Tricks of the trade

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J.R.

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Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
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Ok... I'm rather new at this vintage scuba stuff... tonight the tech at my LDS and I started going through an overhaul of a 1976 vintage Fenzy (I assume that's the date... it's the hydro on the bottle)...

Needless to say, parts didn't part like they were new... some parts flat didn't want to part... we found that by taking off the parts we could from the bottle valve and then inverting the bottle in a ultrasonic cleaner (vinegar and water)... after repeated cycles the junk that bound the threads let go enough we could actually get stuff apart.

This got me thinking... what other "tricks of the trade" for working on old gear (I also have a DA Aquamaster that's in the que to work on)... that the budding vintage rig restorer should be aware of? Do's an don'ts would be greatfully appreciated...

Thanks...

(... and the valve looks incredible now that we've gotten it cleaned... heck the valve seat is even in amazingly good shape...)
 
How does the inside of the cylinder looked? When you use it be careful never to run out of air in the cylinder.

After I get it, I will send you a PDF copy of the Fenzy manual.

Be careful with the amount of time you soak chromed parts in vinegar (specially in an ultrasonic cleaner). Vinegar will eat the chrome if it is overdone.

You can get a 1971 US Divers repair manual at the link below. It contains the repair manual for the Aqua Master. It will give you a good start.

U.S. Divers Repair Manual on CD [USD Manual on CD] - $10.00 : Vintage Double Hose!, Your online source for all things related to vintage diving


Here is another good source for information (Tech Tips and Downloads Section):
http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=12


Have fun
 
Thaks Luis... nope... using a dilution (50/50) vinegar and water... basically just running it unitl they clean up then transfering to a clean water bath. The cylinder doesn't look bad from what I can see... I need to get a better light system... but, at this point, I've been through the valve and the inflator hose... no parts left over so that's a good thing. Worst problem was the cord in the inflator hose was broken... ;-)

I'll check out the web site and get the US divers stuff... that' the next project... I appreciate the help...
 
The best thing to do is to read all of the threads that you can stand over at vdh. The amount of knowledge stored there is beyond my willingness to sit here and type it out. It is much easier to answer specific questions.

N
 
Understood... heading to VDH... thanks for the "pointer"... ;-)
 
If you need any single hose regulator tips, I've rebuild pretty much every conshelf, deepstar, aquarius, calypso, etc with a downstream second stage that USD ever made. If you run into a part that you need or are having trouble, just let me know. +1 for what Nem said about scouring VDH. If VDH is a major league baseball field, this place is a place where kids play Tee ball.
 
If you need any single hose regulator tips, I've rebuild pretty much every conshelf, deepstar, aquarius, calypso, etc with a downstream second stage that USD ever made. If you run into a part that you need or are having trouble, just let me know. +1 for what Nem said about scouring VDH. If VDH is a major league baseball field, this place is a place where kids play Tee ball.

Above=ROFL

Besides technical savy and VDH is a great place to aquire it, Patience is really a virtue. Many of these items have not been apart in 40 years so you need to let the vinegar and or penetrating oil do it's job. For penetrating oil I use and recommend "Blaster" . It works great. So take your time. It only takes a few seconds to really mess something up. If you take your time it will look new!

Jim
 

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