Argonaut 2016 Update

With success comes complications and new opportunities. For the past decade most of the parts I have been making have be either replacements for existing ones or improvements to them with a few exceptions like the Phoenix and HPR 2nd stages. 

When the Argonaut was ready to be made I went about it in the way I had with all other parts in the past.  Submitting requests for quotes with drawings and materials specifications and working from there. Over the years I have developed a good relationship with several manufactures and go directly to them depending on what the part is made from. None of them are in the business of scuba gear and don't know a duckbill from a band clamp ring.  In the majority of cases this was fine and played very little in the outcome of the parts.

 

The Argonaut was a whole different ballgame.  I needed to somehow get the suppliers to understand the concept of what I was trying to accomplish. In some cases this was successful and in some not so much.  Manufacturing is a business. Making regulator bodies or carburetors, it all comes down to dollars and cents and getting the HP diaphragm to work harmoniously with the regulator really made no difference to the two companies making the parts. 

Cost to the customer was always a paramount concern of mine and was driven up by my need to go to third party companies to supply parts for the Argonaut assembly. Plus I was always at their mercy as to supply and future availability of parts. After the last of them went to new divers this year I set a goal for myself that I would no longer be at the mercy of third party vendors. A goal I realized 3 years ago was necessary for the long term success of the project.

 

Right now I am working with a company that manufactures regulators for SCUBA and SCBA and who fully understand what I'm trying to do. They might not get the reasons we want a double hose in the 21st century but they are game to do it and are on board with the project.  I have paid up front for the tooling necessary to manufacture the body of the Argonaut and I am awaiting their sample parts. These are due to arrive towards the latter part of November. 

What this means is that I'll be able to produce a regulator using many of the ancillary parts they currently produce and use on some of the single hose regulators they make.  This will allow me a single source to produce the regulator bodies, yokes, screws etc.  The other parts I have covered currently direct from the manufacture. All of this cuts down on the cost and headache of juggling 12 different companies supplying parts.  It also means the vendor knows what is being manufactured and if there is a problem they can solve it quickly because they have most likely faced it working with other regulators.

 

The regulator itself will change very little as to how it functions or performs.  We had to make a few changes to accommodate and use some of their existing tooling but overall the regulator will remain as amazing as it already is. 

This is the main reason I don't have an EXACT date that new Argonaut will be available in 2016.....If all goes to plan, I can give the OK to the sample parts, ramp up and get them out in January but I'm not at the point where I can do that.  I will keep the Vintage Double Hose website store, Facebook page and Vintage Double Hose Message Forum updated with the latest details on where I'm at. 

Luis, Herman and I along with the test divers are working hard to insure the new DSV mouthpiece and hose assembly is ready in time for the 2016 Argonauts as they will be the new standard for it in the future. 

I can't thank the double hose community enough for their help and support and I ask the future Argonaut Divers have a little patience :)

 

Vintage Scubapro Regulators

The Scubapro classic line of regulators are undoubtedly one of the most reliable and most copied regulators in the world. Most veteran divers will attest to fond memories of diving their MK 2-10 and 108-109 combination along with a myriad of attachments from black face brass and glass Scubapro pressure gauges, Pennform consoles with SOS depth gauges STAB jackets and the list goes on and on. These regulators were made in various forms and configurations for decades with most only having cosmetic changes. 

These days you can easily find good working examples at relatively inexpensive prices. Most need a bit of service work but when complete they are still as rugged, reliable and easy breathing as they were when new. Many divers never gave them up and you still see them all the time on dive charters and other gathering places of groups of divers. As with the double hose you will always hear someone say "Hey I had one of those, GREAT regulator, wish I still had it....Can you get parts for them?"

Vintage Double Hose has invested heavily in preserving these classic regulators in the same way we have done with the US Divers and Voit Double Hose Regulators.  My first dive shop experiences and places of employment were NASDS stores that carried only Scubapro and if you dove with anything else you were diving with second rate gear......Many of you know what I"m talking about :)

In an effort to spread the word and help get more of these classics back in the water where they belong I have just opened a new section of the VDH Message Forum directly dedicated to the Vintage Scubapro regulators and have given the moderator responsibilities to Mr Greg Barlow. 

Many of you already know him from his write ups and pictures of his showroom condition Voit Double Hose and his expertise with Mares MR12 regulators. 

Greg will no doubt come up with some interesting stuff to share about all things related to Scubapro classic regulators and will be joined in his efforts by other renowned aficionados in the field such as Luis and Robert COUV Couvillan and if we can get him over to the dark side Gary D.

Along with the new Forum section I have expanded and added as much information as I can get my hands on  regarding service procedures, manuals, catalogs and schematics to the free download section of the VDH main website.  I am always looking for more information for this section so if you have any to share please send it my way. 

Please take a moment and stop by the new section of the forum and say hello, ask a question or become part of the conversation. 

