Broxton Ave “Aqua Lung” with unique mouthpiece

[luis]

Today I got in the mail a Broxton Ave “Aqua Lung” (probably 1953-1954). It was send to me by a semi-local dive shop to see if I could find more information about it.

The regulator doesn’t seem that unusual, but take a look at the mouthpiece. Has anyone seen a double hose regulator mouthpiece with a built in snorkel and valve to switch between the two?

The owner of the dive shop would like to know how much of a collector’s item this regulator is. She was debating between selling it, having it rebuilt (she ask me if I would) to dive it or just displaying it at the shop.

As you can see from the pictures, it is not in great shape, but it is not bad. The hoses are in amazingly good shape for their age. The valve in the mouthpiece seems to be frozen, but it could probably be fixed.

It has a screen filter rather than the sintered filter.

The snorkel is out of an unusual hard plastic.

This is very weird; just yesterday I posted the pictures of the Aquamatic with the built in snorkel. I don’t have that regulator, just the pictures.

[luis]

Here is a better picture:

[Bryan]

Hopefully Phil or Sam will chime in on this one. I have seen the three and four piece screens in place of the sintered filter quite a few times. I'm guessing the mouthpiece is aftermarket...Only a guess though. Neat stuff Luis! Thank you for posting it.

[luis]

I vaguely remember those screen filters. I haven't seen one in over 30 years.

The mouthpiece is what I have never seen. It may be an after market product, but it doesn't look home made.

I can't see any manufacturer's markings in the mouth piece.
The hoses are 1 inch on both ends.

[Phil]

Hi,Guys!
Just back in from Dubai - Boy! long haul. Yeah, I remember those snorkel tees. I think they were an after market accessory - but maybe not - cuz you could order the reg with them installed - so they might have been made by Spiro. This unit is older than the reg it is currently on - it fit the 'militaire' Spiro models of pre-50's. I think that Dimitri Rebikoff used one and I also think that you could get them from Fenjohn later on ( in the early 50's) I don't know why, but I connect the 'Florida Frogman' (dive shop) with them, also.
Hmmm . .absolutely no solid info at all! A guy I knew in the Vancouver Blue Sharks had one and I did try it - nothing remarkable about it or I would have remembered!( Seems to me he got it from Fenjohn)
Lots of guys ordered direct from France, cuz you could get the Navy-style one inch horns instead of the 'sport' regs with 3/4" inlet/outlet that were available through SPACO and Canadian Liquid Air. The difference in breathing below 150' was remarkable! Likewise, if you were working in even relatively shallow water. The small hoses were fine if you were just loafing along but no good for hard work! You had to roll onto your back every few minutes and take a 'breather' - then go back to work.
Looking at the unit, it does look very Spiro!
Rare piece! something to hang onto . I'd put on a '49 -'51 CG45 'Scaphandre Autonome', though . .
Phil

[luis]

Phil

Thanks for the information.

[Phil]

Re: Snorkel tee: the original rubber mouthpiece was orange - and was not the typical Spiro shape - but similar to the Italian mouthpieces of the time - also the Dunlop style (UK) . . .(more semi-useless trivia!)
Phil

[jrvance]

I have an old Pop. Mec. from 54 with an ad for this will post detail s later

[21]

Sorry for late response some how I missed this post.

This mouth piece was marketed by Fenimore Johnson's Company "Fenjon" of Ardmore, Pennsylvania in the early 1950s--about 1954-5. Its list price was $15.50. As previouly stated it had a horrible mouth piece that was immediately repaced by most users, it is doubtful that one with an original mouth piece has survived the passage of time. It experienced very limited sucess in the market place

During the same era, in April 1954, the Hope-Page was introduced to the public with great fan fare and lots of SDM coverage; Zale Parry made her 200+ foot world record dive using the HP, Doug Fane equiped the UDT with HP, and every month there was a huge advertisement in SDM. This certainly would have had an impact upon the sucess and aceptance of the Fenjon unit.

In conclusion it is a rare example of a failure.

21

[duckbill]

In conclusion it is a rare example of a failure.

In other words, BUY IT FROM HER, LUIS! What a find!