AMF VOIT Swimaster Titan II MR12

[ew1usnr]

Greg Barlow once bubbled...
The tilt-valve Little Gem reg was terrible. No wonder why nobody wanted to use one below 40' or so. I refer to their upstream valve design as a "cork in the bottle.
The Little Gem gave up the ghost at 70'! It was stuttering and stammering while its tiny unbalanced piston and tilt valve were working overtime.

Here you go, Greg. This is the first time I've seen one (see attached):

"Item number: 3645939602 Starting bid: US $5.00
Ends Dec-21-03 14:44:40 PST

This is a VOIT SWIMASTER LITTLE GEM 2 Made in U.S.A. this piece of Dive history is in excellent condition. The First Stage seemed to work when connected to a scuba tank. But the 2nd stage needs a new diaphram ect. Both regs need to be serviced by Qualified tech before use.This set would make a fine addition to any vintage scuba collection. Neither reg was used in salt water diving so there is no rust pits or corrosion on them.Even though these regs are approx 40 years old. Thanks for looking check my other auctions."

 

[Greg Barlow]

Thanks for the tip! I've placed my bid, and hope to win! I usually search specifically for Voit and Swimaster items.

Greg Barlow

 

[quimby]

If your really into tilt valve heaven there is also a Aquamatic (better know as the suckamatic) and a Healthways scubastar as members of the 60ft soda straw club

 

[ew1usnr]

I usually search specifically for Voit and Swimaster items. Greg Barlow

Hello, Greg. Do you have a Voit Dolphin (the square regulator that James Bond wore in "ThunderBall")? Are they difficult to service? How does it perform compared to the Titan II/MR-12?

 

[Greg Barlow]

Yes, I have one in great cosmetic condition, but...

The original owner (a teacher in my district) used it back in the late 60's for a few dives and stored it away. Unfortunately, he didn't rinse the second stage thoroughly. I started to disassemble the second stage and found that Voit used four small screws to secure a metal plate which held the diaphragm in place. I gingerly attempted to remove the screws, and the first came out rather easily. The second sheared off almost immediately. OUCH!

Anway, the first stage is really neat, but overly complicated. I completely disassembled it and found the HP seat in very good condition. The diaphragm is a bit stiff from the years.

It is one of my favorite single hose regs due to its unique appearance. My favorite is the Voit version of the MR12 known as the Viking. Voit used metallic labels as a cost cutting option rather than the version used on the Swimaster labels. Little did they know that the Voit variety would stand the test of time and wear.

Greg Barlow

 

[wdm]

Gentlmen,

This forum has me excited in that I have a few of these Voit rigs laying around that I inherited from a friend. I was told by the LDS that I should "throw them out, they cannot be rebuilt." This weekend I took my son to test his new BC, his regulator setup blew the HP hose. I gave him mine and put together a Titan II as my primary with a Sherwood backup, both on a Scubapro 1st stage (we were shallow). To my suprise the Titan pulled like a dream. I would love to get this gear restored. Can you lend any direction. I will get the gear together next weekend to verify models if I get a positive response. Looking at the pics in this thread it appears to be Voit Titan II second stage and first stage w\j valve. I also have a old MR12 it seems.

I gave up diving twenty years ago after being on the working end of it for awhile. All I ever used back in the day was USD Conshelf gear (I recently rebuilt, and working great). My boys have pulled me back in and I'd love to use the old gear as long as I can get it to run safely. As mentioned I just rebuilt my Conshelf setups succesfully, do you suppose I could get this gear to run?

I also read a suggestion regarding an MR-12 as a new alternative, I'll look into it.

Regards,
WDM

 

[Greg Barlow]

Gentlmen,

This forum has me excited in that I have a few of these Voit rigs laying around that I inherited from a friend. I was told by the LDS that I should "throw them out, they cannot be rebuilt." This weekend I took my son to test his new BC, his regulator setup blew the HP hose. I gave him mine and put together a Titan II as my primary with a Sherwood backup, both on a Scubapro 1st stage (we were shallow). To my suprise the Titan pulled like a dream. I would love to get this gear restored. Can you lend any direction. I will get the gear together next weekend to verify models if I get a positive response. Looking at the pics in this thread it appears to be Voit Titan II second stage and first stage w\j valve. I also have a old MR12 it seems.

I gave up diving twenty years ago after being on the working end of it for awhile. All I ever used back in the day was USD Conshelf gear (I recently rebuilt, and working great). My boys have pulled me back in and I'd love to use the old gear as long as I can get it to run safely. As mentioned I just rebuilt my Conshelf setups succesfully, do you suppose I could get this gear to run?

