Reproduction Main Diaphragms

[1stab]

I guess around $60 would be what I would pay for a couple of them.

I have a Medi regulator and the diaphragm is a light grey and thin. It's not ready to dive yet but I already notice a difference in inhalation effort. There isn't any!!

The diaphragm makes a huge difference.

[William]

Bryan I too, would want to buy several of your new diaphragms, like 3 to 5. Your new ones should be in high demand with pretty much everyone it would seem. I have been told that some types of the Voit Regulators can use the same parts as the Aqua-Lung uses, so I wish to ask, if the new diaphragms will work for some Voit Models like my Voit Navy and/or my plastic Voit Blue 50 Fathom regulator? My Navy was rebuilt in the last year, but it has a higher inhaleing effort as compared to my other regulators I have had rebuilt in the last year also. My DA Aqua-Master was already rebuilt when I purchased it, but once in the water, it seemed to be the same as my Voit Navy in effort to ijnhale. At Alexander Springs I needed to come out of the water and change my DA out, going to my Mistral. There was a big difference between the two, in the effort it took to inhale. William

[Greg Barlow]

When I was working for Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine, I had the late Jon Hardy run one of my beloved MR12 regs on the ANSTI simulator. The first test used an original rubberized fabric diaphragm, while the second used a Mares MR12 III silicone variety. The score with the silicone diaphragm installed showed an overall WOB that was around 0.25j/l better than the initial test. This is quite a remarkable difference, especially when you are diving in deeper water at a fairly aggressive breathing rate.

I would anticiapate that the silicone variety on a double hoser would be just as good. I think that a price of $40 would be quite fair. I would calculate out your costs, and then add at least 35% on. After all, you are the one who is doing the work of getting them produced.

Greg Barlow

[duckbill]

For me, the benefit of silicone is it's longevity. It just lasts forever. I'm game. $40-60 would be good.

[Nemrod]

I have seen such huge differences in performance on single and double hose regulators just by changing the diaphrams--so muc so that I have no doubt that a responsive silicone diaphram would make a huge difference in performance.

James

[JES]

I have seen such huge differences in performance on single and double hose regulators just by changing the diaphrams--so muc so that I have no doubt that a responsive silicone diaphram would make a huge difference in performance.

James

Ditto what James said.

[diverdown1955]

I see no problem in up grading to a silicone diaphram. I like performance as much as vintage, so a marriage of the two is a good thing, IMHO.
Price wise I could see paying anywhere up to $80.00. At the high price I maynot convert all my regulators but two would be almost certain.

Jerry
diverdown1955
See you at Wazee III

[Bryan]

CAD drawing has gone to the manufacturer…..Thank You Rob…..I could not do this without your support and technical expertise!

Working with another supplier on the stainless steel center inserts…..In an ideal world I would like to reproduce the fiberglass/plastic center that originally came in the Mistral. If cost prohibits it I am going to make one diaphragm like USD did in the later years and you can either push the tabs up for the 2 stage series of regulators….Broxton/DA/ RAM or leave them flat and use it with your Mistral.
I also have a few feelers out and I may re-make the whole thing in a modern nylon. Experts tell me that the surface of some of the new nylon material is very very slick and there would be virtually no resistance between the diaphragm and the levers. Somewhat like mirror polishing parts. Plus they would be lighter and virtually corrosion and verdigris proof!

[oldmossback]

Bryan
While your making new parts, are you going to have more reproduction inhale/exhaust valve wagon wheels made?

[treasureman]

New nozzles, new HP seats, new LP seats, new Diapraghms, new wagon wheels .

This is just too much . Thank you bryan, Luis and everyone who puts their money where their mouths are to bring vintage diving into the 21st century. If I had not found bryans web site with all these parts, I would still be using my over priced single hose, and life just like a single hose would still suck. double hosder regs haver made my sport more enjoyable.

Just wish there was a decent dive buddy up here to share it with.


Soon the only parts left to reproduce will be cans and bodies. hmmmmm!!

[Bryan]

I'll make anything you want if money grew on trees. I already have 4 new parts projects in the works and 3 dive trips in 3 months. My resources are pretty thin right now... some of the projects everyone knows about others are secret for now.... Honestly wagon wheels are not even on my horizion for now. Perhaps this winter if sales of the other new items coming out are good.

[JES]

I'll make anything you want if money grew on trees. I already have 4 new parts projects in the works and 3 dive trips in 3 months. My resources are pretty thin right now... some of the projects everyone knows about others are secret for now.... Honestly wagon wheels are not even on my horizion for now. Perhaps this winter if sales of the other new items coming out are good.

Bryan,

You (and Luis, and Rob, and Karl, and so on...) are awesome! Thanks for all that you guys do.

Best of Luck with the new parts projects.


Regards,

Joe

[duckbill]

Working with another supplier on the stainless steel center inserts…..In an ideal world I would like to reproduce the fiberglass/plastic center that originally came in the Mistral. If cost prohibits it I am going to make one diaphragm like USD did in the later years and you can either push the tabs up for the 2 stage series of regulators….Broxton/DA/ RAM or leave them flat and use it with your Mistral.
I also have a few feelers out and I may re-make the whole thing in a modern nylon.

I think the SS would be best, but didn't USD supply them with the tabs bent out (a machine shop can do a MUCH better job bending them out squarely before assembly than some bench monkey could do with a screwdriver and pliers after the fact) and then the tabs could be flattened by the consumer for the Mistrals, as is often seen?

[Bryan]

Metal stamping is an expensive process. Each step you add to the part you are making costs that much more. die cost to stamp out the center disc and the two raised levers out of the circle and another tool/punch that drives the cutout levers to a 90 degree angle. Finally you will have to buff all the edges so there are no burrs or areas that will cut the silicone….

Working with in one of the new plastics is a whole other story……One mold can make both types of diaphragm centers. You either allow plastic to flow into the cavity for the levers or you don’t and you make the flat circle for the Mistral (which was originally fiberglass) This way is much cheaper….

Plus 99.9% of the divers will never use the regulator enough to show sufficient wear on the diaphragm levers to make any difference at all in its breathing characteristics.

This is the advice I have gotten from the experts in the field I’ve been consulting with. I have not made a decision yet.

[duckbill]

Working with in one of the new plastics is a whole other story……One mold can make both types of diaphragm centers. You either allow plastic to flow into the cavity for the levers or you don’t and you make the flat circle for the Mistral (which was originally fiberglass).

For that matter, maybe you could just make all of them with the tabs and the purchaser can take a dremel to the tabs or snap them out if they need the flat type. That would save you some guess work as far as trying to determine at manufacturing how many of each type to produce.