Homegrown wing

[MichiganScott]

I too picked up a horse collar, as I was thinking about going a bit more retro, possibly stepping into minimalist territory but I had an idea for a wing as well. My question is, why do you have to disassemble the horse collar? I believe there is a way to make a wing of it almost as is.

Also I have a bladder from an old vest I was going to try to make a wing out of but it is split at the seam (simply pulled apart) nothing I did, it was that way when it was given to me and has thus far rejected all attempts to be adequately repaired.

 

[fjpatrum]

it looks pretty nice so far. you could use old weight belts to sew into the cover and rivet them for attaching to the bp

Actually I considered putting something across the center to allow attachment to the plate, but with an STA and tank there, there's very little likelihood of it coming off, so I decided to leave it as is. It didn't even budge on my last dive so I'm pretty satisfied it will remain in place without any further modifications.

 

[fjpatrum]

I too picked up a horse collar, as I was thinking about going a bit more retro, possibly stepping into minimalist territory but I had an idea for a wing as well. My question is, why do you have to disassemble the horse collar? I believe there is a way to make a wing of it almost as is.

Also I have a bladder from an old vest I was going to try to make a wing out of but it is split at the seam (simply pulled apart) nothing I did, it was that way when it was given to me and has thus far rejected all attempts to be adequately repaired.

I didn't really need to modify the collar at all. I chose to do a minor mod by removing the CO2 cartridge and valve. Then I dove the wing with only that mod but during my first dive the OPV (dump valve) pulled through the bladder. The material of the bladder at that point had just become stiff with age and not pliable enough to flex well as I inflated the collar inside the new cover.

Obviously it wouldn't hold air at that point, so I fixed the OPV and put it on the backside of the wing, away from my body. I figured since I was moving that and the inflator was lower than I liked I might as well move it too. Hence all the extra mods that would normally be unnecessary. The inflator hose can actually reach over my shoulder now, though, rather than being routed under my arm, which I think is a plus.

For anyone interested, I used "Seamgrip" as the glue for all my patches. (It's the same stuff as aquaseal but a cheaper price.)
Seam Sealers for Outdoor Fabric

As I said, the material is PVC that can be had at most fabric stores. There are some other good alternatives but here's a link to one of the locations I get mine:
Vinyl Fabrics

 

[laguna230diver]

is that the same material used for making canopy windows on boats?

 

[fjpatrum]

is that the same material used for making canopy windows on boats?

Yeah, I think that's what they list it as under the link I put up in my last post. I buy the 20 mil material. As you can see from the picture it's perfectly clear. If you're unsure of what you might want, the sample packs are a good option.

 

[nwbrewer]

Alternately, buy this stuff - Coated and Uncoated Nylons : Reflective Fabric : Polyester Fabrics : Seattlefabrics.com
and make a new bladder. I've made SMB's and lift bags from it in the past. Leave a good 2" of heat sealed material, and it's not going to come loose.

Jake

 

[fjpatrum]

nwbrewer, that's a really good option too. I have another thread about making a wing from scratch, but I was using the same PVC I mentioned in earlier posts, primarily because I have rolls and rolls of it.