retro-scuba: using wood in DIY projects

[el-ninio]

I've been looking at pictures of old gear, and noticed that some of them used wood. I was thingking of trying to get that retro-look bu using wood for a DIY scuba project - probably spring strap blocks. do you know what kind of wood I need and what treatment Is needed to keep it in good condting when used in salt water?

and while I'm on the subject - any of you own or use wood made articles in diving (aprat from pencils, that is )

 

[Diver0001]

el-ninio once bubbled...
I've been looking at pictures of old gear, and noticed that some of them used wood. I was thingking of trying to get that retro-look bu using wood for a DIY scuba project - probably spring strap blocks. do you know what kind of wood I need and what treatment Is needed to keep it in good condting when used in salt water?

and while I'm on the subject - any of you own or use wood made articles in diving (aprat from pencils, that is )

If you wanted the wood look without the problems associated with wood you could use that plastic stuff that looks like wood that you sometimes see on furniture. I think if you were to cut it the right size and then heat it to make it flexible then you could glue it over a plastic buckle without potentially compromising the strength or durability of the buckle. It might look nice on a flashlight too

R..

 

[Uncle Pug]

... wood handles for spear guns...

How about wood paddle fins. A couple of cedar shingles (cedar stands up well in salt water) a roll of duct tape and you are in business.

Or perhaps a wooden snorkle. Bamboo is a natural choice for this.

I would advise against making tanks out of wood and wooden weights would be somewhat counter productive unless ironwood or ebony were use (filled with tungsten shot even.)

But you could make a backplate out of wood... a richly grained curly maple would be best.

Flash lights made of wood have already been mentioned and are certainly easy to turn on a lath. Even a canister light could be attempted.

Face plates for regulators might be nice... especially in rosewood or some other exotic.

 

[Atticus]

I'm rolling...

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Teak holds up well. So does brown treated or green treated wood. Then there is always marine grade pylwood.

Pug - I like the wooden purge cover idea. A very nicely figured claro or bastogne walnut for the primary and maybe a lighter and more yellow colored fiddlebacked maple for the octo would be great.

 

[el-ninio]

this dates probably to the fifties - when radar guided missiles where new. the makers of the first missiles had a problem: the "nose" of the missile had to be tranperant to radar, so it could not be made from metal. yet this part had to be quite storng and durable as it's the tip of the missile and whould fly through the air and impressive speed. The americans, as usual, just pureed a heavy badget on the (rather new) plastic indestry, and within just a fiew short years, developed a new, touth plastic.

the russions just made the tip from hard wood...


(and this is a true story - I've seen the old russion missiles and "knoked on wood" )

 

[Babelfish]

With respect to missiles, I think the old missiles had nose cones made of Corningware (Pyrex) glass. The glass was able to take extreme temperature transitions, (from oven-hot to freezing cold,) and was also transparent to radar.

Corningware cookware was invented in 1958 after someone discovered that it would be great for kitchen use too. It was one of those products that was used in the military first, and then found its way into American homes.

 

[BOATS313]

You can use any type of wood you want if you seal it with fiberglass epxoy/resin. If you drill any holes in the wood just make them oversized then fill with the epoxy and redrill to the right size. It will keep the water from getting at the wood. Basically you would be making a block of plastic with some wood in the middle.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

For more strenght, less bulk and ease of applying the resin, you can use a thin polyester, dacron or fiberglass cloth and lay it on the surface. It holds the resin and adds strenght so that a couple coats to fill the weave of the fabric will be more than enough. Just apply the resin to completely wet the cloth on the first coat and then card or squeegee out the excess. A second coat applied to fill the weave and give a smooth surface is usually sufficient with dacron and polyester. Fiberglass cloth normally takes a little more to fill.

Modern wooden canoes and boats use a layer of fiberglass cloth over the wood. It is transparent enough to still show the warmth and grain of the wood underneath but protects the surface and prevents the weight gain from absorbed water over the course of the summer common in traditional wood canoes.

Dacron is still used over the wooden plywood surfaces of the few wooden aicraft still around.

 

[BOATS313]

The polyester resin is also alot cheaper and is easier to find, which is always a plus. Most boating stores sell everything you need and a quick search on the web will get you all the tips for working with "glass". The polyester will yellow faster in the sun but that shouldn't be much of an issue with dive gear.