Vintage Double Hose

I had my hydroglove modified by a buddy with an oral inflation valve from an old Mae West (thanks Jbrians). I did a 65 minute dive in 60 degree water the other day, and aside from a dribble of water on my chest, I was bone dry. Inflating the suit was easy, and I simply breathed the air back out of the valve at the bottom, and stopped periodically to do so on my ascent. It worked like a champ. It is important to note that farting in one's drysuit in this case is a terrible idea


Cue the shameless selfie:




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It is of note that if you have an oral inflation valve, that it is nice to have it where mine is on the upper chest. You can reach it without your hands that way. It is also nice to have a locking barrel, so your head movement does not push the inflation valve and flood the suit.


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I have been wanting to do this very thing, but have not been able to find a valve to even start the project. I did not want to use one that was 60 years old for obvious reasons. I love the hooded hydroglove and when it works it is great but it is hit and miss for me. Some dives are rather yet we will say.

It has to be a rubber one or it won't seal to the suit. Ask me how I know


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Slonda,

Where did you get the valve? Is it a dive-shop item or did you modify an inflator for a camping mattress? Not sure I've seen the brass locking screw on a Mae West style life vest....( I see what you wrote - so I'm assuming it's original - just looks different than I remember seeing on the CA Coast many years ago.)

Looks good on your suit. I take it you used seal cement or something similar..?

I used the industrial rubber cement like at the auto parts store. It is a valve off of an old Stebco skin diving vest. Any of the old Voit, Stebco, and Sportsways vests have them. They usually hold up pretty well. I have a Stebco from the 50s that still works.


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I like that. It's much more in the Vintage diving style than my addition of a DUI inflator to one of my Hydrogloves. I always feel a little like I am cheating when using it.

If you are going to be breathing from that maybe you can come up with a little charcoal filter in the tube to help tame noxious gases that accumulate in your suit.

You just have to be "fart cognisant."


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slonda828 wrote:You just have to be "fart cognisant."


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Yes, that and always remember what Jack Nicholson said on the subject in the movie Bucket List!

What was that?


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They do work rather well. I had a black DUI combat swimmer drysuit that used the same oral inflator. It also had a power inflator and pressure relief valve on it. The oral inflator was mounted on the left wrist as I recall. It made it easy to access. It did have a small loop of material to stow the end of the inflator in so it was secured out of the way. I think it is a nice feature. On a Hydroglove it would be sweet.

slonda828 wrote:What was that?


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Nicholson said "Never trust a fart".

Now that I have the valve it is as dry as my Whites Fusion. It makes the whole experience better, and it does incorporate the experience of diving a vintage drysuit IMO.


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I love snorkelling with my Hydroglove, which keeps me warm and dry in the North Sea. On the subject of oral inflators, here are three examples of vintage British drysuits from the early 1960s with a single valve:
1. Dunlop Aquafort Suit 2. Siebe-Heinke Frogman Suit 3. Typhoon Dry Suit Am I right in assuming that the valves on these early suits are all oral inflators?

David,

I am glad you are the archivist. I swear your ability to find stuff in the annals of vintage diving lore is second to none. Thanks for sharing this, and please feel free to use this thread to keep adding vintage drysuit stuff. I am going to roll this up into a PDF for the site.

Thanks again