Canadian regulator manugfacturer

[treasureman]

I have seen the name mentioned on this forum of a maufacturer in canada that used to assemble USd regulators. Does anyone remember the name. Was id "liquid Air, or Aire Liquide".

[YankDownUnder]

Air Liquid (L'air Liquide) is the name of the French parent company. Jacques Y Cousteau's father-in-law was a director. It owned 99% of La Spirotechnique. Cousteau owned 1%.

Air Liquid set up manufacture in Canada because Canada had better trade arrangements with the USA than France. Designer Emile Gagnan was transfered there too. They made and imported their regulators. They exported to SPACO on the eastern sea board and to Rene Sports on the west coast. Rene Sports became US Divers and was bought out by La Spirotechnique five years later.

They also bought out Breathing Appliances Pty Ltd in Melbourne, Australia. That was Ted Eldred's company which made the first single hose regulator, The Porpoise. Ted told me the first single hose was made and sold in Melbourne in early 1952. The company was sold in 1960. Ted died last year.

[duckbill]

Very clear and concise, Steve. Well done. I hope these are some of the types of information tidbits which will appear in a book soon

[treasureman]

good info...however, did Air Liquid assemble or produce a regulator in canada. I recall on a post in this forum many months ago, someone sasyting that these regs are the toughest to find.

A colleague of mine works in Air Liquide here in the soon to be frozen north, and claims to have seen what he thinks are some double hose parts in their rather extensive store rooms, hidden away in the dingy and darkened areas. That is why I ask. I may be able to free some stuff up . But first I must know if they assembled or made reg double hose type, and what they look like so when i get a chance to go in and look, I know what I am looking at.

[Bryan]

Phil Nuytten wrote a lengthy article on this subject for HDS magazine. I'm sorry but I've already packed that stuff so I can't ge my hands on it right now. I'm sure someone can chime in and tell us what issue and perhaps get some more facts for you. I can remember that they were shipped to Canada as parts and assembled then sold through Vermont I think?? I would say get ALL parts you can get your hands on for any double hose they have..... They are worth their weight in gold to serious collectors.

Oh, I think Phil and Sam Miller are writing books on the subject of early double hose regulators and the early days of scuba diving. I think Sam Lecocq's book is done.

[YankDownUnder]

L'Air Liquide made a Canadian model in 1948-50. The black data plate reads: AQUA-LUNG (TRADE MARK) COUSTEAU GAGNAN PROCESS (PATENT PENDING) CANADIAN LIQUID AIR CO. LTD MADE IN CANADA. Features: metal curved mouth piece, riveted exhaust hose horn, box clips, black/nickled riveted data plate

The first units bought by Rene Bussoz (US Divers) were from Canada in 1949. He had purchased a few units from France a bit earlier, but the rate of import duty was too high.

U.S. Divers labeled regulators 'Made in USA' when the parts were imported from Canada and simply assembled in the US. About half of the parts in the Canadian model came from France. The external boxes were Canadian made.

Ref: Historical Diver No. 42 Winter 2005 Article: Emile Gagnan and the Aqua Lung by Phil Nuytten

[YankDownUnder]

Still another Canadian scuba maker?

There were demand valve air units available before Cousteau and Gagnan collaborated to make what became the Aqua Lung double hose regulator. Commeines in France made fire fighter scba (Self contained breathing apparatus). This was applied to underwater use even before Cousteau's success.

There were other SCBAs too. You all know about Scott Hydro Packs, and there are still Scott SCBA Packs today. They were used in the film: 'World Trade Center'.

In Canada there was another company called NORMALAIR CANADA. Usually when you see a company name, and a country, it comes from somewhere else. For example in France you see the label: 'FORD France' and of course 'Canadian Liquid Air'. NORMALAIR may have been British as their products were sold and advertised there in the BSAC publications. In a 1960 copy of the British Sub-Aqua Diving Manual they show their address as NORMALAIR of Yeovil 27/31 Minshull St. Manchester 1.

I do not know for sure the origin of this company or what they made in Canada, but have seen thier diving product ads in Australia too. According to those ads they have been connected with Drager at some point. They made a scuba that looked like a fire fighter air unit. They had the best harness I have ever seen. It is reminisent of of a parachute harness. A disc buckle held all five straps together at the stomach. Lifting of one lever unbuckled it all. Another lever held on a weight pouch of lead discs. This lead arrangement gave a perfect balance to the diver while standing and while underwater too.

A British friend had a harness of this type, when I was a teenage diver in Australia. It was common for divers to buy many different brands. He thought the Dacor Dart was the best regulator, but the Normalair harness was the best. He used Heinke twin tanks with the unit. My gear was equally eclectic, but double hose.

[treasureman]

All this info helps a great deal. Because Air Liquide is on the St Lawrence River, it may stand to reason (wishful thiunking) that it may have some older parts hanging around. In any event, late Decembre or early january is when I will get a chance to go in and scrounge around to see what can shake loose. Who knows..perhas there are some complete examples.

[crimediver]

The Dacor Dart was the first regulator I ever breathed from.

It was about 1967. I was living on a Navy base on the Philippines and had discovered snorkeling. I used to freedive and spear fish. I always dreamed of being able to stay down a bit longer. Diving scuba seemed as distant as walking on th moon. I had been influenced by watching Sea Hunt and Flipper. One day my dad and I went to the BOQ (Bachelors Officer Quarters). A Lt. that worked with my dad had a single hose setup in his quarters. He showed me how it worked. As I breathed of it I could only envision the weapon of mass fish destruction I would become if I only I could harness this technology.