I also read a suggestion regarding an MR-12 as a new alternative, I'll look into it.

Regards,
WDM

That reg was the "cream of the crop" in its early days. The MR-12 designation meaning Military Regulator 1 hose 2 stages. The MR-12 was the first single hosed reg to be approved for usage by the US Navy. The problem in restoring/rebuilding them is that the HP balancing chamber has its O-ring crimped into position meaning it really cannot be replaced. This is the only dynamic O-ring in the first stage, and thus should always be replaced during servicing. There are precious few of the HP chamber left that are unused. I have but only a couple myself from old "new" stock.

The other problem was that the second stage didn't have any means of creating a vortex effect to assist in keeping the diaphragm depressed. Whenever a vortex is created to assist in this action it allows the gas to flow at a significantly lower work of breathing. It doesn't really affect the intial effort, but makes the overall inhalation effort lower. The MR-12 II ushered in the famous VAD design by-pass tube to work in this fashion.

Mares was acquired back in the mid to late 70's by the AMF conglomerate that also owned Voit and Swimaster (and Harley Davidson). Whenever AMF was in the process of moving stocks to the HTM/Sport division, Mares was the only diving division remaining. They picked up production of the MR-12 III (the earliest version actually said AMF Swimaster on the label). The info that you received was correct in that the latest MR-12 incarnations are from the same lineage. Yes, there are differences, but the design parameters are still there.

I have restored/rebuilt many, many MR-12's over the years. I am such an avid collector that I own one of each variety built under the Voit/Swimaster banner. They were great regs, but I can't recommend using them for diving. There are many choices out there that are geared more toward today's diver.

Greg

 

[wdm]

Thanks for the heads up Greg. I'll use it for shallow river dives and possibly as a backup. I've been scanning the used market for equipment that I can overhaul myself (Conshelf or older Scubapro regs). Is there any of the newer regs, computors, that you could recommend for myself and sons? I've been out of the loop so long that I get a bit overwhelmed by all the new and costly gear. You seem to have been in the business long enough to lend some direction. I purchased new a Deepoutdoors Serentiy for my 13yr old son. I am a bit aprehensive in that until I adjusted his balance with #10 of weight in the back, he floated dead man at the surface. I have also had a Seatec Manta overhauled by the factory. I'll be looking for a horse collar as I used in the old days. Have you heard of AmerSea? They have a horse collar for a decent price. I'm trying to find a good used SeaTec horse collar.

Any way, I hope you don't mind me picking your brain a bit. Thanks again for the info.

Regards,
wdm

 

[Greg Barlow]

I would give some time and careful thought into purchasing any new equipment. Take a few trips to your local dive centers and just browse for a bit. Regulators that are produced by the world's major manufacturers are generally more than adequate for over 90% of the world's dives and divers.

I had a tough time giving up my horsecollar BCD whenever the jacket styles came onto the market. I now use only a backplate and wings for my diving needs. I have a Dive Rite TransPac II as a reserve, but may soon place that on eBay. It's funny how us "old timers" remember the standard back plates that we used with our rigs. I started diving back in the early 70's, and have now basically made the full circle back to the latest incarnation of the original design.

I would pick up a few copies of dive gear catalogues or search their websites. The more that you can educate yourself, the wiser your purchases will be.

As far as the "dead man float"...There aren't too many BCD's on the market that will reliably float a diver face up. Today, a BCD is considered to be a device to adjust your buoyancy, and not as a life saving device. I dive only with what is considered to be "technically rigged gear", so a horsecollar type would be a major hindrance to me.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask. I'm always more than happy to help.

Greg Barlow

 

[goatboy_k]

hi everyone i just got an old Voit Swimmaster reg set with an ebay tanks and was wondering if you guys could tell me some info on it. It is marked Voit swimaster MR-12 with a serial number 08951 on the second stage the first stage looks similar to some of the pic you guys have posted but not exactly it has 2 LP ports on opposite sides and one high pressure port. all the ports have the LP and HP stamped markings. It also has the number B00262 stamped on the HP side. And it has the large nut on the top as pictured in the other posts. The reg set also includes a red faced 3000 psi pressure guage. It looks like a plastic housing, however it appears to be cracked but does register correct readings. I hooked it up to a tank and slowly cracked the valve open and the reg freeflowed. It was just a small hiss, but i could not stop it? I think it need some reconditioning. Both the First and Second stage have all their chrome and the tag and lettering on the Second stage looks perfect. There are no major dings. I would say that they are in near mint condition other than some very minor scratching on the chrome.

So anyway
can someone date this setup
is it worth anything becides a mantle piece.
about how much should a rebuild cost ?

i can post pictures if that would help

thanks everyone

kurt