Rhapsody in Blue and Gray

[Scuba Cowboy]

Just got mine put together & will dive it this weekend in the pool, next weekend in the lake. Its a thing of beauty. I robbed some pristine guts from a Jet Air & you would think mine was brand new. Don't fret about the poor Jet Air, I traded for some guts for it, I'll have it back together in no time. I have only had one brand new doublehose before, & it was the new Mistral that Aqua Lung put out a few years ago. This one is wayyyyy better! Will let you know how it breathes. Mine looks identicle to Nems, including grey diaphragm. I tell ya, there is no better time to be a vintage diver than now.

 

[duckbill]

The more I see of it, Rob, the more I'm impressed. Nice work. It looks great!

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Dale,

When you put the Jet Air innerds into the Blue Fifty Fathom case, be sure to maintain the same somewhat offset orientation of the venturi so that it does not go straight down the intake hose. The venturi for the Jet Air and Stream Air were so efficient, without little holes diverting some air inside the case that the Mistral has, that they would free-flow and blow by if they were not oriented just to the side of the intake. This creates enough turbulence to allow the venturi to be shut down when the breathing cycle comes to an end.

SeaRat

 

[SwimJim]

Dale,

When you put the Jet Air innerds into the Blue Fifty Fathom case, be sure to maintain the same somewhat offset orientation of the venturi so that it does not go straight down the intake hose. The venturi for the Jet Air and Stream Air were so efficient, without little holes diverting some air inside the case that the Mistral has, that they would free-flow and blow by if they were not oriented just to the side of the intake. This creates enough turbulence to allow the venturi to be shut down when the breathing cycle comes to an end.

SeaRat

Or, you could outfit it with a reproduction Mistral nozzle from VDH. That would give you a little better overall performance.

Jim

 

[Scuba Cowboy]

Dale,

When you put the Jet Air innerds into the Blue Fifty Fathom case, be sure to maintain the same somewhat offset orientation of the venturi so that it does not go straight down the intake hose. The venturi for the Jet Air and Stream Air were so efficient, without little holes diverting some air inside the case that the Mistral has, that they would free-flow and blow by if they were not oriented just to the side of the intake. This creates enough turbulence to allow the venturi to be shut down when the breathing cycle comes to an end.

SeaRat

Thanks John, that is a lesson I've already learned I will probably get a reproduction nozzle for it in the near future. You have got to get one, they are purdy. Rob is the man!

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Actually, when I had the Jet Air, I liked it better than the Mistral. It breathed easier, and was not as noisy as the Mistral. I don't think that a Jet Air can be modified in the same way as a Stream Air to the Mistral orifice, as the Jet Air's fibergrass body has the orientation of the body pretty well set. It is not a smooth surface, as this reproduction of the Blue Fifty Fathom's plastic body is. It has the hexagonal (if my memory is right) ribs that prevent the re-orientation of the body to accept the mistral orifice. The Mistral orifice would only make sense if it is oriented directly down the intake hose.

John

 

[Scuba Cowboy]

You are quite correct on this. The ribs make it so it can be only oriented one way and with a Mistral nozzle, the nozzle is right up against the side of the can. I'll have to switch them on the 50 Fathom. The Jet Air comes with a very short nozzle. No ribs in the new Faux 50, you can orient it how ever you like.

 

[1969ivan1]

Thanks for the kind words and observations. This project has turned out better than I had ever hoped. There is only one sure way to tell the FX 50 Fathom cases from the originals. The inside of the orig has "MADE IN USA" on both sides. I intentinally left mine blank to thwart any attempts at Criminal Simulation. Of course mine are clean and lacking 50 plus years of filth and muck as well.

I am currently waiting on the second shipment of cans as I am down to only 2 can sets. Demand was much higher than I anticipated. I am glad that everyone seems to like them as fine reproduced exact display cans. I have another item coming soon so please stay tuned to Home for more developments.

 

[SwimJim]

My Fifty Fathom #2 kit came today. I must say I am impressed with it. I used my Warner Ave Mistral for it's guts and didn't even have to play with the lever height adjustment. The brand new silicone mouth piece is really nice. I had the whole thing together and ready for diving in about ten minutes. The way the diaphragm sits and seals in its groove means zero leaks. On the bench it's super. I'll be taking it to Fortune Pond this weekend to give it some serious testing. Can't wait!!!

Jim

 

[1969ivan1]

BIG update. The newest installment is here.

This will be the first one sold. The winner of this auction will be able to brag that he got the first one on his block .

I have been promised by my vendor that I will have the decals for the others in 2 to 4 weeks. When I have them I will be able to fill orders for more. At this time this is the only Thunderball edition available.

I think this case will look pretty sporty with a GRAY diaphragm from VDH......


Voit 50 FATHOM THUNDERBALL JAMES BOND 007 vintage scuba - eBay (item 140320582857 end time May-16-09 17:00:00 PDT)