Little present to myself. I think I did pretty well.

[8dust]

Pound for pound (or dollar for dollar), I think the folks on Craig's List aren't quite as greedy as Ebay... maybe the Hippy factor...

So, it was birthday 42 not long ago, and I kinda got stiffed. It was fair I suppose cause all I got the little woman the last time around was a carton of smokes...

so... I've had my eye out for something just right, from me, to me.

How do you think I did ?

Yes, that's a pretty darn nice late-model RAM. Used with a little ding and a scratch or two, but over all very good condition and the hoses are PERFECT.

Yes, that's a Scubapro Helium-filled depth guage, also in used but very nice condition.

Yes, that's a self-sealing spring-loaded Scubapro tank guage.

and for bonus, yes, a kinda funky wrist mount Ikelite Sweedish compass.

so... I picked up the lot for................



wait for it..........................



for $250.00 !

I'm pretty pleased.

Just wanted to share my success and nobody I know locally would care or be the least bit interested,
and can't tell the wife... cause of the smokes... but she wouldn't be impressed at all anyway.

So here it is. Now I just have to learn to dive it !

 

[james croft]

Nice score! You could not have stolen it much cheaper. The RAM rocks and the helium guage is a big keeper and pretty collectible. The tank checker is pretty good item to have. The only run-of-the-mill item is the compass and they are pretty common. I pick them up pretty cheap once in a while but if it works it is a decent compass. If you need parts or service for the reg give Bryan a shout at Vintage Double Hose. He can make it breath better than new.
Then go dive it

 

[Luis H]

Yes that is a very nice score.

The regulator looks great. Needs a rebuild with silicone diaphragm, duckbill, mouthpiece valves, and band clamp to replace those darn clips, but the over all condition looks good.

The depth gauge is a great gauge. It is a great collectible and one of the few that works well from that era.

The Ikelite compass as mentioned was very popular. They are fine compass.

The tank pressure checker is a great collectible, but that particular model of self sealing yoke was only around for a year because it slams on the back of the valve. I have seen the chrome on the back of some valves been destroyed by that type of tank checker. Never mind what would happen to any fingers if they happen to be in the wrong place. When you try it, be very careful. But I think that after the first time you will agree that it belongs as a display piece.


Good luck and have fun.

 

[AfterDark]

Happy Birthday! You sure know how to shop for gifts! I especially like the press gauge. I always wanted one of those back when we used em but could only afford the thumbscrew type.

 

[Paladin]

Send that RAM down to Bryan at VDH for a complete restoration. You'll be happy with his work!

 

[8dust]

Thanks guys for sharing the moment with me.

Couple of things...

The mouthpiece & hoses, what's a good way to really clean those out. These seem very clean... but now a days, there's just a lot more funk out there to avoid.

VDH... most of those folks seem to have their own little party going on, and the nicer people, Luis, seem to be over here too. After having several threads hijacked and even getting one locked???, I'm not too sure about them, and don't know about just mailing off my new score to a total stranger.
I have zerro double hose experience, so I wouldn't mind a few things to be aware of and/or better idead about upgrades that need to be made. The ones above were a little over my head.
What's a duck bill? mouthpiece valve?

anyway, very excited for a saturday expidition to the depths and extents of my neighbors pool.

anything else you want to throw at me to get me off on the right track would be appreciated

after 27 years of diving, I'm getting more vintage by the day. Must be mid-life on the horizion.

 

[redacted]

Yes that is a very nice score.

The regulator looks great. Needs a rebuild with silicone diaphragm, duckbill, mouthpiece valves, and band clamp to replace those darn clips, but the over all condition looks good.

The depth gauge is a great gauge. It is a great collectible and one of the few that works well from that era.

The Ikelite compass as mentioned was very popular. They are fine compass.

The tank pressure checker is a great collectible, but that particular model of self sealing yoke was only around for a year because it slams on the back of the valve. I have seen the chrome on the back of some valves been destroyed by that type of tank checker. Never mind what would happen to any fingers if they happen to be in the wrong place. When you try it, be very careful. But I think that after the first time you will agree that it belongs as a display piece.


Good luck and have fun.

I picked up one of those tank pressure checkers a couple years ago. I don't have any problem with it slamming into the back of the tank valve. The metal spring on the piston holds it fairly snugly and the gas causes little movement but just locks it up solid. My only problem is that the maximum opening is not enough to fit on some valve like the 3442 psi Thermo valve. I got mine pretty cheap (of course) but the gauge lense was cracked so I just replaced the gauge with a modern 4000psi gauge.

BTW, I'm assuming the HP seat in that gauge is the same as is used in a Mk2. Is that correct?

 

[herman]

Do come over to the VDH board, there are a lot of great folks there, many names you will see on both boards. I have had the pleasure do meeting and diving with a bunch of them, they are a crusty but great bunch of divers. Sometimes the threads do go astray...like they do here.
Cleaning the moth piece and hoses is easy, dissamble them and put the hoses in an old pillow case, tie it shut and run it through a wash cycle, I do mine with towels. The mouth piece and mouthpiece valve cages (wagon wheels) I scrub out with tooth paste and an old tooth brush.
As for upgrades, you will need a duckbill and a set of mouthpiece (wagon wheel) valves for sure. I have yet to see either that were fit for service even in very clean regs, besides they are a whole $5 each. I would not recommend diving the reg until these were replaced. While you have the reg apart I would at least add a new silicone diaphram, a new LP seat and a clamp ring. If the reg has a steady IP that does not creep you can likely get away with not dissambling the first stage but personally I would dissamble it as well. There are diagrams on the VDH board that show the RAM dissambled and a lot of other good info as well, free for the downloading.
Bar none, you will not find a better DH tech than Bryan. I have bought a lot of parts from him over the last few years and have always been totally happy with his service. I would not hesitate to send any DH to him for service. Since this is your first one, it would be a good idea to do so, if for no other reason than to have a baseline of what one should dive like.

You also need to understand that diving a DH reg is not like diving a single hose reg. Reg position is critical to proper reg operation and the reg WILL respond differently in different positions. Face down in normal diving position it will breath one way, head up it will breath easier and if you roll on to your back it will Louie Armstrong your cheeks, that is the nature of the beast. On the surface if you lean back on it, it will freeflow (and if it doesn't it needs help). Most BC's do not work well with a DH, they force you to place the tank too high, worn properly a DH reg should be low between your shoulder blades and as close to the body as possible. Back inflates work better than jackets but your better off with an old style backplate.

Good luck with your new toy, they take some getting use to but I have gotten to the point I prefer to be in my DH than any of my single hose regs.

 

[Paladin]

Herman,
As you know, I recently bought a DA Aquamaster from Bryan at VDH. He rebuilt it with all new parts, including new rubber (not silicone) hoses, and it works great. The only thing is, the air has a strong rubber taste. I thought it would fade as I used it, but the rubber taste is as strong as ever. Any suggestions as to how to get rid of the rubber taste? I don't remember my old AM doing this.

 

[spectrum]

8dust

Congratulations on the score and happy birthday!

As for getting up to speed on double hose jargon try reading this. It tells the story of my rig and walks through a lot of the components with pictures.

Pete