My dad eventually bought the regulator from the Lt. when he shipped out. We could rent tanks and regs from Special Services for a couple of bucks a day. The rentals were 50 Fathom Voits. We bought one used 50 Fathom from Special Services when they switched to single hose Dacors, for ten bucks for the reg, tank and Snugpak and a wrist depth guage. My dad always dived the Dacor Dart and I dove the Voit 50 Fathom. We stopped diving once we got back to the states as we were disappointed with the shore diving in VA Beach (We did not have a boat). Some years passed and I got back into diving in college. I once asked my dad to see if he had his Dacor reg as I thought it was more state-of-the-art than my humble Voit 2 hoser. He told me he had lost it or had given it away.

About 7 years ago he passed away. A couple of years later I was going through some old clothes of his. He had a bag of clothes that were not worth donating to Goodwill so I dumped them into a trash can. I later decided I needed some shop rags and decided to pull out a couple of flannel shirts I had dumped into the trash can. I saw a black air hose in the jumble of clothing and pulled it out. Lo and behold it was the Dacor Dart! I almost wet myself.

This was the first reg I had ever used. Even though I was on land. But it had opened my imagination to the possibilities that such a marvelous piece of technology could provide. Man, was I ever thankful I decided I needed shop rags. The regulator had been put away without soaking soaking and was a little green and blistered but it sure looked great to me. I used an ultrasonic cleaner and it looks pretty good now. I think it is the only Dacor I have ever liked. I have it in a curio cabinet now, but I think it is a special regulator to me and I have told my kids that it fallls into the heirloom category (along with my 50m Fathom Voit). I hooked it up and I noticed the second stage is leaking. I guess I will make it a project this winter.

[Bryan]

[quote="crimediver"]The Dacor Dart was the first regulator I ever breathed from.


Nice story, but I'm trying to figure out what it has to do with Canadian Aqua-Lungs?

[scaph]

Yes, there is an other canadian manufacturer....
I own a double hose from International Divers Corp, Montreal, Canada, number 00046....I have no more information about this manufacturer .
Pics are here :
http://www.detendeursanciens.com/intern1.htm

Eric

[Bryan]

Looks like a jet air on the outside......What are the internals like ?

[scaph]

Hello Bryan,
You're right, it looks like a Jet Air outside (not exactly the same) and inside too, except the orifice which is longer than in the Jet Air (like a french Mistral).
And this double hose has a Kleer E-Z mouthpiece stamped US Divers.
Someone told me some time ago, don't remember who (maybe Sam), that International Divers Corp made copies of US Divers regs for some years and then had some troubles with US Divers.....???

Eric

[Phil]

Hi, Guys!
Bin Travelin', so long time no post. Great diving: Singapore, Bali, Komodo,Darwin,Sydney, and last week Curacao. Mostly biz, but always time to get wet! Re: the posts on Canadian reg manufacturers - L'aire Liquide was the eastern Canadian branch (Quebec) of the French parent and Canadian Liquid Air was the western Canadian branch (British Columbia). The details are in the long monograph "Emile Gagnan: Architect of the Aqua-lung" I wrote and presented at the Historical Diving Society conference a couple of years ago. The HDS mag "Historic Diver" published a shorter version, as did 'Diver' mag. Most all of the queries the posters have been putting forth are in there. As for 'old parts' at CLA or L'aire Liquide - these are well worn paths. If there are any there now, then I must have been stoned or not paying attention!! The last of the CLA parts were shipped to L.A. in 1954 to use in servicing old USN regs.
Other stuff: Canadian Earl Scott's involvement in the Hydro-pak was long after the CG regs were produced in Canada and the US. (see monograph for dates, circumstances) The 'International Divers' regs were a knock-off of the GC's (and others) but there's much more to that story. I've written about ID briefly, in 'Historic Diver' - I was a dealer for ID in the 50's and am currently finishing yet another article and monograph on the owner. Re: Normalair. Right, built in Yeoville, UK. Never produced in Canada. A lot of units sold through reps in Quebec,Ontario and B.C. Very comfortable rig, soft,liquid-filled face seal ( filled with vodka/water 50/50 -otherwise big algae problem since was usually filled from users mouth!) Good in shallow water but very high C02 in deep water - also prone to freezing since it had no hp reduction stage. Air went from bottle directly to an upstream tilt-valve at hp. (yeah, you read right! an upstream tilt valve operating at 2 grand+) Well made rig, but not popular because of full-face mask - much like Hydro-pak. Lets see . . . other Canuck regs: Lou Singer at Supreme divers sold a AN6004 Diluter Demand conversion under the trade name 'Sea Horse" in the 50's. Not too many left, since they had an aluminum body (like the 2nd model Divair) Re: Commeinhes - The RC series were the fire-fighting models - first patent 1935. (Rene Commeinhes) His son Georges produced the amphibious model (GC series) in the early 40's I have a complete set of these units - all models from 1935 through 1952. (dates and circumstances in Gagnan paper) Very interesting design. L'aire Liquide considered them serious cpmpetition to the CG 45's - particularly since they were approved by the French Navy! Lots of the early stuff was done in Canada. At this years HDS conference, I authored another long,dreary monograph on the first multi-tissue decompression computer ( actually, I was in New York with NASA, giving a talk at 'NextFest' a future show put on by 'Wired' magazine - on that day, so my daughter gave the decom computer paper for me) Guess where the decompression computer was invented? Yup. Many of you avid decom divers will be aware of the DCIEM tables - they, and the algorithms that support them, were developed by use of the first decom meter. There'll be an article on this in the March 2007 'Diver' mag. Yipes! I'm rambling . . .
Regards and seasons best to all hosers - from the Great White North