How do you display your stuff?

[whiterook]

Thanks for your replies.

I don't have to be able to use every piece I have. That's not my goal and it would limit my collection. Even if I were a billionaire and had a collection of 200 old cars I may want to drive my Model T or my 57 Chevy occasionally, but when I'm not driving them I wouldn't hide them from everyone. I'd have them out in some big garage so I could basically show off my collection. I might even have it open to the public and charge admission (not that I would do that with my scuba, of course). If you can use all your old stuff that's great but it seems like you'd want to show it off even more, especially after investing all that money. From a couple of your comments I assume you literally keep them packed up and I don't want to do that anymore. I want to have some sort of way to display my collection, or at least my best pieces, in my home like collectors of other items. It is a unique hobby that I don't want to literally keep in the closet.

 

[Nemrod]

"If you can use all your old stuff that's great but it seems like you'd want to show it off even more, especially after investing all that money."

I do show it off, in action. Last Sunday as myself and Simonbeans strolled from the water outfitted with Phoenix Royal Aqua Masters and other vintage gear, like two frogmen from a bygone era, we were met with all sorts of curious divers. They asked questions, touched the gear and admired it, in action.

For a neat display, something like a coffee table made of a wooden box structure with a glass top. Place sand and shells and drift wood along with some favorite gear as if you had dropped it on the beach after a dive. Makes a good conversation starter when you have company, much better than starting out with the weather or politics (which kills people dead) and religion (which coincidently kills people deader). Just a thought.

Your right though displays can be nice nd informative but I store most of my gear away from ozone and moisture and heat and light etc.


"If you can use all your old stuff"

Of course I can but I don't really consider it old stuff, it is my diving gear. Good luck with your efforts.

N

 

[Luis H]

You may find some examples under the “gallery” at VintageDoubleHose.com.
http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/forum/gallery2.php

1969ivan1 (Rob) has display in a Barrister bookcase he made.
http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/forum/gallery2.php?g2_itemId=201

For the most part, I use mine also. But I have a couple of spare regulators in good looking shape that I keep as back up (The old spare parts theory: if you have them, you will never need them). I do display those in my regulator repair/semi-multipurpose room. They are on a small table attached to valves that are mounted on the top portion of two condemned tanks. After the tanks were condemned, I cut the neck and shoulder of to measure the wall thinness and further inspect the interior.

 

[Turtleguy9]

Display!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????? I display it in use on my person. Display!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got back from displaying it in the water and one fellow displayed his at 185 feet.

Display hell, I use it.

I don't get into or understand the hording, if something is not used then why have it--so another person cannot have it? Why?

No, I have never framed a tank or hung a regulator or decopaged a snorkel, new or vintage, lol.
N

Aloha Nemrod
Well, I guess I should just use photos instead of displays, when I do dive club presentations.
I guess I was just unlucky that I had some gear when we took the photos that are on the front of the NAVED cards.
Keeping all that old dive gear around, and introducing folks to vintage diving is just a pain.
Since a large portion of my vintage gear was given to me over the years, I guess I should just give it away.
When Emilio Largo aka R.S. drops in this month to go vintage diving, I will just say, oh sorry, cannot loan you tanks or gear, I gave up hoarding.
I dive 6 or 7 days a week, and cannot use my vintage gear for work, I can only use it for fun.
If people did not collect vintage gear, most of it would end up on the trash heap.
Turtleguy9
NAVED #102

 

[fishb0y]

Aloha Nemrod
Since a large portion of my vintage gear was given to me over the years, I guess I should just give it away.

Just name the place and I'll bring my truck. I think the wifey would allow me to hoard gear that is given to me.

Did I hear right that there will be a vintage diving get together on Oahu?

 

[Nemrod]

Turtleguy, I will stick with what I said as to using the gear vs hiding it foreever in a closet. People who collect the gear and use it as you and justleesa do are not horders in the sense I used the word. That you assumed my comment about using it rather than hording it was directed at you or justlieesa's is your misunderstanding. You have a collection that you use to introduce people to diving, to loan and to educate, that is not hording, hording is amassing large amounts of something (anything--money for example--just recent here an old lady living at poverty level was found dead on a mattress stuffed with several hundred thousand dollars---that is hording or perhaps insanity or at least hard to explain) and it never is to see the light of day again, never used as intended, never to provide any purpose to anyone. Does that apply to you? I don't think so, sorry that you got the bends over it---lol--better go grab a rig and decompress, you might be drying out.

I still like my coffee table idea best but here is another (and I am talking to the initial poster so nobody gets confused again), you can purchase used from various sources old display counters---from a retail store that has gone out of buisness for example. You could use these to set up a pretend like "ye old diving machine shop" type diplay in an entertainment room or extra room or basement. Some of these counter tops are to big for most house sized rooms but I missed out on one from a local hobby shop that went kaput. I saw it thrown in the dumpster and the glass was broken and destroyed--it would have been perfect--I had seen it the day before as I drove by and was intending to stop by and grab it. Another thing about such display cases is that some of them are semi-sealed and even may have lighting or provisions for it. So, anyways, those are my two suggestions for having a display in your home of your favorite pieces of gear.

N

 

[Nemrod]

One other display suggestion, this display case is my wife's favorite. I kinda like it also but I prefer Captain's LSU themed display case. N

 

[ClevelandDiver]

Nemrod,

My display method is somewhat along the lines of your “ye old diving machine shop” suggestion. I converted my master bedroom into a mini dive shop for working on and storing all my gear (new and vintage).

When not in use, I’ll sling a double hose over the top of my bookshelf (complete with a copy of Basic Scuba) or display in on an LP72 (just in case someone wants to try it out). The double hose regs are easy to display, its some of the other gear that is challenging to set up. I need to start using more of the wall space or maybe get a mannequin and fully outfit it in vintage gear.

How did I get away with converting the master bedroom into a dive shop you ask? Well the only other “person” in my house is my faithful mutt Petey. He’s not complaining because I moved into the smallest bedroom after setting up shop and now his bedroom is bigger than mine.

Mike

 

[Nemrod]

Mike, it was great to meet you and talk to you, tell Petey hello. The dive shop at Portage has some real nice diplays of odd gear and old gear. There was an odd feeling come to me as I stared across into the cases looking at a Royal Aqua Master, somewhat dusty and aging. Odd, when that is what we dive today. I would have loved to have rescued it but the owner looked big and tough, lol. N

 

[duckbill]

You could have at least offered to dust it off by the immersion method!