Regulator Repair Course

[couv]

Hello Peter,

Good to see you made it to the DIY “Dark Side”

Actually, you can work on most regulators without any special tools. But if you are going to order the book from Scuba Tools anyway, you may as well get a few items that make working on your stuff easier. One tool you must have is a Intermediate Pressure gage. http://www.scubatools.com/p-499-tech-diver-ip-gauge-scubapro-atomic-aquatics-tusa.aspx or http://www.scubatools.com/p-500-tech-diver-ip-gauge-universal-inflator.aspx A tool they have that I find handy is the Scuba Pro multi wrench. http://www.scubatools.com/p-458-scubapro-multi-tool-aluminum.aspx Awap is the master DIY guy and he doesn’t need one, but I find it useful. I’m a bit anal about o-rings, so I like to have an assortment of bullets and picks too http://www.scubatools.com/p-470-scubapro-piston-bullet-brass.aspx http://www.scubatools.com/p-391-oring-pick-set-2-soft-brass.aspx but, you can also make your own picks from brazing rods and bullets from plastic straws, ink pens etc. An in-line adjuster is nice to have but again, not necessary.

The T handle is not necessary as you can get a couple of bolts: 7/16-20 & 3/8-24 for a few bucks at the hardware store. For the 1” yoke nut wrench, get a used one for a dollar from the pawn shop and grind it down as needed.

So to answer your question, you can actually get by without any special tools, in fact, if you only service your own gear every few years you may as well spend the money on diving…..but, if you get the fever and make a hobby of it, you’ll want a few toys on your work bench. List the regulators you have and others can chime in with their favorite tool ideas.

Couv

[akdeepdiver]

Also check with North East Scuba Supply. Look under thier tools section. THey have a whole batch of regulator tools for very good prices.

[Anony]

My LDS sells a lot of EDGE gear, I sure love thier stuff and thier actions. Thanks for the long post about your bad experience sir.

[wes_wall]

Regulators are "Life Support" and as such I feel much better knowing how they work. A monkey with a cool looking workbench and neatly organized tools does not give me the confidence I get with first hand knowledge of at least the principle of how the gizmo works and a frank discussion with a knowledgeable and trustworthy person who is not at all afraid to let you look over their shoulder while they explain the process. If they try to keep it all a secret as if there is some body of knowledge of which you are not worthy to partake then I have fear that they don't know what they are talking about either.
I have taken regs in for service that have been returned with glaring tool marks and signs of force where I know first hand no force was necessary. This is a clear indication that that person was not familiar with my particular regulator.

[cvet78]

I took the classes from Rudy Mola and have stayed in touch with him, I like Rudy and after I took his classes I then took the manufacture classes. I like the Tumble juice that Rudy sells and have used it for the pass 11 years. His classes are a start and get you going in the right direction. He is a good guy and I wish him the best.