What did they use before zipties / tie-wraps?

[bradlw]

random trivia question.
For things like securing a mouthpiece, what did they (or you for you old timers older than this old timer) use before those nylon zipties were a thing?

A little google search tells me that those things were invented in 1958. Eight years before I was born. So yeah, maybe they've pretty much always been used for SCUBA applications
but
As far as I can remember, though they weren't really a thing when I was a kid, and even when i was a teen I feel like they would have been a specialty item, not generally available or used in retail applications.
So
Was there ever a time when mouthpieces were sucured with something else?

 

[Luis H]

I have seen mouthpieces that used a metal clamp with a small screw.

Many double hose mouthpieces incorporated the byte as part of the complete T assembly, like the US Divers curve mouthpiece and others.

It was also common to use small cord or sting (using multiple wraps) to securely fasten some mouthpieces and some of the early duckbills inside some of the early double hose regulators. The very early Broxton Ave. US Divers regulator used a detachable exhaust horn and the straight duckbill was lashed on by wrapping a small string with multiple wraps and tied.

I don't have a better picture, but you can see on this image that the duckbill has string wrapped around to hold it at the base of the horn.

You can see in this early Poseidon, that the mouthpiece was lashed with a small string wrapped many times.

Here is an early Healthways/ Scubapro with a metal clamp to hold the mouthpiece.

 

[Sensorone]

On a side note, the Apollo spacesuits that went to the moon used rove joints to attach the suit side wrist disconnects to the pressure bladder as well as the arm bearings. The bladder material was slipped over a flange, then glued and then wrapped with cord over that. Worked great.

 

[happy-diver]

Yeah just string, or covered with cloth or resin coated tape or even coated copper fuse wire on the "Porpoise" stuff

Yeah and handcuffs

 

[VsubT]

The string was likely a whipping knot. Here’s an explanation of how they work.

Lance

 

[bradlw]

The string was likely a whipping knot. Here’s an explanation of how they work.

Lance

thanks for posting that!
There's something about the history and tradition with those old ideas that appeals to me. I love the simplicity...and the versatility too. Yeah teh waxed twine he uses looks ideal for the technique....but if you don't have that, you can still make this work with any number of different threads, strings, ropes, vines, or whatever....

I love the idea of learning and using knots and lashing techniques but I've never really had a head for remembering them... in large part because I don't use them enough after I learn them and I always seem to revert back to a few knot techniques that I know

There are various forms of slip knots that folks today are calling "zip-tie knots". I saw one not long ago that's very simple and easy to remember. I can't remember the real name of the knot, but I was thinking something like this might have been used for things like mouthpieces....
There are other variations that finish out looking much nicer and at least to my eye look better all around (cow hitch comes to my mind) but I can never remember how to tie it. So this is the one my simple brain seems to remember

 

[lexvil]

There is a reason zip ties took over, move forward not backward.

 

[lowwall]

The string was likely a whipping knot. Here’s an explanation of how they work.

Some divers still use whipping knots. Achim calls it "tackeling" which I assume is the German name for it. Attaching a mouthpiece starts at 4:20.

 

[Andre171]

LP hose connections were done in a similiar way with wire:

Schläuche

Screenshot of the mentioned part of the website is attached.

I like the takling connection of the mouthpiece very much, because it leaves more space for the lipshield.

 

[LFMarm]

That’s what I do for the CCR mouthpiece.

Some divers still use whipping knots. Achim calls it "tackeling" which I assume is the German name for it. Attaching a mouthpiece starts at 4:20.