Leather band on USD depth gauge
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Discussion of diving methods and equipment available prior to the development of BCDs beyond the horse collar. This forum is dedicated to the pre-1970 diving.
Discussion of diving methods and equipment available prior to the development of BCDs beyond the horse collar. This forum is dedicated to the pre-1970 diving.
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eskimo3883
- Master Diver
- Posts: 384
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:15 pm
Leather band on USD depth gauge
Does anyone know when USDivers used a leather wrist band on USD depth gauges?
“A skin diver is a fellow who pulls on a pair of fancy swimming trunks, some rubber fins, a diving mask and canvas gloves, then fills his lungs with air and noses down into the ocean looking for two fisted trouble.”
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antique diver
- Master Diver
- Posts: 2217
- Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:50 pm
- First Name: Bill
- Location: North-Central Texas
Re: Leather band on USD depth gauge
Looking through the catalogs, it looks like the Navy Depth gauge with the leather strap was available at least from 1957 through 1960. I didn't continue searching past 1960, but I think they began using a plastic strap at some point after that. Check out the downloads section under US Divers catalogs and browse through them for a lot of interesting info.
I have a couple of those with the leather straps, and dive with one of them fairly regularly when using my vintage gear. Neither original strap seemed trustworthy enough to risk diving with, but I made a reproduction leather strap like the original and dive with it. The gauge seems to be very accurate when comparing its reading to my Suunto computer depth reading.
I have a couple of those with the leather straps, and dive with one of them fairly regularly when using my vintage gear. Neither original strap seemed trustworthy enough to risk diving with, but I made a reproduction leather strap like the original and dive with it. The gauge seems to be very accurate when comparing its reading to my Suunto computer depth reading.
The older I get the better I was.
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frogman63
- Lung Diver
- Posts: 69
- Joined: Tue Oct 11, 2011 7:46 pm
- First Name: Brian
- Location: Chelsea, Michigan
Re: Leather band on USD depth gauge
I happen to have a USD Navy depth gage with the leather strap (it was my first gage) and it still works. It came with a one page user guide in English and one in French. The USD address at the top of the page was 11201 W. Pico Blvd. I followed Bill's suggestion and looked at the USD catalogs from the Pico Blvd. era and there it was. The strap had to be replaced but the leather backing under the gage is still intact. It looks like USD made the gage under 3 different part numbers (R30, 1811, and 7202) during the Pico Blvd. era; mine is a model 1811.
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