DIY Video Housing a success...

[rockjock3]

I stand corrected.

I figured I had gotten the correct information from the folks that sold it, I guess not.

The 1/4 inch stuff I used in the past was used on a 6 inch diameter PVC pipe so the surface area was farily large. When the latches were locked it would warp the edges enough where the slightest imperfection in the O-ring sealing area would cause the seal to be lost. I switched to 3/4 inch thick for the lens and had no trouble with warpage and the seal was good.

No problem. I also used a different method for mounting my lenses that took any of the clamp stress totally off the lenses and put it all on the PVC. Here are some pics.

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=533

 

[Padipro]

I used the same method of mounting the lens on my most recent housing. I like the idea of the removable portion on the front with the lens attached.

How did you secure the lens inside the ring? I used 3M 5200 to glue it in but it makes quite a mess that needs to be cleaned up. Yours looks very clean.

You can see the newest housing I'm building in my pictures gallery.

 

[MATTKINZ]

HI folks, I have had a ball following this site and contributing. So far, I have P.M.'d several members and have discussed meeting for dives. ( I live near pensacola- home of a number of wrecks but the premier will be Oriskany) I think this community of diy videographers could possibly contact each other to see about getting together for dives sometime.) This could be sort of a loose "club" of divers intrerested in going different places. Feel free to P.M. me. An oriskany trip for the spring has been discussed. MK

 

[Bobby_M]

Ouch! That stung!

What can I say, seemed like a hell of an idea at the time.

Mark 2, Mod 0 in the works.

Paul

Hey Paul,
I'm just catching up with this thread. Sorry bro, didn't mean to jab you there but this is all in the spirit of making great, cheap housings, so I'm speaking the truth.

Bobby

 

[Bobby_M]

Hey everyone, I've been watching this thread for a while, and have decided to go for it. But I have a few questions:

1) The "model" I'm most interested in is Bobby_M's version 2 (post 221) - I like the idea of having a simple-to-replace front lens should it get damaged, and fabrication also looks easier then some of the other designs. But I haven't seen a report from Bobby_M about this new design - did it work, how do you like it compared to mark I, did the o-ring seal work well as designed?

2) I'm a little lost on the glue issue - from what I read people are using PVC glue to glue the pipe, and 3M's 5200 as the glue for the lens. Is this correct, or is the lens being glued (PVC cement?), and the 5200 then used as a gasket?

3) Anyone know of places in Canada which mail-order the stainless latches, o-rings, and other hard-to-find parts? A quick look around town hasn't found a store which carries that kind of hardware, at least not in quantities I'm looking for. Not sure what I'd do with 50 latches...

Thanx

Bryan

Hey Bryan,
Thanks for the props. I hadn't checked in to this thread in a while, thought it was dead. I actually just sold my V2 design prototype to a guy I met in Cozumel. He's had it to the bottom of a 10' pool and is going to Hawaii in January so I'll have the final results then. There's no reason I can think of that it won't work because Scott (padipro)'s earlier designs used a simple clamp on acrylic window. The only difference in mine is how thin the cap is (only 1/2"). Of course, once you get a couple feet down, the pressure on the window is completely symmetrical so unequal latching pressure issues go away. I bought a sheet of 3/4" acrylic for my next one but it might be overkill.

No need for tophat machining in the cap. The 3-latch system actually centers it just fine and there is no lateral forces acting on it to dislodge it from center.

Glue: PVC cement on PVC-PVC joints and 3M 5200 for Acrylic to PVC. This is Urethane based so it only gets stronger when wet. I lay a bead around the stop of the coupling, insert acrylic disk, another bead goes down on the acrylic where the PVC body will hit it, PVC cement on the body and smash it all together quick. I use masking tape wherever I don't want glue to go, because it will. Same reason I leave the protective paper on the Acrylic until I'm ready to use it (trimmed away from glue joints of course).

 

[Warthaug]

Thanx Bobby, I've got all the info I need to start. Unfortunately, my camera died last weekend so the projects on hold until I find a cheap replacement - thank goodness for ebay!

Bryan

 

[H2OU]

I am interested in building a housing, but I am in the early stages of planning my housing on paper. In the mean time, can someone provide a good list for product suppliers? Thanks!

After reading back several pages, I pulled these from some posts:
superiorseals.com
mcmaster.com
ikelite (for glands)
http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/acrylicsheet.html
http://www1.mscdirect.com

Any others? Can't wait to start!

 

[rockjock3]

I used the same method of mounting the lens on my most recent housing. I like the idea of the removable portion on the front with the lens attached.

How did you secure the lens inside the ring? I used 3M 5200 to glue it in but it makes quite a mess that needs to be cleaned up. Yours looks very clean.

You can see the newest housing I'm building in my pictures gallery.

I couldn't find the 3M glue that everybody talks about. I used Goop brand "Marine". It will actually setup underwater. I goes on very easily, just like silicone, and bonds acrylic and PVC, along with pretty much everything else.

 

[rockjock3]

I am interested in building a housing, but I am in the early stages of planning my housing on paper. In the mean time, can someone provide a good list for product suppliers? Thanks!

After reading back several pages, I pulled these from some posts:
superiorseals.com
mcmaster.com
ikelite (for glands)
http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/acrylicsheet.html
http://www1.mscdirect.com

Any others? Can't wait to start!

Those are the suppliers that I used. I bought the Ikelite control arms for my housing from www.bhphotovideo.com.

 

[Bobby_M]

Freckleface.com for the acrylic
Home Depot for PVC
McMaster.com for everything else; 3M 5200, SS latches, vinyl coated stainless tethers, spring clips, stainless screws, taps, whatever you want to use.

Bobby