DIY back plate

[pcscuba]

I was thinking of trying to build a stainless or aluminum backplate. I don't know where to begin . Does anyone have any tips or advice on where to get drawings etc?

[nickjb]

There is a thread somewhere in the archives with a number links to various plans for backplates.

I think I posted this:

http://membres.lycos.fr/raynaldrobinot/BACKPLATE/BACKPLATE.htm

but there is a lot more info in the thread

[oxyhacker]

Unless you or a buddy are a machinist and have access to a decent milling machine or cnc machinery making a SS backplate is usually not cost-effective. Alu is much easier because its much easier to work and you can cut it with a sabre saw, but an alu backplate isn't much use except for traveling and, unless you get it hardcoated or something which really runs up the price, corrodes.

That said, we made a batch of SS ones using a plasma cutter (fairly cheap gadget you'll find in most welding and many body shops that can do very clean cuts in steel and SS freehand) that came out pretty good though they took some hand finishing. Bending takes serious machinery; we took it to a iron works (steel fabrication shop) and the foreman bent them up on his lunch hour for $10 each.

The secret to making a really cost effective backplate is to use surplus SS plate, if you can find it - check local scrapyards, they usually save the SS in a separate pile.

There are some good plans floating around the net for a SS backplate that originated with Roger Lacasse in Canada - a web search should find a copy. We enlarged them to full size, printed them out and glued them on the blanks which made it easy to drill and cut in the right place without a lot of layout work.

Another thing to consider: there are a couple of basement machinists who turn out batches of generic backplates that sell for much less than the name brand ones. A post here or on one of the other SCUBA forums should find some. Backplates are pretty much a generic item and don't require long term support, so you can buy pretty safely by price.


pcscuba once bubbled...
I was thinking of trying to build a stainless or aluminum backplate. I don't know where to begin . Does anyone have any tips or advice on where to get drawings etc?

[awap]

I wanted a design that was not readily available and I had the scrap material (1/4 inch T6 Al). Everyday power tools and lots of sweat got the cutting done. Local machione shop dit the bends.

In retrostect, while I'm happy with the results, but I wouldn't do it again. Too many perfectly good BPs available on e-bay at great prices. I mean, we're probably talking 10 to 20 hours of work including time wasted on bad ideas. I sure am glad my wife decided she wasn't interested in one of those contraptions.