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Post by vance on Dec 26, 2019 16:51:53 GMT -8
I just got a DivAir model C (Edit: It's actually a mongrel Model F with a Model C cover) from Rob at the scuba museum. It has all kina good stuff all up in it, plus a nice dive-able USD hoseloop. It's going to be a parts donor to a needy DivAir that has a good fiberglass body.
Thing is, the plastic body on this one has broken off parts that make it unusable until some stuff gets fixed. The problem areas are the three bolt holes that hold the chrome cover on. They have broken off, leaving 1/4 round "holes". I'm trying to think of a repair, which might be gluing on some material and shaping it (epoxy, JB Weld, etc), or metal plates glued to the body, etc. The only purpose of the cover is to protect the diaphragm. It just needs to be held in position. There isn't a whole lot of stress put on these points, so any reasonably secure fix will work.
I'm thinking of building up material on the broken out parts with JBWeld, and shaping it to the original profile. This would work great, IF the bond is good. I got little files and a Dremel, so careful work could see this repair through. But will the JBWeld stick solidly enough to make this reg functional?
Does anyone have suggestions?
I'll post pics soon.
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Post by vance on Dec 26, 2019 16:53:56 GMT -8
BTW, one of the air horns on this was obviously broken somewhere down the line, and was quite successfully repaired, somehow. So it can be done. Again, pics to follow tomorrow.
And, att'n JB, this one also has the not ridged HP soft seat! How does it stay in alignment, eh?
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Post by nikeajax on Dec 26, 2019 16:57:06 GMT -8
Phil, yes, JB-Weld is what I'd recommend: just make sure there is some "tooth" for the epoxy to hold/adhere too.
So how many Divairs do you have now?
JB
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Post by vance on Dec 26, 2019 17:02:55 GMT -8
This is #4. But, I sold one: a really nice model F with original, dive-able hoses and an H-P MP a while back. I will probably buy any DivAir that comes up, if I can. They are awesome regulators.
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Post by nikeajax on Dec 26, 2019 17:21:18 GMT -8
They are awesome regulators. Probably one of THE most underrated regs ever! JB
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Post by vance on Dec 26, 2019 18:08:09 GMT -8
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Post by vance on Dec 26, 2019 18:11:35 GMT -8
Obviously someone tried to "plastic weld" the pieces back together. That works sometimes. I've done it successfully several times with car bumper covers. Didn't work well here, I'm assuming. Just more badness to fix.
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Post by nikeajax on Dec 26, 2019 18:14:53 GMT -8
Yer spot on sir--JB-weld is probably the ideal thing for that application JB
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Post by SeaRat on Dec 26, 2019 18:27:10 GMT -8
I'm going to chime in here, as I think I know how to re-make that wall on the bottom box, the place where the top box holds onto, with the hole. I would use whatever JB recommends as glue, but I would place masking tape over at least one side, probably both, with a gap between them. The masking tape will provide the "sides" you need while the glue is curing. Once cured, it can be removed. We use it all the time to backstop Shoe-Goo on our walking shoe heels.
Be sure that it it clean, and free of any type of oil, by using a solvent to clean the area. You can re-drill the holes after the glue or JB-Weld is set.
John
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Post by nikeajax on Dec 26, 2019 19:03:57 GMT -8
John, I was thinking about using masking tape too to dam it up, but then I thought it would stick too much, but I b'lieve you could grind that OFT with a dremmel tool:
JB
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Post by SeaRat on Dec 26, 2019 19:21:36 GMT -8
Once the JB-Weld is dry, the masking tape will come right off. That's our experience with our shoes and a Shoe-Goo. And masking tape prevents the glue from going where you don't want it. Duct tape has too much "stick."
John
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Post by nikeajax on Dec 27, 2019 10:34:11 GMT -8
John, the thing this type of epoxy is it doesn't like to let go of anything once it's cured: I've done it before with the end result a litany of very creative swearing: the epoxy cures the adhesive on the tape too--YIKES!
JB
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Post by snark3 on Dec 27, 2019 13:09:56 GMT -8
Looks to me like a job for a product called Marine Tex. I've used Marine Tex to fix everything from a cracked engine block to a pellet stove to blisters on the hull of a boat. Instead of masking tape I'd use aluminum foil, whatever epoxy is used wont penetrate the aluminum foil.
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Post by vance on Dec 28, 2019 17:05:34 GMT -8
MarineTex. Gotta try that. I’ve pretty much completed the bulk of the repair of the brutalized DivAir. There’s a dent in the cover which makes me suspect the regulator was mounted on a tank which fell over, cover first and broke the plastic body at the three mounting holes. The broken areas were filled with JBWeld. I used masking tape to contain the filler while it hardened. The breaks took multiple applications of JBWeld to build up the rim and the tiny raised ring that aligns the cover. Then, the repaired sections were sculpted as close as I could get to the original. This wasn't necessary functionally, but I wanted to see if I could get a good aesthetic result. Aside from being a different color, the patches came out better than I hoped. The JBWeld stuck pretty well to the plastic body (actually fiberglass), but it isn’t as strong as the original part. These holes only hold on the cover, which is only there to protect the diaphragm, so there isn’t a lot of stress on them. I will most likely polish the plastic a bit where the file marks are and paint it. The area under the reserve mechanism is a bit broken up around the edges, but that’s cosmetic, not structural. I’ll fix that up a bit as well, just for the above mentioned aesthetics. I thought about drilling new holes in the body and mounting the cover upside down , but that won't work. I could rotate the cover a few degrees off-center, but I'll try the original mount locations first. I hope to get a new diaphragm for it from Jeff and make this one produce bubbles again. No reason why it shouldn’t be a diver now! I left the thin ridge thicker on the backside due to the lower strength of the epoxy vs glass filled and smoothed out the melted areas as much as possible. This will never be perfect, but it will work as new. I will post progress as I finish the surfaces and paint.
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Post by vance on Dec 28, 2019 17:44:05 GMT -8
Once the JB-Weld is dry, the masking tape will come right off. That's our experience with our shoes and a Shoe-Goo. And masking tape prevents the glue from going where you don't want it. Duct tape has too much "stick." John It does. Works great. Use it to form the needed areas and it comes right off.
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