Why every diver should take a regulator course!

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Never rely any tool to service my Apeks 2nd stages. Just make sure the "Lever" is wee bit(1mm) below the rim of the casing.
A small ultrasonic bath is very useful for neglected regs.
My tools for Apeks 1st and 2nd regs: 2 C-spanners, couple of allen keys(5 and 6mm), disposal chopstick, small screw driver, Christo-Lube(MC1-11), brass O-ring pick and IP gauge.
 
..."disposal chopstick"...
Uhmm, help?
Like an old chopstick retired / disposed from the kitchen? Or a wooden or bamboo disposable chopstick like you get with take-out food?
 
A couple weeks ago I looked at my regulators, realized that a number of them could use servicing, and thought this would be a good time to do it, since I won't be diving for a few weeks. I looked at my regulators and then at my tools. I looked back and forth a few times and then realized how much I really, really, really didn't want to do it.

Reminds me of advice i heard when learning to change a tire on an off-road motorcycle. The manual levers are for reasons beyond my understanding, called “spoons” and there can be a lot of struggle to do it by hand (versus a big press like device at a typical shop.) Still, felt like something I should know how to do in case of trouble out in the middle of nowhere.

So the main online guide said: “it’s a two person job. I work the spoons while the other guys holds a gun on me to force me to do it.”

(I’m sure I mangled the quote but having done the job I can see where he was coming from.)
 
Never rely any tool to service my Apeks 2nd stages. Just make sure the "Lever" is wee bit(1mm) below the rim of the casing.
A small ultrasonic bath is very useful for neglected regs.
My tools for Apeks 1st and 2nd regs: 2 C-spanners, couple of allen keys(5 and 6mm), disposal chopstick, small screw driver, Christo-Lube(MC1-11), brass O-ring pick and IP gauge.


forgot the pin spanner, the one "non standard" tool to service them
 
Like an old chopstick retired / disposed from the kitchen?
Only use plastic or wood to push out the second stage orifice out of the tube. Anything else would damage it.
 
“it’s a two person job. I work the spoons while the other guys holds a gun on me to force me to do it.”
That was funny. I worked for Goodyear corporate for 15 years. Split rims, racing tires, itsy bitsy metric trailer tires: I've changed a lot of tires. I don't miss the sweat, the cars that bite or the smell... especially not the smell. I do hate motorcycle tires, but I have some teflon covered spoons that make stripping the carcass off a whole lot easier.
 
Uhmm, help?
Like an old chopstick retired / disposed from the kitchen? Or a wooden or bamboo disposable chopstick like you get with take-out food?
Some of the old chopstick could be made from ivory!!!!!! or very hard plastic.
Soft wood ie those usually comes with take away.
 
Some of the old chopstick could be made from ivory!!!!!! or very hard plastic.
Soft wood ie those usually comes with take away.
Got it. Thanks.
Just ran and looked in the kitchen drawer, just as I thought, no jackpot, no ivory, just plastic...☺
 
I reside in Thailand and I would like to get a Apeks regulator maintenance training to service my own regulators, however the only service course I found is "TQS Regulator Service Technician Level I" at Scuba Clinic in Phuket for 45000 THB (~1400 USD). With this course you will be certified to service any regulator, but I don't plan to work as a regulators technician thus don't want to pay so much for the training.
Are there some Apeks-only courses in Thailand?
 
Interesting post

In the beginning there was one company marketing diving equipment in US- Rene Sports, located in the back of a men's clothing store in Los Angels, California. In 1952 the company expanded and the name was changed US Divers, now Aqua lung.

Original advertisements and "word of mouth" indicated the Aqua lung was good for over 1000 dives with out adjustment or major maintenance, which was the first example of diving's false news.

