The Mystery of the Black Regulator......

[Bryan]

William Pique was nice enough to send me the mysterious black regulator he just won on E-bay so I could dissect and discover what secrets it holds. I’m going to try and post each part that I find different or unusual. I am by no means trying to allude to the fact that I am an expert on military regulators! I have been fortunate enough to own and service 9 military double hoses and have also been in contact with a couple of UDT/EOD guys that told me a lot about the internal parts that were used. Sam Miller wrote a very interesting post about these regulators on Dan’s board last year sometime so I am sure he will post his thoughts on the regulator as I post the photos. Hope you find it interesting! Set back and enjoy the show…….

[Bryan]

Already the 1st part has me confused. The lable is on upside down and is made of a thin foil type material. I cannot do much with it because I can't chance damaging it. I'm at a loss for why it would be this way?

You can see where the black finish has been applied to the regulator can. On all the others I have seen the black finish is on both sides of the can. What I do find unusual is the exposed metal has neither the shiny chrome or the satin chrome finish. It appears to be flat stainless......

[Bryan]

What is wrong here ?

[Nemrod]

I know nothing much about such things but I do see a few things in the pics. The finish appears to be black spray paint. I can see the over spray where it was shot through the holes and dusted the inside. I cannot do metallurgy from a pic but that just don't look like stainless. The foil label is a mystery.
It would seem that there would be people around who worked for these companies that know the answers. I don't think foil labels are hard to make, I suppose a die is needed to stamp them over.
James

[captain]

No the mouthpiece the Aqua Lung is normally in the center across the middle of the tank with the U S Divers rocker below. Also the logo is not aligned vertically.

[Bryan]

It appears to have been touched up with spray paint but the majority of the body and nozzle retain the original parkerized finish... For those of you familiar with the reciever on a AR-15/M-16 it's that finish.

James I'm only guessing on stainless....Could it be a very tough aluminium alloy?

Tom that is the 1st crooked label on a mouthpiece that I have ever seen.

[Bryan]

The hoses are unique as well. They were secured with brass screws and nuts but they are a reinforced hose like the Dacors and just as stiff. I would call them Dacor's except they never made a hose with an 1" 1/2 cuff....Nor have I ever seen a USD hose that was reinforced like these. Take a closeup look at the mouthpiece end of these beauties.......

[William]

I am the owner of the black regulator and did one thing. I found it puzzleing. I have a Dacor R-4 Regulator and took the mouthpiece off the hose. I then took a U.S.divers mouthpiece with cages in it and lubed it and the Dacor hoses up, very good, with a super slick Armor All cream I made and tried to get the mouthpiece into the hose. It took many tries, but I managed to get it barely started in. I could only work it in a little though. It was really stretching the hose end. I tried over several times and pushing and twisting fairly hard, I managed to get it in about 1/3 of the way and then decided I better stop. I did not take the black regulator hose apart to examine and measure the size of it's mouthpiece or cages. Bryan is the best to do that. I wish to express my gratitude to Bryan for all he is doing also. I also hope the people that may know much more about the black regulator will come and share with us too. William

[oldmossback]

AS was stated, can not tell the metal composition of the can from a photo, but it looks like galvanized tin.

[Nemrod]

Well, William, it does look like you have a very unusual piece there, good luck with it. Reinforced hoses, well blow me down!
James

[1969ivan1]

This is very interesting indeed! Thanks again William for letting us check out the reg and thanks Bryan for keeping us posted.

[William]

Looking at Bryan's second picture,of the Body with Label, it appears that up to 9 Clamps may have been used,noticeing where paint is missing in spots,in even spaceing around the body.

[duckbill]

I wonder, could it be that the bottom box was a replacement painted to match the rest of the regulator. The bottom box does appear to have been spray painted.
Also, Parkerizing (zinc phosphate or manganese phosphate), if I remember correctly, only forms on regular steel, not stainless. A black finish on stainless, other than paint, would usually indicate black chrome or black oxide. Black chrome would not usually "throw" into recesses very well, whereas black oxide forms evenly on any surface exposed to the solution (i.e. no air pockets). I only mention this because it may help ID the materials in question. Of course, regular steel and 400 series stainless would be magnetic, too. 300 series stainless and brass alloys would not.

[Bryan]

I don't have a way to determine the actual magnetic signal on the regulator cans. The body is stampe with the low MU trident as is found on all the other non mags I have seen.

If memory serves me correctly the recievers on M-16's are an aluminum alloy and are parkerized.....The finish on these regulators most closely resemble those parts.
Or a spray on powder coating. Rob has a faux non mag that I had done with powder coating and until you see the hookah port you could not tell it from an original....

[YankDownUnder]

Judging by the wrong labeling of a later box, and replacement hoses, what you may have is a 'repaired' non-mag.

The military repairs, at all levels, the equipment which is sent back from operational units. This can go right up to depot level, which is the maker.

I would guess that the front box was damaged and replaced and service up grades or repairs that made, an unserviceable unit serviceable once more, were applied. ie. new hoses etc.

It's only a guess based on being a maintenance officer and obtaining repaired equipment for my unit as the commander.