Sportsways Navy Unit

[fourthirteen]

I found this yesterday. Its a mess of different brands; the tank is a 1954 Healthways with a US divers valve, on a Voit Snugpack. The Sportsways Navy Unit single hose seems to be in decent shape, but it could use a new diaphragm on the first stage as its pretty hard. It could also stand to be mounted on a K valve as the built in reserve crashes into the tank's J valve, ensuring that it can never be properly used...




I am sure its not anything special, but it the regulator worth fixing? I wouldn't mind having it as a backup for my Mistral. Where might one get a diaphragm for this?



Also, who in Minnesota can be trusted with a 57 year old cylinder? I got the valve off and haven't had a good look inside yet, but it had air in it and didn't have any water inside.

[Ron]

It looks like a tilt valve second stage. I would take it apart, and see what you can do. Document your process, and share it with the group for anyone else who may want to rebuild one custom. Also, that tank and valve are awesome. Heck, let me know if you want to sell the valve. I need one

[fourthirteen]

Tilt valve indeed. I was messing around and cut two pieces of 1/8" rubber into a circle and doubled them up to make a first stage diaphragm to check it's operation. After that it seemed to work fine, the first stage that is. Turns out the stiff-but-not-brittle secondary diaphragm in the mouthpiece pushes on the tilt valve with a way too much force and make the thing free flow. Thinking about it, I bet that it shrank as well which is why it still pulls on the valve. Its quite odd, the old diaphragm has the consistency of aluminum foil, flexible but not elastic at all. Other than the diaphragms the thing is nice inside, no mashed threads and everything is well lubed and in good shape.

That is as far as I have gotten, but moving to the other side of the country and leaving all my gear except a pair of fins, mask and regulator has precluded any further progress.