Electroless Nickel Plating and Re-Build...
- I decided to go ahead with re-building this regulator. First order of business was clean up and plating of the parts that were so badly pitted. You can see that plating pits doesn't make them look much better... Kind of like lipstick on a pig!
But electroless nickel is a superb protection from further corrosion.
- The ugliest parts are still in excellent functional shape and they're out of sight... And with Electroless nickel hermetically sealing every pore, they'll probably never corrode again.
- I installed a new small diaphragm and a new silicone large diaphragm. The low and high pressure seats were already new (as noted in the original post). New body gasket and new nylon gaskets went in. Everything adjusted up just fine... IP pressure, lever tension, etc.
- I also installed a new duckbill eliminator, new black silicon hoses with streamlined wagon wheels and cup shaped valves. New curved mouthpiece. It is now a like-new (or better) DA Aqua-Master that just happens to have some ugly looking parts inside.
- I've dry tested it with high (3000 psi) as well as low pressure tanks and it breathes really nice. Oh and I refinished the cans with electroless nickel so they look pretty nice.
- I cleaned up and re-painted the original label with flat black. And even though the label was damaged by the previous owner, it doesn't look bad... I think this regulator now has some "Character"