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Discussion of diving methods and equipment available prior to the development of BCDs beyond the horse collar. This forum is dedicated to the pre-1970 diving.
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Goodlifedivers
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First Name: Danny
Location: Oyster Bay NY

NorthHill Air Lung

Fri May 08, 2015 3:50 pm

Hey all,

So I acquired a Northhill Air Lung today from my local dive shops garbage box. Can anyone give me some information on it? Is it even possible to restore one of these or is it a wall hanger?

Can it be used with replacement silicone hoses? or does it need it's special DSV to work?

Any idea if it's worth selling?

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Bryan
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Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Fri May 08, 2015 7:57 pm

There are quite a few posts and a lot of information on them in the forum. Search feature should be able to help.
Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

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antique diver
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Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Fri May 08, 2015 8:14 pm

Hey Bryan, I'll give you $50 if you will tell Goodlifedivers it's no good and that he should send it to me for proper disposal to prevent someone from getting hurt. :D
The older I get the better I was.

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Goodlifedivers
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Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Fri May 08, 2015 8:32 pm

Actually, I tried doing a forum search and Northhill Air lung only came up with two results that didn't provide much information.

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Bryan
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Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Fri May 08, 2015 10:43 pm

I put Northill in the search box and got two pages of results.
Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

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Bryan
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Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Fri May 08, 2015 10:44 pm

antique diver wrote:Hey Bryan, I'll give you $50 if you will tell Goodlifedivers it's no good and that he should send it to me for proper disposal to prevent someone from getting hurt. :D
I'll see what I can do. ..Image
Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

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Goodlifedivers
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First Name: Danny
Location: Oyster Bay NY

Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Sat May 09, 2015 7:52 am

Well at least I know it's worth at $50 to someone.

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Goodlifedivers
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First Name: Danny
Location: Oyster Bay NY

Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Sat May 09, 2015 7:53 am

Bryan wrote:I put Northill in the search box and got two pages of results.
It's caused I spelled it northhill

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simonbeans
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Location: Rochester NY

Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Sat May 09, 2015 9:59 am

To repeat what I said on SB, check Roberts' Book, Basic Scuba.

As for fishing for price, the easiest way, outside of asking on the forums, is to do an eBay search and see what they sold for.
Check out my website: www.vintagescubastuff.com

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Goodlifedivers
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Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 2:45 pm
First Name: Danny
Location: Oyster Bay NY

Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Sat May 09, 2015 9:07 pm

I just listed this reg on the marketplace. I think it may be above my ability to restore it and I think I would rather have something I can eventually dive.

So, If anyone is interested in trading or sending an offer for this reg, have at it.

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Bronze06
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First Name: Russell
Location: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Sun May 10, 2015 2:13 pm

They tend to go for $250 and up in fair to excellent condition from what I've seen.

Northill was a subsidiary of Garrett which is still around. I would bet that you see Northill regs come into existence after the Normalair acquisition. I believe their reg bodies were actually made of Bronze a Normalair practice.

John Clifford "Cliff" Garrett founded a company in Los Angeles in 1936 which came to be known as Garrett AiResearch or simply AiResearch.[1] Already operating his Garrett Supply and Airsupply businesses, in 1939 Cliff Garrett established a small research laboratory to conduct "air research" on the development of pressurized flight for passenger aircraft.[2] "[AiResearch's] first 'lab' was a small store building on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles".[3]

In 1939 Garrett incorporated the "Garrett Corporation" and the three operating companies became divisions: Airsupply Division, Garrett Supply Division, and AiResearch Manufacturing Division. Needing additional space, they built their own manufacturing facility in Glendale, California, and thereby established the name AiResearch Manufacturing Company.

Normalair acquisition

The company won a Queens Award to Industry for Export in 1966 and the Garrett Corporation took a 48% shareholding in the company, which was subsequently renamed Normalair-Garrett Limited (NGL). At this time the company had more than 1,300 employees.
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"Where'd ya get that ol' thang, don't cha' know them thare things ill kill ya!"

Live From the Red Sea,

Russ

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Bronze06
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First Name: Russell
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Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Sun May 10, 2015 2:40 pm

I stand corrected. The Northill was available in at least 1956, and definitely the plant was located very near Garrett's main production areas in LA. I looked in the "Bullpen" on Bryans manuals and the one he has is dated 1956. It's strange that Northill isn't mentioned AT ALL in Garrett's online corporate history, though it was definitely a subsidiary of Garrett. It would be a rubber cutting nightmare to rebuild with regards to the main diaphragm, but you don't need a DSV to operate it.
"Where'd ya get that ol' thang, don't cha' know them thare things ill kill ya!"

Live From the Red Sea,

Russ

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YankDownUnder
Master Diver
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Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Wed May 13, 2015 11:58 pm

The Northill Air Lung was the featured regulator in the 1956 science fiction film, The Creature Walks Among Us. It is the last in the 'Creature' trilogy available on DVD. The trilogy is fun to watch and features some great double hose diving. The first one, Creature from the Black Lagoon shows the 'Broxton' green label and there is a variety of gear in the second movie, including a commercial diving helmet and Scott full face mask regulator.

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Goodlifedivers
Master Diver
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Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 2:45 pm
First Name: Danny
Location: Oyster Bay NY

Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Thu May 14, 2015 8:43 am

So someone looked up the serial number for me giving me a date of 1955.

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eskimo3883
Master Diver
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Re: NorthHill Air Lung

Sun Aug 23, 2015 2:39 pm

There is a really nice article on the Northill written by Ed LaRochelle. It includes photos I had never seen before.

The Northill Air-Lung Regulator. LaRochelle, Ed // Journal of Diving History;2014 3rd Quarter, Vol. 22 Issue 80, p23
“A skin diver is a fellow who pulls on a pair of fancy swimming trunks, some rubber fins, a diving mask and canvas gloves, then fills his lungs with air and noses down into the ocean looking for two fisted trouble.”

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