Falling into the category of "an embarrassment of riches," I recently came into the possession of an extra copy of Vance Harlow's 1999 Scuba Regulator Maintenance and Repair, which I would like give away to some lucky SB "DIYer" who will not immediately post it to eBay or gouge someone else for it, say, on this site.
For those unfamiliar with this now out-of-print book, it was basically a scuba version of How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot, with grassroots advice and even instructions on making a few necessary tools, such as cobbling together an IP gauge and dirt-simple instructions on testing cracking pressure in a tub of water or a sink.
It also covers regulators by brand, along with their interesting peccadillos -- even a brief section on "possessed regulators." Sure, some of that information may be a bit out of date, in the age of 2K titanium regs; but considering that the technology hasn't appreciably changed since the 1950s, there is still plenty of value to be had.
It lacks much of the exhaustive theory and polish of Wolfinger's Regulator Savvy, of which I am also fond; but is far more approachable, I think, to DIY newcomers, especially those for whom Physics 101 is a dim memory; and for whom the prospect of purchasing expensive tools is unlikely or cost-prohibitive.
To those interested, just pick a number between one and one-hundred, in response to this post; and I will use a "random number generator" (random.org) to choose a winner -- and if anyone on SB (and you know who you are) wishes to get into a semantic argument with me over the nature of "true" random numbers, or have interminable arguments on the shore hardness of HP seat o-rings, well . . .
The spiral-bound book is in decent shape (certainly better than my dogeared copy) and the offer is open to anyone, worldwide, and I will cover USPS shipping within Amerika. Foreign addresses will have to cover shipping -- but it can be legitimately sent as a "gift."
I will keep this offer open to 7 January, to no particular time of day -- that is, whenever I can get around to it.
Here's a shot of the book (semi-possessed regulator not included) . . .
