards and another LP port on each side, so could be easily integrated to 'modern' dive configurations. I then turned my attention to the SPG's... one failed immediately on pressurizing but the other two worked fine. The Dacor lens was very scratched but the gauge itself was of high quality so I wet sanded the polycarbonate lens with 600/800/1200 grit paper, then two grades of polish by hand. It ended up nice and clear so after a cleanup and new spool it can be returned to service.   Right.. I'm off to VDH for some spares kits  |
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Post by george on May 15, 2017 4:18:51 GMT -8
Still have my Aquarius reg. I got it new in 1971 and still use it today! Great reg. and very easy to rebuild!
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Post by scubadiverbob on May 31, 2017 9:57:13 GMT -8
Good luck if you need second stage parts for the scubapro, like an exhaust tee!
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Post by Fibonacci on Jun 1, 2017 1:04:25 GMT -8
No problem... available at the VDH store in orange or black silicone for $15
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