Scuba Swap Meet Purchase

[jm]

Another interesting thing about this reg. NED is stamped on the back. Since the simplest explanation is usually the correct explanation I presume the previous owner was Ned. Was it common practice back in the day to stamp your name on a regulator, especially if it was a common reg? The only other NED I have heard of is the US Navy Experimental Dive Unit and this reg is way too clean to have been used by them. The only other explanation is that this reg meets NED standards. Any ideas?

 

[herman]

No idea, could have been a dive shop although it is not out of the question that it was the navy.

 

[Luis H]

The NED was probably the original owner’s name. It was somewhat common to do that back then. It is very annoying for many collectors now-a-day to find a nice looking regulator with someone’s name engraved on it… specially in many cases the engraving was very poorly done.

In the late 70’s someone try to sell me a used tank once. I asked him what brand name was the valve and he responded with my name, poorly pronounced, but it was a bit of a shock. I have not told him my name so I had no idea what he was talking about… I know for a fact that there have never been any valves made under my full name.

When I looked at the tank I recognized that it was the very first tank I ever owned. I bought it years earlier and forgot about the engraving done by my LDS at the time.

The tank was galvanized, but this individual owned a body shop and he painted it with a very shiny finish so the only thing I recognized was the Healtways valve. The only symbol on it was the “SS” for Sherwood Selpac.

He believed that the engraved name was the manufacturer.

I sold the tank many years earlier. I don’t know who this person got the tank from, but now I wish I would have bought it back.

Well, at least I still own my first double hose… it is a round label Royal Aqua Master with the tire yoke screw. You can see it on both pictures of my avatar… the pictures are about 35 years apart.

 

[jm]

Hi Luis, Thanks for the info. In this case it wasn't engraved but was stamped neatly and the letters still show chrome in them. How thick is the chrome plating on the can and would it survive being stamped after the chroming process? Incidentally, I also suspect that it belonged to someone named Ned.

 

[duckbill]

From what I see, the vintage community is less hung up on procedure and processes than general diving. The hard realities are dealt with such as physics, physiology and equipment limitations but other than that people are encouraged to just go for it. Mainstream diving is more concerned with BP and wings versus jackets,......

You mean like this?....

Forget the modern BCs all together, they just do no play well with a DH reg . You can press them into service but you will not be happy with the way the reg performs and unless you add an adapter to the hookah port, there is not LP air for you to use anyway. The plastic BPs are better but the thick, blown ones are really too thick for DH regs

Just teasing, guys.

 

[jm]

Cool setup Duckbill!

 

[John C. Ratliff]

It is possible, though highly improbable, that this is the regulator that the US Navy Experimental Diving Unit tested in 1972. They did test one, and the serial number is not recorded.

Rubicon Research Repository: Item 123456789/4092

You might check with Aqualung to see whether they have any records. The stamping seems that it may have happened before it was chromed.

SeaRat

 

[jm]

Thanks John. I looked at the document you posted. I would like to think that somebody named Ned owned it but the NED has chrome on it like it was done after the stamping. I wonder if the can is made of brass or steel then chromed for appearance (brass) or corrosion protection (steel)? I am going to try to take a picture of it in case my eyes are lying to me.

 

[herman]

Duck, do you work for a political news group?
Nicely taken out of context.

 

[Luis H]

Both the can and the main body are made out of brass and chrome plated for corrosion protection and looks.

The stamping is on the main body not the can. That could have been stamped after it was chrome.
If the stamping was done on the can it would have most likely compromised the chromed.

I have seen other main bodies with stamping on it that did not compromise the chrome.



That is just like my first double hose… except my came with a band clamp. You can replace those darn little clips with a band clamp from VDH. I like to open and clean the inside of the on a regular basis (I dive in salt water) and those little clips are a pain, plus they can add wear and scratches to the can.