Rehabbing an older wing

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good ole @Marie 13

Stated:

Through the generosity of a fellow SB-er, I was given an older model Dive Rite Rec wing for my “let’s try doubles” project this winter. It was used in salt water and hadn’t been dived in a while.
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It was the late great Harry Recigno (Reo cin O) the founder or Sea Tec -Inflatable Systems who designed developed and first marketed the first US power inflator along with the concept if the double inflation bag and the Manta which many of the current designs are based.

The late Ron Merker (@drbills basic instructor in 1969 ) and I were consultants to Harrys companies ,we tested every proto type-(test dove) and evaluated the units--As Harry often stated "We could create 5 years of diving wear on a unit in 30 days of diving and evaluating "

It was during one of the meetings which I had proposed a number of changes to a new product - To which Harry replied " There are only a few divers in this world --I designed this for people who dive - not Divers" so true!

The very worst inflatable unit I ever test dove was designed Ed Brawley (recall him?) but produced under contract by Inflatable Systems -- it was the " Brawley Pillow "

One problem was small reoccurring holes that often with out warning appeared suddenly in the inflation bags. It was discovered that the culprit was salt crystals

After considerable experimentation by design and a certain amount of serendipitous luck that we discovered that a liberal amount of "Dawn" soap poured into the inflator bag system which was filled with water and allowed to soak for a day would dissolve the salt crystals.

For a number of years this was a standard maintenance procedure accepted by all companies-- I suspect with the passage of time and new kids in the drives seat it has been forgotten.

Good ole @Marie13 I would suggest that you follow the Dawn soap cleansing procedure prior to using your unit since it had been used in SALT water.

I would also suggest that you adhere to what once was the community standard and inflate your unit and keep it inflated for at least 12 or more hours concurrently checking for leaks (while the snow piles up in Chicago)

While inflated I would also suggest that you weight it down with a weight belt to check for possible leakage

I would also suggest that you google Harry Rescigno -- His obituary is in the Legends of Diving and also in the board Passing thread

Sam Miller, 111

@Akimbo
@Schwob
@rhwestfall FYI dive history -- the way it was
 
You don't need a new OPV... it should just be the spring. I would just repalce the inflator mech. If the BC holds reasonably tight for 6 hours, any tiny leak or puncture is not something you will notice in the water. Take apart the OPV and examine the spring, if it has any weakness or corrosion, it is smart to replace. If the spring breaks the BC will hold no air, a lot more serious than a pin hole or tiny leak somewhere. Definitely replace all zip ties. The hose should be good if it looks good.

It didn’t hold reasonably tight for 6 hours. It was damn near flat.
 
@Sam Miller III

Yes, salt is the ENEMY! :mad: Bad, very bad! :eek:

Good idea on the Dawn! I’ve got plenty of time to do it since it’s at least a month before I get to try doubles in the pool.

And we actually got a couple of inches of snow today! Kinda early for it! At least weather is nice and cold!
 
Got an email from Lamar himself. Replacement spring is being mailed to me. I’m still replacing entire OPV with how old it is.
 
Good ole @Marie13
The visible mechanical parts of an inflatable unit is simple to repair /replace and when repaired/replaced is easy to detect leakage pathways---so follow the very good advice of @rhwestfall -- spent $15.00 install all new mechanical components

I would strongly urge that you pay particular attention to the inflation bag-- leaks caused by the accumulation of salt crystals are insidious and often undetectable
Cleanse the interior thoroughly with Dawn liquid soap
Perform ::
24 hour inflation test (why be half safe?)
24 hour inflation test under pressure (inflate it then submerge it with a weight belt for 24 hours)

Then after the installation of new components and its passing ALL the tests and only then can you consider the unit as having completed and passed all the established community maintenance protocols and it is dividable...

Sam Miller, !!!

@Schwob
110 per cent !

Ta
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Good ole @Marie13
The visible mechanical parts of an inflatable unit is simple to repair /replace and when repaired/replaced is easy to detect leakage pathways---so follow the very good advice of @rhwestfall -- spent $15.00 install all new mechanical components

I would strongly urge that you pay particular attention to the inflation bag-- leaks caused by the accumulation of salt crystals are insidious and often undetectable
Cleanse the interior thoroughly with Dawn liquid soap
Perform ::
24 hour inflation test (why be half safe?)
24 hour inflation test under pressure (inflate it then submerge it with a weight belt for 24 hours)

Then after the installation of new components and its passing ALL the tests and only then can you consider the unit as having completed and passed all the established community maintenance protocols and it is dividable...

Sam Miller, !!!

Components ordered from DGX - elbow, power inflator head, OPV and a few small bits to get me to $49 for free shipping.
 
Wing parts scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I know what I’m doing this weekend! :)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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