DIY Regulator

[O2BBubbleFree]

Anybody remember that guy who caught all the flack for starting a thread asking about DIY regulators?

About four years ago I ran across a web site that mentioned some old-timer who started diving by building a regulator from plans published in Popular Science Monthly.

Well, I found the issue (July 1953) and have a copy of the article. It details using CO2 bottles (doubled up and mounted on a wood/aluminum backplate), and a converted HP O2 regulator (single stage). I think the hoses are corrugated automotive heater hose.

The author claims you can get 'nearly an hour' of bottom time 'below 25 to 30 feet'!

Who wants to go diving?

 

[Creed]

Well, since you have the article, you should go get the regulator used in the article:

$65 from Dan here: http://www.vintagescubasupply.com/access.html

Sounds like fun to me! I'd dive it for kicks. If I gave a flip what the safety brigade thought, I wouldn't be diving in the first place.
The older Survivair regulators look like they would work for a hacked together project like this as well. If you can make a copy of the article, I'd love to read it.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

If you can make a copy of the article, I'd love to read it.

Same here, that would be something cool to show my students.

Creed,
Thanks for posting that pic!
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[ClevelandDiver]

I believe I saw a very similiar set up at "The Dive Shop" in Richmond VA. I was in town on business and decided to check out a local dive shop. Once I saw that old set up, I started talking to the guy about vintage diving. Turns out he has some nice old double hoses at home. Of course he doesn't dive them and won't sell them. Oh well, nice guy anyway.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

If you can make a copy of the article, I'd love to read it.

Same here, that would be something cool to show my students.

I'll see what I can do. I just emailed Pop Sci to see if I could get permission to copy the article. If I can, I may post a .pdf here. If not, I'll, um, PM the two of you with, um, let's say, um, a full explanation of why I can't copy the article. Yeah, that's it.

 

[oxyhacker]

If not it would be nice if someone could do a good scan of it and just email to whoever requests it. I have a so-so photocopy but would love to have good scan so I could print out a high rez replica, with a color cover. I think sending out a few copies rather than posting it would fall under the "fair use" doctrine. I know Palleys surplus, the source of most of the bits, used to give out a reprint of the article - I had one when I was a kid, but my parents never would let me buy the stuff. Probabably just as well - Fred Roberts, in BASIC SCUBA (the bible of early scuba gear) says he didn't know anyone with one who would dare take it below 30'. and the seats would occasionally blow out destoying the entire reg!

The fabric diaphragm was waterproofed by smearing it with Plastic Rubber, and the mouthpiece a copper plumbing tee.

Anyone looking to build one of these should be aware that there are many different variations on this kind of diluter reg that look almost identical, but won't necessarily work in the coversion - you want to look for the exact same numbers as the one in the article.

I'll see what I can do. I just emailed Pop Sci to see if I could get permission to copy the article. If I can, I may post a .pdf here. If not, I'll, um, PM the two of you with, um, let's say, um, a full explanation of why I can't copy the article. Yeah, that's it.

 

[pescador775]

Some of us built our own regs, that would be circa 1953-55. A set of plans could be purchased along with the aircraft oxygen regulator for about $20. However, there was also available a fully converted regulator with several custom components. It was called "Seahorse", $27, very nicely built, it even had non return valves in the mouthpiece, and it was my first regulator. For tanks, I visited an aircraft "graveyard" and picked up a trio of aviator's oxygen tanks. In the 50's, thousands of these tanks were purchased by dive shops, painted yellow, and stacked pyramid style on the shop floor(s). They sold like hot cakes. At the same time, USD offered a galvanized version but for a lot more money.

Younger folks need to understand that this was a time before automobile seat belts. We looked at matters of safety and personal responsibility differently. Also, most families were supported by one bread winner and people were much, much less wealthy than today. Everybody was in the same boat and naturally expended a lot of effort in do-it-yourself projects.

 

[melle]

Uhm.. O2BubbleFree... I would also be interested in your explanation as to why it couldn't be published.

Sounds like a very cool thing to built. Does the '53 issue have a schematic of a dive computer
I would definitely like to build one of those... maybe based on a PDA, with <wandering off> the touch screen replaced by an induction-based pen...and... and... <uh-hm> <waking up again>
Now seriously, I've been thinking of a scuba PDA for quite a while now.

Melle

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Uhm.. O2BubbleFree... I would also be interested in your explanation as to why it couldn't be published.

Copyright.

Sounds like a very cool thing to built. Does the '53 issue have a schematic of a dive computer
I would definitely like to build one of those... maybe based on a PDA, with <wandering off> the touch screen replaced by an induction-based pen...and... and... <uh-hm> <waking up again>
Now seriously, I've been thinking of a scuba PDA for quite a while now.

Melle

No computer, obviously, but on the backside of the last page is the first page of an article on how to build an underwater camera housing out of plywood. What's really interesting to me is that it used a rubber glove mounted in a hole in the side of the box, like the gloves mounted a sandblaster or those baby incubators you see in the movies:

The glove... enables you to snap, wind the film, and even change lens and shutter settings. You can't go deep, for water pressure builds up with every inch, soon balooning the glove until it is too stiff to work.

Sorry, don't have the full article on that one.

 

[amascuba]

If I remember correctly, from the History Channel , DIY really came about during WWII when the government and tool builders promoted DIY because most of the men were over sea's fighting in the war. So things like plumbing, electric work, etc mostly had to be done by the women and children. During this same time hand held power tools also came into play, which is why the tool building companies promoted DIY, because they wanted to expand their products into the common house hold.

Uhm.. O2BubbleFree... I would also be interested in your explanation as to why it couldn't be published.

Sounds like a very cool thing to built. Does the '53 issue have a schematic of a dive computer
I would definitely like to build one of those... maybe based on a PDA, with <wandering off> the touch screen replaced by an induction-based pen...and... and... <uh-hm> <waking up again>
Now seriously, I've been thinking of a scuba PDA for quite a while now.

Melle