Some of the components of the Aqua Lung were French war surplus - either WW1 or WW11, it was never really determined exactly what War. The components that gave most grief was the hoses and the diaphragm,
The hoses were prone to leak so were replaced with longer US WW11 gas mask hoses. The diaphragm,? A different story. It might have been a component from the Gas-O-gen, war surplus or just poor 1940s manufacturing

Never the less It seemed we always were breathing wet air (Oh! the Horror - wet air) either from leaking hoses or a microscopic hole or holes in the diaphragm. On occasion the diaphragm. would rupture, generally at the most inopportune time with little or no warning which gave the diver two options either remain on the bottom and attempt to breathe water or head for the California sunshine and fresh air- most all were successful in the later activity.

It was called "Swallowing the diaphragm."

It happened to me twice, The last time was the most memorable. I was a body length back in a cave breathing hard and deep after California Lobsters, Suddenly a more than normal amount of water with inhalation. The next breath as pure SoCal Salt water, I got on my on my horse, backed out and did a blow and go to the surface to the then smog free California Air..

Around that same time a number of things occurred
US Divers, under Rene & crew discovered some holes in the original US patent for the Aqua Lung which allowed US Divers to improve the breed with the DA model an produce it in the US by B&B,
My neighbor and friend Rory Page invented and marketed the Hope-Page non return valve
LA Co UW instruction Certification course was created
And US Divers hired a repairman, possibly the world's first Aqua Lung (aka SCUBA) full time repairman the late Bill Millman- Lung diving was beginning to emerge as a company

Only a few repair courses were offered by the manufactures for a number of years, then only to handful of local LA Co UW instructors as a sponsored recertification seminar.

Over 40 years ago Lt Cmdr. Leslie "Tommy" Thompson USN Ret (LA Co UW Instructor ) was hired as the PR of US Divers. Tommy was a diver's diver he had many first - most notable was his lock out under the ice cap in 1947.

Tommy recognized the need for a repair course for US divers dealers, military personnel and industry leaders so he created and established a free week long 40 hour equipment repair course presented at US Divers in Santa Ana California.

I was one of the first to enroll and repeated the course for a number years in a row. It was a very complete course, beginning with monkey see -monkey do and repetition, repetition until the break down and reassemble could have probably been performed blindfolded like some of us did with our side arms in the service of our county.

About 40 years ago my son was 12 years old. Sam IV had been raised in a pioneer diving family surrounded by divers and dining all his life. He had attended summer BSA camp at Catalina Island, had some time on his hands and needed a challenge. I called the then instructor Bryan Miller and asked if it was possible to enroll 12 years old Sam IV in the repair course? The response was positive so Sam IV packed a lunch jumped on his bike and peddled through the then mild Orange county traffic to US divers and the equipment repair course.

He returned home the first day excited has I had hoped he would. Over dinner he chatted about his new found companions in the course by first name ( a family no no - adult were to be addressed as Mr. or Miss, but these were his adult classmates and he was a young adult) He was amazed that he had more dives and had been diving longer than any others in the class- but this was 40 years ago and diving was just beginning to migrate past the SoCal borders.

Every day he returned home with a memento from US Divers, a tee shirt, a sweat shirt, fins, mask and snorkel and finally a youth size wet suit. Apparently the word had got out among the company officials that he was the youngest ever to take the US Divers repair course and they wanted to reward him.

Several weeks after the completion of the course he received a telephone call from US Divers There was a fellow who would like to meet him - could he drop by tomorrow ?

As 12 year old adventuresome boys did and I assume still do he took off with out a word to his mother and I to US Divers.

Waiting at US Divers was Jacques Cousteau who met him, congratulated him on being the youngest ever to complete the company sponsored repair course him and gave him an autographed copy of his latest book. Sam IV was some what impressed .with his new friend Zeek ( JY Cousteau)

And that was the way it was -- a long time ago from US recreational diving's birth place which has now spread to the hinterlands of the US and the world.

Sam IV ? He competed his Eagle scout a few years later, became a NAUI (Life) and PADI instructor, ER & Hyperbaric doctor and is now a director of the local regional hospital.

Sam Miller, III



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