Vintage Double Hose

My buddy and I are undertaking a DIY Shallow Water Dive Helmet build project. And I was just wondering if there are any DIY sights detailing this subject.

I would make sure the helmet has an open bottom and a darn good check valve. Nem

I also am planning on making one but I have not had any luck with DIY sites. I am planning a copy of the Miller Dunn Divin Hood. Already bought a really nice thick copper bowl to save me the trouble of making that. The rest should not be to hard. I have been concentrating on building a surface supply console as I don't have a lot of volunteers willing to "man the pump" to get me air. I am going to refigure an air guage to make a pneumofathometer guage.

Am bidding on a Tescom regulator now to help complete the console. Let me know if you find any good info.

If you check out the downloads section under "Building your own Hookah," you might get some good ideas.

Nemrod wrote:I would make sure the helmet has an open bottom and a darn good check valve. Nem

The design will definately be an open bottom helmet. We are considering canibalizing a 20lb Propane Tank, the type that's used on Gas Grills.

crimediver wrote:I also am planning on making one but I have not had any luck with DIY sites. I am planning a copy of the Miller Dunn Divin Hood. Already bought a really nice thick copper bowl to save me the trouble of making that.

Wow, the Miller Dunn's are really sweat helmets. The one my buddy and I are building will probably look quite crude in comparison.

Diving helmets need a non return valve on the air line. This prevents the diver from being sucked up the air line in the event of a compressor failure. I think that's what Nemrod had in mind.
Although it doesn't contain any plans, the book"Shallow Water Diving & Spearfishing" Schenck and Kendal 1954 devotes an entire chapter to helmet diving. The whole book is facsintating. They do show one homemade helmet in there. It's made from a plexiglass dome. If my scanner was working I'd post the picture. Good luck with the project.

Jim

With an open bottom helmet I don't think the check valve is a big issue. It definately is a big issue in a closed helmet, full face mask or complete suit

I remember an episode of Junkyard Wars where the two teams built diving helmets. One helmet was made from a water-cooler bottle and the other had a view port from a washing machine, I believe. You could probably find that episode on You Tube. Good luck and I second the recommendation of Shollow Water Diving and Spearfishing as a really good reference book.

I have one of those plastic "Aqua Belle" hats, it came with no check valve. I can get a good enough seal around the shoulder area to stick the dang thing on in an uncomfortable manner.
If going any deeper than a couple-few feet I'd definitely recommend a check valve.

My first "helmet" was an old lard bucket with a couple cinder blocks for ballast & a clock crystal as a "one-eye" peeper port.
The things a kid gets into when there's a river running through the back yard, eh?

I believe the default building material for DIY hats were old riveted hot water tanks, weren't they?
I've seen pics of buckets & plain square wooden boxes rigged up as hats.