Help ! Spear gun restoration

[Eric Sedletzky]

@АлександрД,
As usual your suggestions are right on and certainly appreciated,

When I was actively hunting and shooting the gun I taped off lengths to measure the fish to insure it was legal. That was 50 years ago.
The Gringo American masking tape has crystalized and became as hard as concrete, very difficult to even cut with a knife.
So I have been showering with the gun hoping the hot steaming run off water would have effect and it has a minimum effect

Next step is to soak the effected areas in "Goo Gone" and wrap the barrel in clear plastic and allow to soak and soften for a day,

Old SCUBA Board friend stay tuned for the next exciting installment of "One man's Spear gun "
SAM

@Eric Sedletzky
I will have some tine tomorrow for your gun
Question ?? Why the entire barrel was wrapped with black electrical tape ?
Any one want to guess why ?

sdm

I know why it was wrapped and it had nothing to do with covering a color because the aluminum is black.
Joe told me they did it to deaden the sound or “ring” when the gun went off so they wouldn’t spook other fish. And I mean this thing was wrapped, back and forth about three times, probably about two rolls worth. That’s why wooden spear guns are still favored by many pros because they’re quiet. The gun he gave me was just some POS that he picked up, but I doubt he used it competitively. It would be good for shooting lots small fish at distance like blue rock fish in the mid water column. Joe Gonsalves was quite a force it the competitive spear fishing tournaments in the 1970’s. He holds several national and international titles. Fortunately he gave me this gun before the Sonoma County wildfires because a few months later his house was right in the path of the most violent area if the firestorm and he lost everything including an entire collection of his finest and very rare collectible hand made solid teak spear guns built by some of the sports most celebrated luminaries from back in the day (which he was personal friends with all if them). He also lost all his very rare hand made vintage lay-on-top dive boards which pre date the plastic fantastic ones sold today. These were all hand layed up fiberglass custom designed and built by divers in their garages for North Coast freediving. They were works of art. They were even hard to get then. You had to know somebody.
It’s still pretty hard to think about.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Sam Miller, 111 posted :
'So I have been showering with the gun hoping the hot steaming run off water would have effect and it has a minimum effect'

@Marie 13 stated :


I now have a very funny mental image going on!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marie don't get too excited --I am only posting about my small taped gun
Next week we will chat about my really big Long Tom California gun
SAM

 

[Sam Miller III]

Spear gun restoration one mans project with the advice and assisted of many including @Marie13

I super saturated a paper towel with "Goo Gone" and wrapped it around the spear gun barrel securing it with blue painters tape. I then securely wrapped the barrel in plastic wrap and set aside.

After 2 days it was time for the big unwrapping.

It had become a local retired men's project for the day so the unwrapping was at a neighbors home..

Slowly we removed the protective plastic wrap, then the toweling exposing the "Goo Gone" saturated barrel expecting the tape to fall off ! No such luck ! The ancient masking tape was as hard as when I wrapped the barrel-- but - But it was brittle as my dear wife's Christmas peanut brittle

So finger nails began chipping away., but it was soon discovered our finger nails were being worn down at a rapid rate. Some one suggested a plastic scraper and what seemed only a nan second two plastic scrappers appeared.

it was still the project of the day -- the tape was very brittle and could only be removed with repeated scrapes and in very small pieces

But finally the barrel was free and clean of all the masking tape

Home and a good washing in precious hot California shower water...

Stay tuned for the next chapter of "One mans spear gun "

SDM

@Marie13 don't get too excited

 

[The Chairman]

But finally the barrel was free and clean of all the masking tape

If you don't post a picture... it didn't happen.

 

[Sam Miller III]

This gun is sooooo ugly it looks ;like it was in 4 wars and lost all of them !

It is not one gun but made up from several -- a then prototype handle. an Arbalete barrel, a Sturgil muzzle and point and spear shaft and ancient rigging ...

Never the less I am you loyal obedient humble dedicated servant and I will enlist my dear suffering wife to assist me in posting =-- the now and later restored version of the ole California shoot'em iron.

Cheers from Kalifonia on a hill over looking the lovely Pacific !

Sam

@Marie13 still with us ?

