New life for an old MK3

[Akimbo]

That can't be a BP/wing, don't you know they are the latest and greatest thing.

What I want to know is how they made a cheap plastic copy of the Freedom Plate!

 

[Zung]

No they aren't: they were superseded by the stabilizing jacket a couple of year later. So I'm keeping mine for the day when these'll come back in fashion and I'll be in the bleeding edge again.

Anybody remember the bell bottom pants?

 

[Couv]

Before I thinned out my herd, I had an old MK2/108 (had an adjustable orifice) that breathed every bit as well as my friends MK2/R190. I'm the one who cleaned and tuned both setups, so it's not a question of different techs. Akimbo, do you recall if those second stages had an adjustable orifice?

The back inflate BCs got undeserved bad press, probably from competitors of SP and the At-pack (Watergill if I recall)...."That BC will hold an unconscious diver face down!" was the common attack. I still have an old inflator from an At-pack. They were really cool. The inflator hose ran inside the corrugated hose. I'd like to see that idea coupled with an AIR 2 or something similar.

Bell bottom pants? Have they gone out of style? Darn....nobody told me. :-O

 

[redacted]

I think it was back around 1970 that Scubapro hired a marketing specialist named Manny O. Hale who had a lot of diving experience and recognized that such a contraption severely limited marketing potential and convinced the company to go with the now conventional BCD. This allowed things like sizing, pockets, attachment points, surface performance and many other design considerations to become marketing variables which would increase potential sales.

 

[Akimbo]

... Akimbo, do you recall if those second stages had an adjustable orifice?...

Holly crap, that was like 40 years ago. I was 13 when I traded for them, long before doing my own service. I am not sure what you mean by adjustable orifice. Not a dial-a-breath style spring counterbalance???

... The back inflate BCs got undeserved bad press, probably from competitors of SP and the At-pack (Watergill if I recall)...

I didn’t think much of the At-Pack fiberglass shell or even their shot-filled back pack, but the elastic covered bladder and brass inflator/deflater served me well for years of sport and some commercial diving. I married the wing to a blow-molded back pack like the ScubaPro pictured above.

For those who have not seen it, At-Packs had a brass fitting near the bladder where the LP hose connected and the corrugated hose. The LP hose then ran inside the corrugated hose to the inflator/deflater valve with mouthpiece for oral inflation. Exhaust was a little slow, but it was a clean package and the added weight of the brass valve kept it in place nicely.

Here is a photo from vintagedivertreasures.com

 

[Couv]

Not the dial-a-death knob....the other end where the hard and soft seat mate. I haven't come across any, but I was given to understand the early 108s had a non adjustable orifice fixed into the inlet valve. Here is an adjustable one, see item 12 http://www.scubaproregulatormuseum.org/108_HP.JPG

 

[Akimbo]

Not the dial-a-death knob...

The linked drawing is dated 1988, definitely not the same. The ones in the photo had a very odd bubble rubber whisker/diverter that was not used very long. This was my first single hose after a Voit V66 Navy double hose. In hindsight, I should have gotten the US Divers Calypso. This was not ScubaPro's finest product.

 

[redacted]

Before I thinned out my herd, I had an old MK2/108 (had an adjustable orifice) that breathed every bit as well as my friends MK2/R190. I'm the one who cleaned and tuned both setups, so it's not a question of different techs. Akimbo, do you recall if those second stages had an adjustable orifice? :-O

I have one 108 with a fixed orifice. I picked it up in a lot of three regs including two 109s figuring I could use the parts. But even the 108 ended up working. Much to my surprise, it breathes on par with an R190. I do use it occasionally as an alternate.

BTW, the mail brought a surprise today. Thanks

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Is the rubber purge botton the same in a 108 as a 109?
So far after soaking the parts everything is looking great. The exhaust T will work, there one small crack in it but I think neoprene wetsuit glue will fix that.
The blue silicone diaphram looks to be in OK shape and useable. I flipped both soft seats. Both hard seats look to be in great shape with no pitting on the edges.
Basically all I need is a rubber purge button an O rings. Brother Couv is going to help me out with some stuff (we need a salom smiley).
I guess I need to get in on the group buy if this metal SP habit keeps up. And I thought collecting double hoses was the evil habit to watch out for! :shocked2:

 

[Zung]

We should stop talking about those old no good stuff NOW!
The last one I watched went for $165.99! That's totally UNACCEPTABLE!

For the cracks in the exhaust Tee, I tried Aquaseal (McNett) with a tooth pick. It's been holding up well after... 2 weeks.