Help identify and rebuild US Divers first stage

[scubadada]

Hi @Tim Clark Diving

Your goal is worthy, however, if I was lucky enough to be able to take my 87 year old father diving, I would do it with modern equipment

Best of luck

 

[Green Frog]

OTOH, if Tim wants to take his dad on a casual, shallow, warm water dive, that old Calypso J, properly serviced on top of a tank with about 2750# of pressure, will probably do fine. Would I want to use it for a deep, cold water dive? Not in this lifetime! I’m not an expert and am not trying to represent myself as one here, but based on my limited knowledge and research, this would be my decision. As with all opinions, yours may vary.

As mentioned earlier, I considered looking for and restoring a Calypso J for my own use a few months ago. The main reason I didn’t do so was mosty because I didn’t like the hose layout I would have had to deal with. Of course any old regulator can have a lot of problems, especially if improperly (or even un-) serviced. If it is properly serviced and used within conservative limits, diving an old regulator can be lots of fun… folks do it all the time.

Green Frog

 

[happy-diver]

I took my 93 year old father diving with an AL Aquarius but it was in a chair with pure oxygen
He died soon after,
I had contemplated taking him on a sea folly, but cons idering something like this is selfissssh
certainly with the physiology of someone that age no matter how nostalgic the experience be

I also had the option of subjecting him to torture through a Calypso J something I wouldn't be
diving myself as time is limited diving is fraught enough, without diving using inadequate junk

and my calypso J has a socket in it

 

[iain/hsm]

and my calypso J has a socket in it

Great idea. Does this make it a self adjusting regulator.
and do they supply a metric version for us lot. LOL

 

[iain/hsm]

I took my 93 year old father diving with an AL Aquarius but it was in a chair with pure oxygen
He died soon after,

Did you forgot to tell us he was strapped in the chair

 

[SlugLife]

Your goal is worthy, however, if I was lucky enough to be able to take my 87 year old father diving, I would do it with modern equipment

I have to second this. Even if he's in excellent physical and mental shape for that age, I would want gear that was very reliable and little guess work as to what could go wrong. Based on your description, it also sounds like he hasn't been diving for some time, and may have skill atrophy as well.

Servicing his old gear might be a nice gift though, but probably something to put on the shelf.

If it is properly serviced and used within conservative limits, diving an old regulator can be lots of fun… folks do it all the time.

There is a sub-community of divers here who regularly use vintage gear. However, they tend to be people who go diving regularly, regularly service vintage equipment, understand the risks and limitations of older equipment, and how to handle them.

 

[lexvil]

Make it work to show him, if you want to show him in the water YOU use it give him something newer. He is taking enough risk dealing with the airlines just getting to Guam.

 

[Tim Clark Diving]

Thanks for all the help and advice. The video on the Calypso rebuild will be especially useful . I wasn’t expecting someone to have done a full rebuild video! I’m looking forward to getting it usable again. If It works, sound like I should keep it on a cylinder with lower psi. I willl see how it breathes once rebuilt and decide what to do from there. Rest assured, whatever we do the dive will be the easiest entry you've seen, 20 ft max, and one where we just sit and watch the fishes go by. I have plenty of other refs for him to use if the Calypso isn’t breathing silky smooth. My dad will be happy just knowing it is still being cared for.

 

[Bob DBF]

The pressure limitation could be due to the rated strength of the yoke type tank attachment.

A particular yoke attachment on a reg will have a limitation on the pressure it can handle dependent on its design. The yoke itself can be to handle pressures well over 3500#, however one can no longer get a tank over 3500# with a yoke valve, and at a certain point the size of the yoke would get unwieldy.

Sherwood designed a yoke reg for 4000# service around 1980.

 

[axxel57]

....Sherwood designed a yoke reg for 4000# service around 1980.

View attachment 820636

Very funny!!
Even the 2nd stage could be used at 4000# service!

Pure coincident, just that morning my second Sherwood SRB4000 arrived!
Again! Couldn't resist.......