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Eric Sedletzky
Posted:
I know why it was wrapped and it had nothing to do with covering a color because the aluminum is black.
Joe told me they did it to deaden the sound or “ring” when the gun went off so they wouldn’t spook other fish. And I mean this thing was wrapped, back and forth about three times, probably about two rolls worth. That’s why wooden spear guns are still favored by many pros because they’re quiet. The gun he gave me was just some POS that he picked up, but I doubt he used it competitively. It would be good for shooting lots small fish at distance like blue rock fish in the mid water column. Joe Gonsalves was quite a force it the competitive spear fishing tournaments in the 1970’s. He holds several national and international titles. Fortunately he gave me this gun before the Sonoma County wildfires because a few months later his house was right in the path of the most violent area if the firestorm and he lost everything including an entire collection of his finest and very rare collectible hand made solid teak spear guns built by some of the sports most celebrated luminaries from back in the day (which he was personal friends with all if them). He also lost all his very rare hand made vintage lay-on-top dive boards which pre date the plastic fantastic ones sold today. These were all hand layed up fiberglass custom designed and built by divers in their garages for North Coast freediving. They were works of art. They were even hard to get then. You had to know somebody.
It’s still pretty hard to think about.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I know why it was wrapped and it had nothing to do with covering a color because the aluminum is black.
Joe told me they did it to deaden the sound or “ring” when the gun went off so they wouldn’t spook other fish "
Thank you Joe for educating good ole Eric.
Yes we began wrapping tube guns in the late 1950s. Originally it was just a number of wraps with black electrical tape. As spear fishing progressed we began wrapping with wet suit material then electrical tape to provide barrel buoyancy. When camouflage tape appeared we wrapped the spear gun barrels with Camo - which I suspect had little or no value

I have a highly modified short gun, the type used in NorCal. which we use for Halibut and small reef fish in SoCal that has layer and layer of tape and bound in wet suit rubber amd toped with Camo. '

It is and an antique by many diver standard but a viable gun which I suspect my grand children will also use to spear fish

I do not know Joe, don't recall ever meeting him but I have heard name mentioned on several occasions in the SoCal Spearfishing community.

The gun has a history ! It is the modern equitant to a gun that won the west. It should be preserved treasured and restored. Spear guns and all diving equipment is becoming rare

Even better idea -- why not return it to joe?
Sam Miller, 111
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Next episode
The history of the gun and Rene

 

[Sam Miller III]

00

@The Chairman
@Akimbo
@David Wilson

I have been away from the computer for a about an hour - and several thoughts came to my mind
or what remains of it ...

It is apparent that Eric knows absolutely nothing about the spear gun he was given or competitive spear fishing - Yet it was first produced in 1940 and was one if not the first imported into the US and the first spear fishing meet was here in California in 1950

The gun is a true antique..but Eric is gong to chop up as casually as we would chop wood -- what a shame

Maybe it would be appropriate to establish a section on this board to identify and possibly preserve old antique spear guns -- they and the people who designed them and used them are slowly disappearing.

Perhaps we can begin with the Bottom Scratcher -- I have the pictures ready for transmittal and there is description of the gun already on this board

SAM Miller. 111

 

[The Chairman]

We have the antique forum...

 

[David Wilson]

Anything to conserve the early artefacts of underwater swimming and to inform today's generations about the origin and development of the equipment they take so much for granted. While spearguns are not my expertise, there are plenty of other non-US contributors here with in-depth knowledge of the subject such as @Popgun Pete.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

00

@The Chairman
@Akimbo
@David Wilson

I have been away from the computer for a about an hour - and several thoughts came to my mind
or what remains of it ...

It is apparent that Eric knows absolutely nothing about the spear gun he was given or competitive spear fishing - Yet it was first produced in 1940 and was one if not the first imported into the US and the first spear fishing meet was here in California in 1950

The gun is a true antique..but Eric is gong to chop up as casually as we would chop wood -- what a shame

Maybe it would be appropriate to establish a section on this board to identify and possibly preserve old antique spear guns -- they and the people who designed them and used them are slowly disappearing.

Perhaps we can begin with the Bottom Scratcher -- I have the pictures ready for transmittal and there is description of the gun already on this board

SAM Miller. 111

I’m not going to chop it up.
I’m going to fix it and use it. I see no value in something that hangs on a wall that I have no nostalgic feelings for, because I wasn’t there.
If someone was there, then an old spear gun might bring some happiness hanging over a mantle enshrined, but in my case it doesn’t because I have no history with it. Sorry I’m so young and wasn’t there, I’ll try and pick better parents next time and a better birthdate.