Aqualung Conself, Aquarius, Calypso???

[Dave616]

As far as the Aqualung Conself, Aquarius, Calypso regs are concerned, which uses the least amount of tools/specail tools to rebuild?

(I just scored an Aquarius 1st Stage off Craig's List for basically nothing, so I'm interested in rebuilding. )

 

[Couv]

Welcome ASRP, The "Scubapro" MK2 must be one of the easiest units too start with, att. photos to give an insight.View attachment 205352View attachment 205353View attachment 205354

john

Nice cutaway.....but you had better put an o-ring on that port plug lest you lose all your air.

 

[herman]

As far as the Aqualung Conself, Aquarius, Calypso regs are concerned, which uses the least amount of tools/specail tools to rebuild?

(I just scored an Aquarius 1st Stage off Craig's List for basically nothing, so I'm interested in rebuilding. )

The Aquarius does not require any special tools although a (very) wide screw driver helps. The Conshelf requires a set of circlip pliers, a HP assembly tool is very helpful.....not required but it will make your life much easier. You will also need oring picks for either reg but I consider them basic tools.

 

[sylverbard01]

Do you not have a store to service it? You need an ultrasound. O2 compatible lube. Service kits so you use the right o rings. Seats. Allen keys. Big wrench. Inline adjustor unless you have a crap second stage. IP guage. Water bath to test for leaks. All regs need the same basic tools. Some regs need adjustment tools. Unless you live on an island without a service center....let the store with parts and a service technician and training and insurance do it.

---------- Post added March 27th, 2015 at 02:19 PM ----------

But where do you dive? Do you want balanced or unbalanced? Environmentally sealed for cold and dirty water? Piston or diaphragm ?

 

[herman]

Do you not have a store to service it? You need an ultrasound. O2 compatible lube. Service kits so you use the right o rings. Seats. Allen keys. Big wrench. Inline adjustor unless you have a crap second stage. IP guage. Water bath to test for leaks. All regs need the same basic tools. Some regs need adjustment tools. Unless you live on an island without a service center....let the store with parts and a service technician and training and insurance do it.

---------- Post added March 27th, 2015 at 02:19 PM ----------

But where do you dive? Do you want balanced or unbalanced? Environmentally sealed for cold and dirty water? Piston or diaphragm ?

The whole point of DIY is so you don't need a shop to do your service work. Regs are not difficult to service and for the most part, do not require a lot of special tools. Those tools do make it easier and much more productive for a commercial shop but for the DIYer, for the most part are just nice to have. I will admit I neglected to mention one more tool that is not common but necessary and that is an IP gauge. Those can be had for under $10 or you can make your own for a few dollars.
Ultrasonic cleaners are not necessary, a good brush will do most times and besides they can be had for under $50. O2 lube is another of the big myths going around on regs, if and only if you are using high O2 concentrations are O2 lubes necessary, silicone lube which was used until nitrox became the rage is still fine, even at rec nitrox O2 levels. Inline adjustment tools are completely unnecessary for the DIYer, again great for a shop who is doing production work but second stages can easily be adjusted by trial and error and once you get some practice, it's quite easy to do. The use of one has nothing at all to do with the quality of the second stage or how well it is adjusted for that matter. A simple bucket of water can be used quite effectively to check cracking pressure or a simple U tube manometer can be home built for a few dollars if you want to do accurate measurements of cracking pressure.
Finally, if you think that just because a shop does the service you are getting quality work by skilled people, think again. I personally sat in on a "service" class given by a major reg manufacturer where at least 6 people who had no clue of how a reg works walked out of it as "certified" technicans. All we did was dissemble the regs by hand, looked at the parts and then reassembled them by hand...no tools, no setup, no testing. Granted I am sure not all classes are that bad and I personally know some very good reg techs but none the less, everyone in that room walked out with a piece of paper that said they were a certified tech on that entire brand of regs and they may well be working at a dive shop near you.

 

[ASRP]

Thanks for all the input. I am grateful to everyone for their 2 cents worth. Sylverbard01, I live in the San Diego area and there are many shops that can do the work and I have one very close to my house that I am having service a regulator set for me now (dropped them off yesterday). This is the first time I've had them do any service since the shop changed hands. This is something I am interested in doing. I have always liked working on things and this is something I want to do and learn. Fortunately I have never had a problem with a regulator but I have had a dive partner experience trouble with their regulator on the first dive after having it serviced. It was very concerning to have it free flow at 80'.


I won a Conshelf XIV 1st, 2nd and gauges on Ebay last night! When they arrive I will let you know what kind of shape they are in.

Thanks again to everyone for their help.

 

[Luis H]

Do you not have a store to service it? You need an ultrasound. O2 compatible lube. Service kits so you use the right o rings. Seats. Allen keys. Big wrench. Inline adjustor unless you have a crap second stage. IP guage. Water bath to test for leaks. All regs need the same basic tools. Some regs need adjustment tools. Unless you live on an island without a service center....let the store with parts and a service technician and training and insurance do it.

---------- Post added March 27th, 2015 at 02:19 PM ----------

But where do you dive? Do you want balanced or unbalanced? Environmentally sealed for cold and dirty water? Piston or diaphragm ?

Herman already pointed out a number of errors and common fallacies in your post, so I don’t need to expand on it further. What I would like to point out is that this is the vintage equipment diving area, which is a very do-it-yourself (DIY) friendly zone. Statements trying to discourage someone from DIY do not belong in this zone.

Scuba regulator are relatively simple mechanism and most people with some mechanical aptitude can easily learn how to service them.

 

[ASRP]

Herman, is the High pressure assembly tool at VDH the one you would recommend? The Aqua-lung press tool looks very impressive.

 

[Luis H]

Herman actually makes a really nice assembly tool. He also makes a lot of other tools.

 

[herman]

Well, actually I recommend the one I make but I try not to be to commercial on this board. You can download my catalog in the "manuals and catalogs" section of VDH or pm me with your email address and I will send you a PDF copy.
Don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have on the Conshelf. between Luis and myself there is very little about the reg we don't know. I would suggest you invest in 2 books if you are interested in servicing regs, "Regulator Savvy" (www.scubatools.com ) and "Maintenance and Repair of Scuba Regulators" ( www.airspeedpress.com ) Both are excellent books and together they do a very good job of teaching you the hows and whys of regulators. IMO, they are both must read and UNDERSTAND for any reg tech, I reread them occasionally just to brush up on reg physics.