Vintage Double Hose

What did you do with the original cans?

I still have them. Not sure if the can change will be permanent.

That bottom can is worth a bit of dough. What about the extra pin hole in the top can? Maybe a different body at one time?

usddude wrote:That bottom can is worth a bit of dough. What about the extra pin hole in the top can? Maybe a different body at one time?

Not sure. The guy I bought it from didn't seem to know anything about it. I assumed that it was a factory hole, since it is chromed on the inside as well.

usddude wrote:That bottom can is worth a bit of dough. What about the extra pin hole in the top can? Maybe a different body at one time?

I have rebuilt a significant number of 50 Fathom regs, and as far as I remember, they all had two holes. By having two holes, the can could be used for various single stage designs.

Greg

Yup, that's right, a Voit 50 Fathom VCR-2, 1961 in the chrome. Do we have any source for seat and disk assembly (part 14) out there as well as micro-sized phenolic gaskets (part 11) for the seat? This is a new dingus for me.


Chrome is slightly marred but good. Very shiny in the light. Interior is in good shape. The oft remarked factory "double holed" can.
As you can see, our old friend at Professional Scuba Repair had this one in the shop. Most likely the last time it ever got serviced.

New seats are difficult to come by new but I do have a few. I have a nylon gasket that will replace the phenolic as it was too expensive to re-make them in the original material considering the low demand for the part.

Bryan wrote:New seats are difficult to come by new but I do have a few. I have a nylon gasket that will replace the phenolic as it was too expensive to re-make them in the original material considering the low demand for the part.

Bryan, E-mail sent. Right now the disk and seat assembly is holding air. I am using a 008 oring that is approximately the same diameter as the phenolic gaskets.Granted it is a wee bit thicker, but is under compression two ways. This reg only had the one gasket and it should have two. That said, it is holding air, but I would like to have a disk and seat assembly as a spare for this baby and get a nylon gasket to fill the bill for the "Seat" seal. Thanks for the quick reply.

PS: Is this a "Sea Hunt Forever" certifiable reg?????

As a temporary fix, I have rebuilt a 1962 "Polaris" up stream body and guts that I will use in the 1961 50 Fathom. The original 1961down stream held only for awhile after re-build at 2600 psi, but the disk assembly (seat) lost its ability to hold back the tide at 2800psi and of course I have yet to get a new disk assembly. It's a good and safe fix for now and breathes and holds well at 3200 psi. I am eventually getting a NOS disk assembly from Bryan when I order some more parts. No rush. Sorry purists!!! Not to worry, my 1959 Blue can Fathom 50 is still kicking with its original guts.

I am guessing that Voit only used the down stream mechanism for a short run ( 1959 to 1961) due to the inherent possiblity of: overpressure causing loss of air through the disk assembly as well as lawsuits or am I mistaken.

Actually, Polaris innards in a chrome 50 Fathom can be considered factory original. When I got my chrome 50 Fathom, I discovered it to have a Polaris mechanism inside. It still had the original gray hoses that had turned brown and rotted, so they were very likely the original hoses. Which also makes it unlikely someone back in 1961 or '62 would have robbed all the parts out of a brand new Polaris to put them into a 50 Fathom can.
It also has a foil sticker on the inside of the can with the serial number: #211XXX.
My theory is that towards the end of 50 Fathom production in 1961, Voit ran out of downstream mechanisms, and substituted upstream Polaris guts until all the 50 Fathom labels were used up, and then just started putting Polaris labels on the regs.
Voit also made substitutions with the Blue 50 Fathoms. When I got what I thought was a V55 Blue 50 Fathom with the upstream mechanism, what it actually had was the internals of a VCR-5 Blue 50 Fathom, but with the label of a V55. Another case of substitution. Early production VCR-5s has a silver "Swimming Diver" label. Voit again probably ran out of the VCR-5 labels, and the last ones made received V55 labels..

capn_tucker wrote:Actually, Polaris innards in a chrome 50 Fathom can be considered factory original. When I got my chrome 50 Fathom, I discovered it to have a Polaris mechanism inside. It still had the original gray hoses that had turned brown and rotted, so they were very likely the original hoses. Which also makes it unlikely someone back in 1961 or '62 would have robbed all the parts out of a brand new Polaris to put them into a 50 Fathom can.
It also has a foil sticker on the inside of the can with the serial number: #211XXX.
My theory is that towards the end of 50 Fathom production in 1961, Voit ran out of downstream mechanisms, and substituted upstream Polaris guts until all the 50 Fathom labels were used up, and then just started putting Polaris labels on the regs.
Voit also made substitutions with the Blue 50 Fathoms. When I got what I thought was a V55 Blue 50 Fathom with the upstream mechanism, what it actually had was the internals of a VCR-5 Blue 50 Fathom, but with the label of a V55. Another case of substitution. Early production VCR-5s has a silver "Swimming Diver" label. Voit again probably ran out of the VCR-5 labels, and the last ones made received V55 labels..

I feel relieved. Thanks, Capn' Tucker. I will endeavor to get the original guts up and running, but this is good news.

The Voit Polaris is my favorite double hose reg, so I was actually very pleased to find that my chrome 50 Fathom is what amounts to a pre-production Polaris..