Making your own hoses

[АлександрД]

Very frequently divers has situation, when they require to ajust hose lenght, but impossible to find proper.
Also with non standard eqiupment sometimes you require to have hose, but not UNF 3/8-24 to UNF 9/16-18 but another, eg 3/8 to M16x1 (AGA Divator MK-II FFM from Interspiro).

There is a way.

Your need:
1. old, useless or broken hoses (or just metal tips from them)

2. big crimping tool (crimping piller) like Saipwell HX-120A copper tube cable terminal crimping tool piler BS Standard type 10-120mm2 big size crimping tools - - Amazon.com
or www.aliexpress.com/item/HX-50B-50SC-50D-COPPER-TUBE-TERMINAL-CRIMPING-TOOL-CRIMPING-PILER-crimping-tools/1256413496.html
It should have sizes 60-70, 90 and 120 mm2 hexagones

3. cooper pipe. I found the best fit - from return line of splitted airconditioners, diameter 16 mm.
like that Totaline Soft Copper Pipe (5/8 Inch): Amazon.in: Industrial & Scientific
you can use any suitable copper, or other non corrodible pipe, soft enough for crimper.

4. any tool (like handsaw) to remove ferrule from old hose

5. not neccessary, but could be used - copper pipe cut

LETS START!

1. cut-off old ferrule (socket) from old hose:

here is HP hose, it was just experiment! DO NOT REPEAT IT with HP hose.
You should release metal tip with thread.

2. cut-off copper pipe with length equal to the length of "conifer tree" of the tip.

3. cut-off to the proper length you rubber or plastic pipe.

4. put copper on pipe, tip inside the pipe. Above - intermediate stage, below - final position.

5. setup grips of crimper to 120 or 90 mm2

6. put assembled tip to the crimper and start to squize.
I did it on the floor, one crimper hand on floor (holded by leg) also crimper head on floor, another in my hand.
DO NOT squize till the end, just a little. Your copper pipe should not be jammed.
Than turn for 1/12 of the turn. You should start to squize appeared edges on the pipe.
Than turn again.... and continue.
When you copper pipe will have a groove, change crimper size to 60-70mm2
Next SLOWLY squize just a little, and turn a little, and many many times repeat.
For me all this movements take less than 1 minute.

7. in the end you have very proof and nice new hose:

in compare with branded

P.S. Is this forum international, and here by default recognized, that all people has own brain, and not stupid by default, to follow safety rules? And will check your ability before, test this hose with bigger pressure later, etc?

Otherwise: ALL WRITTEN HERE IS NOT OFFER FOR ACTION, but just share of my stupid ideas, and nobody should NOT repeat this!

 

[Ghetto Diver]

Thanks for posting..excuse to buy new tools now

 

[АлександрД]

price for crimper equal to 3-4 hoses... If you need more new hoses - it reasonable.

How to make own "Miflex-like" hose:
In our country we have one very famous rebreather-man "Leonych". E.g. his rebreather:

So, he invited new way how to produce miflex pipes!
Here they are:

How do you think it`s made?

Just PU pipe, like here:

and alpinist (climber) rope

Your remove core and stay just shell.
Put PU pipe inside, and than follow to first message in this topic
Fore more security used two shells.

I had idea to make Supersoft hoses, using silicone pipes, but Leonych told me on the last exibition this year, that silicone pipe slips out of the ferule.

 

[Umuntu]

There are at least two UK companies that make reuseable hose metal fittings for low pressure hoses: AP Diving (Ambient Pressure Diving) and Undersea UK Ltd. The main markets are commercial diving and ReBreather divers.

Here's a video of how easy it is to use AP Divings' fittings:

High pressure hoses require more industrial crimping tools.

Here are links to their websites
Search results for: 'reusable hose fittings' | AP Diving

Undersea Ltd - Serving the diving industry since 1970
( Undersea fittings can be bought from https://www.narkedat90.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=Reusable+hose+fitting&Submit= )
Undersea's 2nd Stage fitting requires a special tool also available.

 

[tbone1004]

@Umuntu the unfortunate part of those is the fittings are 2x the cost of a normal hose...

 

[northernone]

Wonderful. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate your mindset.
Cameron

 

[Umuntu]

@Umuntu the unfortunate part of those is the fittings are 2x the cost of a normal hose...

How often do you change your hoses ? After the second change you've recovered your investment.

Actually, I've bought a number of AP inflator hoses for less than the cost of a fitting on ebay from people selling their hoses after the o-ring / schrader valve starts leaking

For commercial diving the flexibility outweighs the slightly higher fitting costs.

 

[tbone1004]

@Umuntu once every 5-10 years.... They last quite a long time if you keep them out of the sun and chlorine....

 

[АлександрД]

Umuntu,
If you have a look to this picture

on the right side you will see fitting from soviet AVM-5 (that exists in 1970`). It is not spare, but part of normal AVM hose.