Regulator Service Tech Training - Tool Splitoff

[rsingler]

Re: Deep Six Signature Diaphragm First Stage
New discovery at the last seminar:
Deep Six Signature has a HP poppet carrier that is removed/reattached/torqued with a 4mm hex key.
To torque it properly, a 3/8" drive hex key works best.

Here's the new tip: do NOT use a ball-end 4mm hex key for the HP poppet carrier! Use a straight shaft/square ended hex key for reassembly and torquing.
The HP poppet carrier's hex broach is also the back end of the balance chamber. In other words, it's only as deep as the thickness of the carrier. A ball-end key has to be positioned exactly at the depth of the broach to avoid shearing off bits of metal from the carrier (ask me how we discovered that!). And you can't place it deeper during torquing, because it hits the poppet shaft beneath it. A ball-end hex key sits naturally at just the wrong depth (the waist of the transition from straight shaft to ball end).
Instead, a straight shaft hex key can be placed at any depth and the hex will engage the flats.

Lesson learned the hard way!

 

[-JD-]

Ok, Guys. Crunch time is coming and I'm posting up my tools for the upcoming class.

Am I missing anything
There are a few things that I found that may be of use to other folks.

FWIW, regs for the class will be SP Mk11 & HOG firsts, Hog second



First up redneck amateur tool porn ...

Low-pressure air source (HP sources not shown, but plenty)

Cleaning supplies:

Target find: Bento Box segmented trays for cleaning - use in US w/ water bath:

Gauges, variable speed vac pump, and inline adjustment tool:

Hand tools:

• Bottom L->R : Torque wrench, 1/4 & 3/8 extensible ratchet, Metric and SAE hex drivers/bits, multi-screwdriver, 2x adjustable hook-pin spanners (w/pins), scuba valve and schraeder tools, clamp
• Middle: Hose bullets, Inflator hose o-ring tool, reduced dia. extension (yokes) with adapter for hex-bits, Custom (flat) ground sockets (HOG DIN 13/16" & 3/4", SP yoke 1", HOG D2/D3 yoke 3/4"), Mk11 diaphragm cap socket, thin-adjustable wrenches, pin-spanner.

The rest ...:

• Top: "Rob/NS" kit, Crytox 205 and Tribolube 71, ultra-fine abrasive sheets.
• Bottom: O-ring gauge, picks, brushes, inspection-scope (orifices) reg-port fixture, clamp-vice (separate bench-vice available)

(coming) Silicone Work Mat ($18):

Crumbs that might be helpful to others:

2-Pack Thin Adjustables: Not nearly as good as the plain-handled Channel-Lock in my pick, but currently $21 for a 4.5" and 5.5" - Cheap and good enough to use when I need a 2nd and in my SAD kit.

 

[boat sju]

maybe on of these:

 

[rsingler]

"$170 - $680"
I've lost more than one participant during the initial phases of sign-up for the Reg Tech class when the bewildering array of tool possibilities became clear. I haven't done as good a job as I might have, simply because there ARE so many variations, depending upon model. It would take months to create a "by model" tool list, especially since the manufacturers' tool "requirements" include so many proprietary tools that aren't really needed.
But just for grins, I just did an exhaustive listing of every tool I think might be needed for service of a Deep6 Signature Series reg set. Assuming you wanted to take Landon's class, what would you really need?
The attached spreadsheet has two columns: one listing the retail price of every tool needed for a complete professional repair of the reg set, and one that assumes you already have a bunch of common shop tools on hand, or are going for value and will (for example) use a digital luggage scale and a piece of string in lieu of a $220 dial torque wrench, or a bowl of water for a magnehelic, or a hex key instead of an inline adjuster.
This non-exhaustive research reveals that becoming a DIY reg tech will cost you between $170 and $680 just for tools, and not including things like Regulator Savvy, other training costs, and being forced to sleep on the couch after your significant other discovers the real price of your new "hobby." It's a real hidden surprise. Yeah, it gets itself paid for after two service intervals where you would have had to pay your local dive shop, but it's all up front. Something to ponder...

Y'all will have corrections/additions, I'm sure. I already realize I forgot the vinegar and Dawn detergent. And it doesn't include "extras" like the Micromesh I recommend for restorations. This is just the essentials.

 

[Fibonacci]

@-JD- Just wondering about your variable speed vac pump sounds like a great idea for ensuring a consistent 'inhalation' when checking cracking effort... could you please provide more details?

 

[rsingler]

Regulator test rig you don't need to suck.
@-JD- 's version is particularly professional...

But @njmorrell deserves the credit for the original idea.

 

[-JD-]

@-JD- Just wondering about your variable speed vac pump sounds like a great idea for ensuring a consistent 'inhalation' when checking cracking effort... could you please provide more details?

Regulator test rig you don't need to suck.
@-JD- 's version is particularly professional...

But @njmorrell deserves the credit for the original idea.

A well-packaged "MacGyver" is about as far as I'd go. But, thanks.

@Fibonacci it is really worth the time to go through the thread that @rsingler linked a couple times. I did a build post, but it is honestly only unique in putting it in a very compact box that I could put in some spare space in a portable, boxed guage panel. There are some great variations and ideas that may make for something more functional. For example, @Open Ocean Diver has a number of iterations of mouthpiece adapters (which I'm finding to be a non-trivial functional issue playing around ahead of the class.)

 

[Open Ocean Diver]

The nice thing about this pump is all the electronics are built-in and all you need is a power supply 0 to 12 Vdc.