good find? i think so :)

[scubaops]

after lunch the girlfriend and i went to a used sporting goods store. i looked where they normally have the scuba/snorkel stuff and they had the same 2 pairs of old fins. i went up to the counter to ask if they had anything new when my girlfriend yelled hey is this any good. she was holding up a us diver sea4 rig with pivot and matrix master dive comp. i went over thinking its going to be way to much for what it is. boy was i wrong $150 for it all. got it home hooked it to a tank and the first stage was free flowing so i took it apart and soaked everything in vinegar over night rinsed all the parts twice. looked every part over lubed all the o rings and put it back together and now it works great. the comp was dead but its back to life with new batteries.

i pulled off the sea4 2nd stage and put my micra adj on it
this isnt the one i got mine came with the pivot and a lp inflator hose and the octo is different on mine

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Was there much corrosion? Overnight in an acid bath is a LONG time, unless it is super dilute... Just curious, because the only time I'll use an acid bath (50/50 vinegar & water) is for corrosion that does not cleanup / brush off with a toothbrush and mild soap... and a "long" soak for me is about 15 minutes, but usually 5-10 does the job.

The reason for NOT getting too frisky with the acid bath is that you'll take some chrome along with the corrosion.

But congrats on the new reg! Looks great!

Best wishes.

 

[scubaops]

no corrosion on the hard parts but there was some on the springs but just surface stuff. i didnt know vinegar could hurt chrome ill give your method a shot. thanks for the info my friend,

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Hi scubaops,

I was hesitant to say anything because it might be taken the wrong way, but since I've learned the hard way, I thought I'd better mentioned it

It is easy to forget that vinegar is indeed acidic... since it often "lives" in the kitchen and we use it in cooking, it must be totally safe right? But it is an acid, and so I only use it when really needed, and make sure avoid soaking any "soft" parts (o-rings, seats, diaphragms, etc.) in it, as it could shorten the lifespan of the "soft" stuff.

Best wishes.

 

[halocline]

I'm not sure acid has any effect on the rubber or plastic parts. After all, muriatic acid does come in plastic bottles, and that stuff is hundreds of times more acidic than vinegar. It might depend on the particular plastic. OTOH, I don't think there's any benefit to using acidic cleaners on soft parts either.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I'm not sure acid has any effect on the rubber or plastic parts. After all, muriatic acid does come in plastic bottles, and that stuff is hundreds of times more acidic than vinegar. It might depend on the particular plastic. OTOH, I don't think there's any benefit to using acidic cleaners on soft parts either.

You are probably right. Heck, white vinegar comes in a plastic bottle... I could be repeating one of those "common knowledge" things, that may or may not be based on actual fact... I also never work on my regs of Friday the 13th.... But that's just me

Seriously, the warning to not soak the "soft bits" in an acid bath is found in one or more of my repair manuals (Mares, Zeagle???).... and of course The Manual is never wrong

We need a true "kitchen chemist" to jump in here, since I really don't know... Can white vinegar break down or degrade the plastic and rubber commonly used in regulator components?

Best wishes.

 

[Scared Silly]

Vinegar is not called acidic acid for nothing. Also it is typically already very dilute, less than 10%. That said for many cleaning uses it should be diluted to avoid damaging surfaces. Congrats on da find.

 

[JKPAO]

Simple Green is on the acid side of the chart! Used by many to O2 clean things and stuff. IJS
See you topside! John