From BCD to BPW: The Evolution

[Locus]

I haven't seem much difference between any of the stiff (resin impregnated) webbing. Any dive shop or Internet dive gear supplier is fine. I have webbing that is 30 years old and working fine. Ragged looking, but nowhere near a breaking point.

Ah, good. I was interested in strapworks' selection because they had brighter colours, but I found some stiff yellow webbing on northeasternscubasupply.com so I'll go with them.

 

[Akimbo]

I like the webbing that Trident sells...

Good tip, but how do can you tell if it is from Trident? Is there a label on the roll in a dive shop or do you need to order a whole roll? Do you know of an Internet supplier that sells by the foot?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Good tip, but how do can you tell if it is from Trident? Is there a label on the roll in a dive shop or do you need to order a whole roll? Do you know of an Internet supplier that sells by the foot?

Just ask any dive shop you go into where they get their webbing. Around here it's either going to be Trident or National divers.
Pinnacles buys from Trident. I bought out all the yellow they had to rig my demo plate, but they will get more. I think I payed $1.75 a foot.
Sub surface uses National divers. Go in there and ask the kid if he can get some or he might even have a roll of length.
Hey, while your in there maybe you can see for me if they got in more of those light green colored rubber weight belt kits?
Those things are awesome!

 

[Locus]

Just ask any dive shop you go into where they get their webbing. Around here it's either going to be Trident or National divers.

Does Trident have an online distributor? I found one site that sells their webbing but they only carry it in black.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Does Trident have an online distributor? I found one site that sells their webbing but they only carry it in black.

Try this:

TRIDENT-DIVING-ACCESSORIES

I think they have a dealer locator.

 

[uncfnp]

Since you have an industrial sewing machine; there is nothing to prevent you from mixing hard and soft webbing and widths for that matter. What if you used 2" hard or soft webbing over the shoulders, switched to 1-1½" soft webbing under the arms, and then 2" hard webbing through the rollers for the belly band?

I finally had a chance to sew up a harness with the stiff 2 inch webbing transitioning to soft 1 1/2 webbing under the arm then back to 2 inch for the waist section. I think this has completely solved my problem with the continuous harness! I won't know for sure till I hit the pool but it feels very promising so far. And it's still a very simple and streamline harness. Thanks!

 

[Akimbo]

I finally had a chance to sew up a harness with the stiff 2 inch webbing transitioning to soft 1 1/2 webbing under the arm then back to 2 inch for the waist section. I think this has completely solved my problem with the continuous harness

Please let me know how it works because I plan to steal your hard work for my friend. I upgraded to a Sailrite sewing machine earlier this year. My work is ugly but strong. Some before and after photos would be a big help to everyone following this if it isn't too much trouble.

You should consider installing keepers or stops to prevent the narrower soft webbing from pulling into the lower slots. I'm thinking it could jam up.

This probably doesn't apply but I think it is worth mentioning. Riveted connections dominate commercial diving harnesses because floating hydrocarbons would attack the thin thread cross-sections and fail unexpectedly. We would dive in some pretty contaminated water to repair leaks though.

It is a good idea to periodically inspect sewing for deterioration. It obviously isn't a big problem or suits and BCs would fail more. Just a heads-up.

 

[uncfnp]

Akimbo, here is a photo of the first try. I ended up rounding the edges of the 2 inch webbing where it meets the one inch. I think that just using d-rings without any sewing would also work very well. I think it might even better than sewing. Rivets are a great idea but after having to work a bit to get the 2 sets of sewn doubled webbing (2 + 1 1/2) through the upper slot, the rivets might just be too thick to fit through the last slots.

 

[Akimbo]

Nice work.

...Rivets are a great idea but after having to work a bit to get the 2 sets of sewn doubled webbing (2 + 1 1/2) through the upper slot, the rivets might just be too thick to fit through the last slots.

I'm really not promoting the idea of using rivets in a recreational rig -- the comment was more an explanation of why inspection is prudent.

Question: does it look like there will be any problem if the 1½" soft webbing gets pulled into the lower slots? I doubt it wouldn't occur in normal use. People tend to grab whatever is handy in awkward situations, like pulling the rig aboard an inflatable after doffing in the water.

Just a thought: What if you sew a reinforced circle in the middle of the "X" sewn into the transition from the soft webbing to the stiff belly band? You could punch a ¼" hole and install a short ¼-20 bolt and nut to prevent it from pulling into the lower slots. Any thoughts?

 

[uncfnp]

Question: does it look like there will be any problem if the 1½" soft webbing gets pulled into the lower slots? I doubt it wouldn’t occur in normal use. People tend to grab whatever is handy in awkward situations, like pulling the rig aboard an inflatable after doffing in the water.

Just a thought: What if you sew a reinforced circle in the middle of the “X” sewn into the transition from the soft webbing to the stiff belly band? You could punch a ¼" hole and install a short ¼-20 bolt and nut to prevent it from pulling into the lower slots. Any thoughts?

I put the whole rig on the floor then tried to pull the 1 1/2 inch webbing into the slots. Even with the full weight of the tank hanging by the waist strap, the 1 1/2 inch webbing would not go through the slot. I think it is a combination of the thickness of the two layers and that, the way I layered it, the edge of the 1 1/2 webbing catches on the slot and will not pass through. The down side is that, for this very reason, this area could be under added stress.

I really don't think a bolt would be necessary but could be added if needed.