Reflecting on the Legends of Diving Event

This weekend in August would traditionally be The Legends of Diving weekend held at Portage Quarry Ohio.  Unfortunately and for various reasons the event has been cancelled and as of right now the future looks bleak for it's return.
On the bright side there will still be a gathering of Vintage Equipment Divers at two other quarries in Ohio near Portage Quarry this weekend but it Is Not The Legends of Diving weekend or The Un-official Legends of Diving weekend as has been posted around the net by people who have no right to do so and should just STFU about it.
Let me share a few photos from past Legends of Diving weekends. 

From day one Jeff Rice envisioned his event as a showcase for pioneers in the field of diving and as a way to recognize and highlight their contributions.
Did many people call him crazy for trying to do this at a quarry in BFE Ohio........Absolutely......Did it stop him....No Way!
For years he gave us the opportunity to meet face to face many people we had only read about in books or had seen on screen. He brought in priceless collections of original diving equipment and gave us the opportunity to talk one on one with the collectors. All with an outlay of his own capitol with the belief that if he put on the show.....PEOPLE WOULD COME....

All weekend he kept the event going in Jeff Rice ringmaster style with drawings, vendors, prize giveaways, contests, swap meet, manufactures reps, musical groups.....And who can forget the whole 1/2 chicken dinners!
These were great times to meet new people and spend hours and hours doing what divers do best.....TALK. We got to meet new people, discuss gear and even found time to do some diving.....Some of which took on an explosive nature .

Another event may be held to take it's spot.....But it will NEVER take it's place. I would encourage anyone who thinks they can do it to build on Jeff's model and take it even further....Be prepared to have endless headaches, disappointments, failures, frustrations and sometimes financial losses to get it going. 
The Legends of Diving event may be no more but I'm glad to say I was a part of it and wouldn't trade a minute of time at Portage Quarry and with my friend Jeff Rice for anything.

CG 45 information

Information provided by Tom M (Captain on the VDH website message forum)

Not very often do we have the opportunity to work with one of these rare regulators up close.

Visit the Message Forum HERE for more information and to join in on the fun!

Link to 1953 Scripps Institue of Oceanography on Overhauling the Aqua Lung

I had the opportunity to work on a CG-45 for the first time. Some things I noted, all threads are metric but most other dimensions are the same as the Broxton, DA Navy and DAAM and it uses all the same gaskets and diaphragms. On this one the HP nozzle fit a standard tank valve O ring seat. All Spiros I have worked on have had a slighter larger metric O ring seat. This one may have been resized in the past and re-chromed as it was like new externally. My USD body vise and body ring wrench worked perfectly fine on it.

Like early Broxtons the body has no can tab cuts outs and the can has no tabs. This complicates getting the body in correct orientation to the can as it tends to turn when tightening the body ring. If the orientation is not correct it is impossible to position the diaphragm tabs so they make even contact on both ends of the horseshoe or will not contact the horseshoe ends at all. Because the hole in the can is not centered the body must be aligned with the 2nd stage seat 180 degrees from the inhalation horn side of the can and the horseshoe ends must fall on a line through the can centerline and perpendicular to the inhalation horn. See photos CG-45, 1, 2, & 3, CG-45 (2) is correct all others are misaligned.


The horseshoe adjustment is different from a Broxton or DA Navy. The two screws have a shoulder on them (photo CG-45 (7) ) that is larger than the threads, the Broxton and DA Navy screws do not. You do not use number of turns out to make the adjustment, you screw the screws in until the shoulder bottoms on the body then turn them out only as much as needed to aligned the horseshoe hinge pin.

It has no IP adjusting screw, photo CG-45 (5). Because the size of the valve on my test bench I could not check the IP at 300 psi but on an 1800 psi tank it was 110. Considering most tanks of the time were 1800 to 2000 psi this is in the ball park.

It looks as it was designed to be assembled without any adjustments or special tools, just screw everything together and it should be right or close enough.
I will add that it is almost impossible to tighten the body retaining nut tight enough to prevent the possibility of it turning out of alignment so for anyone who would be diving one regularly it might be a good idea to make an index mark between the can and body so it can be noticed if any movement has taken place.

Argonaut Mouthpiece Change

The First Series Argonaut Kraken regulators were shipped with a copy of the US Divers curved mouthpiece with a chrome plated logo button in the center. I had been selling the blank reproduction mouthpiece for several years and decided to use available inventory and make it special for the Argonaut Kraken owners and a way to identify the original series of production regulators.
Once the First Series of regulators was sold I still used the blank curved mouthpiece without the medallion. But the Argonaut Kraken has sold so well I have exhausted my supply of those mouthpieces. So for a short time regulators will be shipped with the USN version of the curved mouthpiece.

BUT.....There is a silver lining to getting your Argonaut Kraken with this unusual mouthpiece.....When Luis and I finish the new DSV style mouthpiece which will be the future standard for the regulator, those who got a USN mouthpiece on their regulator will get the new mouthpiece for FREE....Yes that's right you will be one of the first kids on the block to have the new and improved mouthpiece on your Argonaut Kraken.

