Anyone Still Fabricate Minimalist Backplates?

[Kiwi303]

any engineering workshop should have a metal bender, oxy/acet cutter torch, and a stock of various sizes of steel... make a cardboard mockup and go knock on doors.

You don't HAVE to get something that you don't like. Make your own.

 

[kidsdream]

Hammerhead Plates are heavy duty plates made by a metal fabricator that should suit your needs and price constraints.

$85 will get you a SS316plate. They have the extra holes that you said you don't need but the cost and quality is good. Hammerhead Scuba - Hammerhead II Backplate

 

[it_mike]

Check out Cave Adventurers (no affiliation), Aluminum's under $50 and Steels at $75.

Back plates

 

[it_mike]

Dupe post

 

[rakpix]

i think i may have mis-explained what i mean by minimalist. i DO NOT mean minimalist price (although that would be nice.) i mean a minimalist design. i am looking for a plate that has:

1) steel
2) four bends in the steel
3) two 3/8th inch holes cut 11 inches apart down the center of the bent steel
4) eight 2 inch slots cut to accept a HOG harness.

this simple prescription was the primordial backplate design, and it used to be the ONLY backplate deisgn amongst HOG/DIR/GUE/UTD/WTF/BBQ cave divers. i am probably going to have to fabricate this myself. but if that can be avoided, what i am looking for

1) DOES NOT have multiple doubles bolt positions
2) DOES NOT have a "slot" to accept poorly-positioned tank bands
3) DOES NOT have slots to accept single tanks without an STA
3) DOES NOT have hand-holds
4) DOES NOT have a gazillion 3/8th inch "accessory" holes around the circumfrence.

i've heard stories of "YE OLDE CÆVE DIVERS" fashioning these backplates from abandoned road signs, reinforcing wings with slices of recycled inner tubes, and forging dive knives from chert. i'm not looking for stoneage, but i'm in the ballpark

 

[ajduplessis]

a Plate is a plate, ss or ali. How plain do you want them?

I understand what you mean on the design side, but less holes/slots does not make it minimalist IMO.

 

[ajduplessis]

finger trouble

 

[Doppler]

i've heard stories of "YE OLDE CÆVE DIVERS" fashioning these backplates from abandoned road signs...

That was the original... and Greg Flanagan is not so old; certainly not stone age... :shocked2:


You might try doing a search for Gary Hoadley. He has been making simply designed and well-fabricated backplates for many, many years. He made me a brass one back in the day which I now use on my rebreather... beautiful thing all in all. Alpinist rather than minimalist though!

 

[BabyDuck]

maybe call rick & eric at highseas & explain what you'd like? they seem like they'd be responsive to something custom.

 

[DaleC]

You got a jigsaw and a drill?