Freedom plate: my new favorite travel rig

[OldNSalty]

I didn't know he was making the aluminum ones still. I thought they were all SS now. No matter. I have an aluminum and like it very much.

 

[HenrikBP]

Assuming that'd work... excellent idea, Henrik! I know someone with access to a machine shop so it'd be doable. Thanks!

I'm sure if you talk to Eric, he might be able to come up with something. I read here on SB that he custom built a shorter plate for someone with shorter torso length.

I'm thinking that you might be able to drill a hole and chamfer/countersink it on the divers side to accept a socket cap screw:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#socket-cap-screws/=7nw3iuhttp://www.scubaboard.com/forums/5317531-post16.html

which in turn would hold the STA. Either a full size for weight or one of the 2-piece travel STAs.

Just thinking out loud. Eric is obviously an excellent metal craftsman, and can much better assist you

Henrik

 

[HenrikBP]

I didn't know he was making the aluminum ones still. I thought they were all SS now. No matter. I have an aluminum and like it very much.

I got in on an intermediary run of the aluminum plates. I think you're correct that he only makes SS plates now. I don't think there is that much difference in weight either.

Henrik

 

[Nemrod]

I love my Freedom Plate and Oxy Mach V 30 rig. My plate is a one of a kind he made as an experiment several years back and is stainless but smaller than what he makes now so it is not particularly heavy and fits me well. It is great with both double hose regulators or single hose. I use it for the majority of my diving except for "warm water/summer" vacation travel, for that I prefer my Oxy 18 Mach V with the Oxy fabric Ultra Lite plate.

My Oxy 18 and Oxy Ultra Lite plate with UK light, knife, stainless hardware and Dive Rite Cambands, DR weight pockets and semi stiff webbing weighs between 8 and 9 pounds, a little over three pounds less than the Oxy 30 with stainless Freedom Plate. The Oxy fabric plate is easier to pack, it can roll and even partially fold so it does not occupy very much space.

N

 

[spectrum]

I was looking into one of these plates to replace my kydex BP but my understanding is they only work with the 'newer' Mach V that has slots for the cam bands. (I have an older model Mach V without cam band slots and use an STA.) Is my understanding correct?

I don't know the older Mach V wings, so bear with me. I got my Freedom plate and Mach V last year and the slots in the wing are easy to miss. They are just passage space between the wing and center web, not the big grommeted slots you usually see. I ended up making phone calls and triple checking since you'd never know the slots are there from online images and descriptions.

Now that i think of it you are probably right. If I remember right Nemrod (an early adopter) needed to modify a commercial STA to mount his wing. He'll probably chime in. I found an old post of his but the photos had dropped off.

Pete

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I don't know the older Mach V wings, so bear with me. I got my Freedom plate and Mach V last year and the slots in the wing are easy to miss. They are just passage space between the wing and center web, not the big grommeted slots you usually see. I ended up making phone calls and triple checking since you'd never know the slots are there from online images and descriptions.

Now that i think of it you are probably right. If I remember right Nemrod (an early adopter) needed to modify a commercial STA to mount his wing. He'll probably chime in. I found an old post of his but the photos had dropped off.

Pete

Nemrod's Freedom Plate does have an actual STA that's a one of a kind. He has the only Freedom Ptate that came out of my shop with a true STA.
I made it out of an old OMS STA that I had laying around the shop that I never used. It was an experiment during the short time when Oxycheq was no longer making the old style signature wing with slots and the new Mach V just came out that did not have slots yet. There were only about 100 of these wings made (I believe) before they started having them made with slots and roll control. The STA was in preparation for what I thought was going to be a slotless Mach V, but that never happened.

A common STA could be made to fit the Freedom Plate but some serious modifications and special welded on tabs need to be installed in order for it to work. Anything attached to a Freedom Plate has to attach from the front with counter sunk bolts, or rounded carriage bolts with a nut on the backside since the plate is flat on the front with no channel to hide wing nuts or thumb wheels.

I have recently modified the rail so that the wing now can be sandwiched between the plate and rail (or STA if someone likes that word better). The cam bands still run through the plate though unlike a true STA which has it's own cam band slots. So it's actually a very slight modification but I have eliminated the fussy part with trying to get three things lined up at the same time to torque down the cam bands.

The only catch is the user has to melt in one hole in the center of their wing for the second rail attachment hole on the bottom side (no big deal). The reason is because there simply isn't enough room vertically for 11" center holes, there's only room enough for 9.5" center holes. So there is a little DIY to be done - for now.

 

[Peter_C]

I'm sure if you talk to Eric, he might be able to come up with something. I read here on SB that he custom built a shorter plate for someone with shorter torso length.

That was another custom one off that Eric made for my ex G/F. I bought my sweetie of today, one of his Freedom Plates for her to get certified in. Thanks to Henrik for her reg set too. :cool2: Yeah I know expensive hobby...women that is.

 

[divad]

I was looking into one of these plates to replace my kydex BP but my understanding is they only work with the 'newer' Mach V that has slots for the cam bands. (I have an older model Mach V without cam band slots and use an STA.) Is my understanding correct?

You could just make slots. Slash and burn.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

You could just make slots. Slash and burn.

That's what I was going to recommend, just heat up a n old butter knife on the stove or with a propane torch and burn/melt the lots in where you want them. Make sure to stay within the stitching of the flat 2" panel and don't harm the tube part with the bladder.

 

[OldNSalty]

Probably should take the bladder out first just in case.