Regulator assembly tools?

[knowone]

And if you find your regs have been marked by reg techs or by you trying to access over tightened components or opening things before doing a full check and solution soak to loosen them, and know whats going on, or what really requires adjustment or servicing in the first place, tap back very gently with a very small ball peen perhaps in unison with a polished, rounded home made drift punch of soft material the displaced reg material in place as closely as possible before or rather than filing, removing burrs too much and chrome.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

And if you find your regs have been marked by reg techs or by you trying to access over tightened components or opening things before doing a full check and solution soak to loosen them, and know whats going on, or what really requires adjustment or servicing in the first place, tap back very gently with a very small ball peen perhaps in unison with a polished, rounded home made drift punch of soft material the displaced reg material in place as closely as possible before or rather than filing, removing burrs too much and chrome.

I never admit guilt.... it was the previous owner or tech, I say!

Seriously, it is remarkably easy to "slip" if in a flustered hurry at a dive site, when using an adjustable wrench, or, gasp, VICE GRIPS.... and leave a "skid mark" on a fitting.... please don't ask..... The shame and embarassment is almost too much to take

But in your home "shop", proper sized wrenches and less "hurry" will prevent unwanted "tell tales" from appearing on your regulator....

Best wishes.

 

[omcfadde]

Hi omcfadde,

Welcome to the "Dark Side".

Re-read awap's post carefully. Tons of gems and hard-earned wisdom summarized in just three paragraphs.

Don't take any wrench, torque or otherwise, to the soft marine brass until you understand which parts need to be accurately torque'd, and which parts really should just be "tight enough" so they don't come undone.

Scuba Tools Is a great source for specialty tools for various regulators, and a very good regulator text is on that site.

Have fun on your journey, learning to service your own regs is a VERY worthwhile endeavor.

Best wishes.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I do know that no tools can possibly replace knowledge, and I will probably ask my LDS to show me how to correctly torque everything; although I suspect they may have done it so many times they are able to "feel" by hand for the majority of work.

I want to learn to do it myself and the correct way, so that I know everything is okay. Feel free to call me over-cautious.

Btw, scubatools looks good and the book interesting. Thanks.

(Sorry, I had to remove the URL tags otherwise the forum complains "You are only allowed to post URLs after you have made 5 posts or more." even though it's quoted...)

 

[Couv]

If you put the crows foot wrench at 90° to the torque wrench you shouldn't need to compensate for change in torque value.

Keep in mind that it is not the torque of the hoses and port plugs that seals the connection - it's the o-ring. So while I can appreciate your desire to do a "perfect" job, unless you're willing to shell out $300 plus for a torque wrench and annual (at least) calibration of that wrench, you're still just wingin' it

Henrik

Brother Henrik is correct. (He usually is) No use in going through the trouble of buying tools in order to do a job correctly-and then use the tools incorrectly. Here's a web site with a handy calculator and explanation of how different arm lengths and angles can change the actual torque applied.

http://www.cncexpo.com/TorqueAdapter.aspx

ScubaTools has some pretty handy tools too, so if you do order from there, pay a few extra bucks and get the bullets, spanners, and regulator specific tools that you'll need with your first order and save on shipping. While you're waiting for your book to come in, page through a few of the manuals found here:

http://www.scubatoys.com/manuals.asp

Here are a couple of websites with tons of regulator specific manuals:

Regulator manuals <http://www.juhahaanpera.com/regulatormanual.htm>

<http://www.frogkick.dk/manuals/>

http://www.atlantisdiveclub.com/mainmovies/gb_manuals.html

Good luck,

Couv