WHY do this you might ask?......Good question.......I have no plans on offering the blank front curved mouthpiece in the future and will concentrate my limited capitol resources on inventory of the new DSV style, USD reproduction curved and re-stocking the straight black mouthpiece.

WHEN are you going to have the new DSV style mouthpiece done?......Another good question.  Luis and I have been working on it as diligently as time allows and at this point the 3D drawings are being finalized and we are almost ready for rapid prototyping.  We plan on doing a great deal of testing with the prototypes (and a few other things) when the Caribbean Luxury Divers invade Cozumel this November.
Luis has spent a great deal of time on analyzing ideas we have tried in the past and has a very promising design that I'm anxious to see in the flesh. This is not some mumbo jumbo BS pie in the sky idea that needs 100k to develop. It is based on solid engineering design principals with realistic goals for manufacturing and the ability to work with any double hose regulator that uses 1-1/2 hoses.
It will work with  most all mouthpieces currently available for single hose regulators.
That's about all I'll disclose at the moment but when finished I think it will be something that most divers will enjoy using.

On another subject.........I'm sure you are all sick of hearing about the new website.....But not as sick as I am of working on it!
I mentioned that I have increased the storage capacity of the site and I am now in search of  MORE information for the Manuals and Catalogs section......If you have anything at all to contribute please scan them to PDF and send them my way.  If the files are large I can send you a direct link to upload to my Dropbox account and I will get them put up as a resource for anyone.
The current Manuals and Catalogs section has over 6GB of information in it and most of it was done by contributions from VDH Forum members like Alan K, Greg Barlow, Karl Gehring, Rob S, and many others who took the time to scan a few pages and send them my way. The Manuals and Catalogs section if free to access and download but it can only grow with more contributions.
If you don't have access to a scanner or don't want to mess with it, most any copy store will do it for you and put them on a thumb drive or disc and it's easy to share them with me after that.
As I've said many times in the past, VDH was built by a community and I need help to keep it growing.  If you have questions please send me an E-mail.  Bryan@vintagedoublehose.com 

Shark in a Bus ???

The whole month of June we are celebrating the one year anniversary of the Argonaut Kraken's release to the divers around the globe.

The diver you are about to meet is anticipating the arrival of his new regulator and has a very unique and fun way of sharing his love of diving and some of the creatures of the sea in his area.

Meet Paul Sharp, Museum Curator and soon to be Argonaut Kraken Diver.

"Shark in a Bus" is our heritage marine museum housed in a 1957 Leyland bus, representing two lifetimes of collecting around Australia. It has it's beginnings in the old Cottesloe Oceanarium, Western Australia's first public aquarium which operated in the 1960's.

The collection represents all of Australia and was put together primarily in the 1960's and 70's. It features a giant Great White Shark (White Pointer) as well as whaling artifacts, fossils, sharks jaws and hundreds of other amazing exhibits. There's even a sea dragon, vintage dive gear and pieces of the US space station Skylab!

We love our sharks and our curator Paul is keen to share a lifetime of sharky stories and experiences, as well as answer your questions about these incredible creatures.

Shark in a Bus Website Link

I realize that many of us may not have the opportunity to visit Shark in a Bus in person but I really like the idea and what Paul it trying to do with his moving exhibit.  I hope you will take a moment to visit Shark in a Bus and please share them on your Facebook and other Social Media pages.  When I was a kid seeing an exhibit like this would have been better than a stack of E-Ticket rides on Christmas!

Photo of Paul's new Argonaut Kraken on the test bench before it begins its long journey to Australia.

Sea Hunt Forever.....March 19th and 20th 2016

March 19th and 20th at Silver Springs Park Florida.  As part of the Florida Springs Fest annual celebration, VDH Worldwide LLC  will be bringing you a multi faceted presentation entitled,

Sea Hunt Forever!

• World renowned collector and historian Alec Pierce will be displaying his one of a kind collection containing memorabilia and props from the Sea Hunt TV show and Silver Springs. Most items are found nowhere else in the world and some have not been seen for decades.
• Meet original cast and support members from the TV series.
• Divers in period correct gear reenacting scenes and entertaining guests on glass bottom boat tours and during surface intervals.
• Jonathan Bird will be filming an episode of his award winning show Jonathan Birds Blue World during the event.

Fun and entertainment for the whole family with Silver Springs Park hosting vendors, artists and entertainers the whole weekend long dedicated to raising awareness of the need to preserve the natural resources of the Florida Springs.  

Website for event is being developed.

Facebook page  Sea Hunt Forever.

Twitter account  https://twitter.com/seahuntforever

Media inquires contact   SeaHunt2016@gmail.com

Sponsorship's are available. Please contact SeaHunt2016@gmail.com