|
Post by nikeajax on Apr 30, 2021 12:20:38 GMT -8
Uhhh, James, do what you feel you need to do to get these made, but I don't think having your fingers crossed is advantageous while handling tools! Jus' sayin' JB PS Hopefully by now you know that I'm king of the smart @$$es
|
|
|
Post by james1979 on Apr 30, 2021 14:24:58 GMT -8
Uhhh, James, do what you feel you need to do to get these made, but I don't think having your finger is advantageous while handling tools! Jus' sayin' JB PS Hopefully by now you know that I'm king of the smart @$$es I may dispute that title.... not that I don't think you're a smart @ss, but that king of them is a high bar to set! lol
|
|
|
Post by vance on Apr 30, 2021 15:15:20 GMT -8
I mentioned this in my post about the Dacor R-3 project Stephan authored.
There are many of us in the vintage scuba world who are willing to absorb the considerable costs of inventing, designing, and making parts for improvements and mods to vintage scuba equipment. We buy machines, tooling, 3D printers, CAD programs, materials, etc. Then, we spend an incredible amount of time thinking, planning, drawing, and making the stuff.
Bottom line: We do this because we want to.
I'm not trying to say that the only significant contributions to our cause are those by people making stuff. Not by a long shot. My favorite part of this is when newbies come aboard and want to get involved with vintage gear, and ask how to service or rebuild an old reg they bought or inherited.
We depend on everyone to propose ideas, make suggestions, and do what they can to participate. We know that few members have machine tools, or a 3D printer, or the skills to fabricate parts. All of us here are contributing great ideas, and the cool part is, some of us can run with them! Awesome!
I don't mention it for any other reason but to say we do it b/c all of us are interested (obsessed?) and want to contribute to the vintage dive scene. This is an unique forum, and there isn't any other like it (that's the definition of unique, duh.)
|
|
|
Post by nikeajax on Apr 30, 2021 15:33:01 GMT -8
Exactly: the big reason I love Healthways gear so much, followed by Dacor and Waterlung, is that they present a challenge; they force me to think! If I can help someone along the way to see things outside of the average scope I'm always happy to oblige... JB
|
|
|
Post by nikeajax on Apr 30, 2021 20:57:08 GMT -8
And that's the way it's supposed to work here my friend JB
|
|
|
Post by james1979 on Jun 14, 2021 5:30:03 GMT -8
Update... This is kicking my ever loving @ss! Mold version 5, and I'm still getting voids. On the bright side, I think I have a solution... but it will take another 5 hour print for a new mold half, and then the motivation to pour one again. But it will get there. It's personal now! I'm applying a lesson learned from a different project, where I can now make silicone SPEC boots for Scubapro regs (made one for a Mk20 for someone, tonight I test the mold for Mk10 spec boots).
James
|
|
|
Post by nikeajax on Jun 14, 2021 7:33:31 GMT -8
James, are you venting them? That is to say, making small holes that allow the medium to come out of and you later cut off as a sprue: the waste piece on a casting (as of metal or plastic) left by the hole through which the mold was filled, or vented.
Jus' brain stormin' buuuuddy!
JB
|
|
|
Post by james1979 on Jun 14, 2021 11:48:48 GMT -8
JB, Poorly placed vents is part of my problem (and I truly do appreciate the brain storming!)... I'm also about to start some ghetto degassing to reduce the micro bubbles going in to start.
|
|
|
Post by vance on Jun 14, 2021 13:44:30 GMT -8
JB, Poorly placed vents is part of my problem (and I truly do appreciate the brain storming!)... I'm also about to start some ghetto degassing to reduce the micro bubbles going in to start. I found this interesting: www.smooth-on.com/support/faq/111/Smooth-On has silicone rubber products that do not require vacuum degassing (or a weighing scale). Mold Star® Series silicones are all low viscosity platinum catalyzed silicones suitable for a variety of applications. Tear strength is very good and these products will perform for many applications.
|
|
|
Post by james1979 on Jun 14, 2021 14:10:31 GMT -8
JB, Poorly placed vents is part of my problem (and I truly do appreciate the brain storming!)... I'm also about to start some ghetto degassing to reduce the micro bubbles going in to start. I found this interesting: www.smooth-on.com/support/faq/111/Smooth-On has silicone rubber products that do not require vacuum degassing (or a weighing scale). Mold Star® Series silicones are all low viscosity platinum catalyzed silicones suitable for a variety of applications. Tear strength is very good and these products will perform for many applications. The clear silicone I'm using is actual a Shore A 15 that is very similar to the Smooth-On (platinum catalyzed seemed the right thing to use, due to it's use in food related applications). I'm still going to Ghetto Degass.... I'll update as it goes.
|
|
|
Post by james1979 on Jul 26, 2021 9:42:21 GMT -8
Update! I got 3 good pours in a row. One is my first crack at an exhaust diaphragm (not totally happy with it, but I'll pool test it when my nuts get here... 6-32 nuts for the can screws, wierdos!). The 2 main diaphragms are pretty good though. My one question mark comes from me never having used cans that are secured with screws/bolts before. I don’t know how possible it is for the edge between the screws to get sucked in. That goes to say, I can add in a reinforcement ring cast into the outer rim if needed. All the silicone is actually clear, but I tried mixing in mica powder for colors... seems to work well! Respectfully, James
|
|
|
Post by nikeajax on Jul 26, 2021 10:39:13 GMT -8
Dang son, that looks like nice work: it looks like you put a lot of thought into it too, like the holderonner-holes in the plates. I hope this geekiness is as fun as it looks JB
|
|
|
Post by james1979 on Jul 26, 2021 11:29:09 GMT -8
Dang son, that looks like nice work: it looks like you put a lot of thought into it too, like the holderonner-holes in the plates. I hope this geekiness is as fun as it looks JB Thanks, JB. It's fun, but sometimes frustrating..... that's the biggest cause for delays! Sometimes I just have to walk away from it for a bit. And I'm officially stealing the term "holderonner-holes"! lol
|
|
|
Post by nikeajax on Jul 26, 2021 11:56:20 GMT -8
It's fun, but sometimes frustrating..... that's the biggest cause for delays! This is the type of thinking that leads to the biggest emotional pay-off That is also the reason I don't collect AL and SP gear: it's too easy! Sometimes you feel like Sisyphus... perpetually trying to roll the boulder up the mountain, but in the mean time, you're really using your brain and figuring out a whole lot of other junk too JB
|
|
|
Post by vance on Jul 27, 2021 8:12:00 GMT -8
Those are really looking good, James. I've gotten some NOS and good used Dacor diaphragms lately, as well as some old, bad ones. On a couple of bad ones, the screw holes are elongating, and tearing into the bellows. The distortion is most likely from over-tightening, and the tear from the rubber hardening. I suspect the stiffening was causing the regulator to be very difficult to breathe. This came out of an R-4. Another interesting thing I've found is the "upside-down" exhaust diaphragm that came in some early models. I think it was to provide clearance for the exhaust valve, so it didn't get sealed by the metal cover. This might not be obvious to you if you get the moon crater optical illusion! The bellows on this one bulge down toward the intake side, rather than up toward the cover side. The rubber bumps are stand-offs to keep the exhaust diaphragm from touching the intake.
|
|