You guys caught my attention!

[herman]

Order a rebuild kit, diaphram, and hose kit (hoses, wagon wheels, duckbill, new mouth piece, and clamps - Yellow hoses with a black mouth piece look great in photos) and you will bring that DA up to snuff. Costs should be $140 plus shipping. When you order, make sure you check out his "Free Stuff" section.

NICE! The DA appears not to have a serial number..if so it's a 58-59 model and appears to be in great condition. I clean the cans in denatured alcohol, stinks less than MEC and is less toxic. Soak the gooey part overnight and the stuff washes off the next day. In either case you should very carefully remove the label or at least be very careful not to get MEC or alcohol on the label, both will strip the nice paint you have on the label off, neither will hurt the cans.

I would throw in a band clamp and personally I much prefer the silicone Voit hourglass mouthpieces to the straight ones...not "original" but are a lot more comfortable IMO and well worth the extra few bucks it cost, esp if this will be a often dove reg. Besides, it also looks good with yellow hoses.......Now you need to start a penny jar to save up for Sand Dog VII.

PRAM on Bonaire....to the horror of the DM's.... NO BC!!

 

[captain]

Those are both beauties. The duckbill, BTW, folds over the outside of the horn. Everybody has their methods for removing the melted goo, I like MPK, lol.

N

Not sure what MPK is but I like MEK or lacquer thinner, just don't get it on the label or it will remove the paint. That is a good looking DA-AM

 

[Gilldiver]

MPK is really MIPK (Methyl IsoPropyl Ketone) vs MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone).

Alcohol will work over time, but Lacquer thinner or the above solvents will work faster.

As said, add a band clamp for $20, I left it off of my list.

As for that nice rig up top of the page, the only thing I would change is to have the webbing for both shoulders come out of the top slot.

Very Nice anyway you look at it.

 

[Nemrod]

MPK is really MIPK (Methyl IsoPropyl Ketone) vs MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone).

Alcohol will work over time, but Lacquer thinner or the above solvents will work faster.

As said, add a band clamp for $20, I left it off of my list.

As for that nice rig up top of the page, the only thing I would change is to have the webbing for both shoulders come out of the top slot.

Very Nice anyway you look at it.

Yes, it is less harmful supposedly that MEK. However, I meant MEK but had a brain cloud because we use MPK at work due to EPA/OSHA regs.

Be careful to gently remove the label. To remove the label it is not required to completely bend the tabs up, bend one up slightly and then the other slightly and see if you can work the tabs from the slots with minimal bending. Why, because they will break off. You may be able to remove the goo with plastic or wooden scrapers etc. with patience.

N

 

[halocline]

All good advice, but the cost for a complete silicone kit, diaphragm, rebuild kit, and band clamp is more like $180. You also need an adapter for the hookah port if you want to attach an octo, and it makes life much easier if you want to attach an IP gauge. It's all well worth it for this reg.

That DA is in fine shape, it will turn out great, then you'll have two really nice double hose regs.

 

[bygolly]

The duckbill, BTW, folds over the outside of the horn.

Ha Ha....there it is ...step 20 in the RAM manual. I guess it helps to RTFM. BTW, I have been looking for a DA-AM manual but seems to be a rare thing...does anyone have a copy? I didn't see one at VDH.
Also, I have been reading as much as possible on the VDH forum and I should start posting there soon.

NICE! The DA appears not to have a serial number..if so it's a 58-59 model and appears to be in great condition.

Yikes...and I have to read up on my history now. Didn't know it was quite that old. Well it is younger than me but not by much. It is actually in great condition with no rust and almost no scratches. I don't think it got much use.

Be careful to gently remove the label. To remove the label it is not required to completely bend the tabs up, bend one up slightly and then the other slightly and see if you can work the tabs from the slots with minimal bending. Why, because they will break off.

I'm glad you mentioned that as I was starting to wonder how careful I needed to be on that aspect. I was going to begin working on it tonight.

Thanx as well to gilldiver, mattboy and captain for your advice on parts shopping and cleaning. Its nice to know there are some good mentors out there when you are jumping into something new/old like this.


Cheers,
Bill

 

[bygolly]

Order a rebuild kit, diaphram, and hose kit (hoses, wagon wheels, duckbill, new mouth piece, and clamps - Yellow hoses with a black mouth piece look great in photos) and you will bring that DA up to snuff. Costs should be $140 plus shipping. When you order, make sure you check out his "Free Stuff" section.

Thanx Pete. I only saw the "Free Stuff" section after I had made the order for the RAM but Bryan was kind enough to throw in a good stack of stickers anyway.

 

[Nemrod]

I believe there is a manual on vdh but if you cannot find it then PM me and I will get you a copy.

Should the tabs break off, all is not lost, file them flush, carefully, then use vhb type tape to adhere the label. I sometimes spray the label with clear Krylon, do so at your own risk.

N

 

[bygolly]

I believe there is a manual on vdh but if you cannot find it then PM me and I will get you a copy.

Should the tabs break off, all is not lost, file them flush, carefully, then use vhb type tape to adhere the label. I sometimes spray the label with clear Krylon, do so at your own risk.

N

Thanks N. After I dug a little deeper at the VDH site I did find his manuals for sale and I have them in my shopping cart....now to proceed to checkout.

 

[duckbill]

Why would you need to remove the label and risk breaking a tab? I have never had to remove one yet, and have always been able to clean the bottom can with the label in place by just using some care. Make sure to avoid getting even the fumes of MEK on the label paint for any extended length of time. The only tab I had break on me was one on my RAM that "looked" like it had a crack at the bend when I first got it, so I "tested" it with a very, very slight pry and sure enough it did break! Someone else had obviously removed it, weakened the tab, and left it for the next guy (me) to break. However, as Nemrod said, not all would be lost, and double sided tape (the thin type) works fine- for me so far.

Also, often the original mouthpiece is fine while the hoses are completely shot like the ones in your picture. At least the bite tabs look like they are in good shape.