Synthetic grease for Scubapro 1st stage

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And seeing a little void at one of the ambient holes in my freshly "Rebuilt" MK9 has me fretting taking it back out. Supposedly the guy that my LDS sent it to is the only certified SP tech around here. Now I'm not so sure I want my gear going back to him.

I can access a syringe and Teflon catheter small enough to get in the holes and flush. Any other cleaning/care tips after I return from my salt water dive next weekend?

If the ambient chamber is packed-just rinse off the first stage. You don't want to flush it out. If the first stage is not packed-then SOAK it over night; then it let completely dry before putting it away.
 
If the ambient chamber is packed-just rinse off the first stage. You don't want to flush it out. If the first stage is not packed-then SOAK it over night; then it let completely dry before putting it away.

It appears to be packed with an appropriate type of grease. What I'm seeing looks like a pinhole in one of the vents. All of the others are solidly packed.
 
this cat really knows his stuff man


and the cool music times your mooves

Groovy man!
 
It appears to be packed with an appropriate type of grease.

White or translucent? If it's expensive PTFE (white) grease and you have no boot to retain the grease I would be asking the dive shop for a refund on at least the extra charge for packing. If it is a thick silicone grease it may fair better in the long run. It is not likely to be silicone grease though as you've mentioned "SP authorized service." SP no longer recommends silicone grease for that application-an unfortunate change they made year ago.

How about a picture?
 
White or translucent? If it's expensive PTFE (white) grease and you have no boot to retain the grease I would be asking the dive shop for a refund on at least the extra charge for packing. If it is a thick silicone grease it may fair better in the long run. It is not likely to be silicone grease though as you've mentioned "SP authorized service." SP no longer recommends silicone grease for that application-an unfortunate change they made year ago.

How about a picture?

Will do. It is translucent in appearance to my eye, but I'll definitely get a photo up here ASAP.
 
this cat really knows his stuff man


and the cool music times your mooves

Groovy man!

I like it, for sure! I'm still a little shy about tearing into my dad's old gear, and don't have any tools or test equipment. On the flip side of that coin, I know I'm truly the only one that will give my gear TLC vs someone else that's just trying to make a buck.
 
I'm still a little shy about tearing into my dad's old gear,

There's probably no reason to tear into the regulator. Packed correctly or not it will work just fine. If it's packed fairly well with silicone grease and you want to top it up, take your syringe with more of the same type grease and squirt it into one of the ambient chamber holes. It should immediately ooze out of one or more of the other holes. Not having a boot will always cause a bit of grease loss as the piston will pump some of it out when the regulator is pressurized.

Does anyone else remember when we used to do this to tie rods, ball joints, etc. of our automobiles?
 
I asked my wife to snap some pics for me since I'm at work today, so I'm sorry if they leave a little to be desired.
IMG_20210612_121858.jpg IMG_20210612_121901.jpg IMG_20210612_121902.jpg IMG_20210612_121904.jpg
 
I cannot tell for sure, but that chamber does not looked packed. (Have another look at the video ~1:40) Packed as in totally filled with grease. But no matter (unless it's been in the water) just finish packing it with a syringe of grease. The problem with a partially packed chamber is that it will hold water.

Edit: I would not waist PTFE grease in that MK9 unless you can come up with something ingenious like @rsingler with his homemade boot. The problem is the hole size-OK for thick silicone, not OK for PTFE
 
I'd suggest using the stuff from Home Depot we were discussing earlier. Just get a syringe (no needle) and squirt some in from time to time.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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