Triple 72's

[Gilldiver]

Some said it couldn’t be done.
Some said it shouldn’t be done.
But I did it.

Here are Triple 72’s

Manifold:
The Machining of the J-60 valve was done by Captain for me and is meant for a set of triple 30’s or 40’s to be made up later this winter. This version of machining the valve uses an O-ring sealed screw on connection at the J-60 so adding on longer “bars” is very easy. The “bars” used here are standard catalog 3.5” long extensions and 3.25” CGA 540 nipples and standard CGA 540 oxygen nuts. The manifold should be fine for up to 3000 psi service.

Bands:
The bands were made out of 316L 16 gauge stainless strips 48” x 1.5”. As I could only get 48” long strips, each band is made from 2 strips held together by the eye bolts. Once a good pattern was developed the manufacture of the bands was very simple and only took a few hours. I would advise anyone doing bands with this technique to use standard steel eyebolts or threaded rod when shaping the bands or you just may ruin a few stainless nuts and bolts due to galling. Save the stainless till the end of the project and your ready to do the final set up the rig. Ask me why I know this……..

Wearing the tanks:
Well let’s just say they are a beast. Right now the rig weight is 96 pounds empty. With reg and air figure it will be close to 110-115 pounds. I will dive these next weekend after I get a new blow out plug and the tanks filled. The main problem with it, besides just the weight, is that the center tank ends up putting a lot of weight and pressure right into small of your lower back.

Why did I do these?:
A month or so ago there was a discussion on the design of the triple manifold used and I made an off hand comment that we could make triple sets of just about any tank size now including 72’s (it should work with any tanks up to 7.5” diameter) if we ever wanted to. One of the others posted a joking “contest” for a new double hose regulator to see who could/would make up such a set by the end of the year. As I had just about all the materials required already, I couldn’t let it go by.

Either that or I am insane.

Pete

 

[Wookie]

Pete, one more set of nuts and bolts under that center band would allow you to add a backplate, which might relieve a bit of the stress on your back.

 

[Paladin]

Just looking at that rig makes my back hurt!

 

[cloudflint]

Thats one of the most awesome things i have ever seen!

I remember watching a documentary of Cousteau diving the Britannic and the divers all had huge big double cylinders of heliox on their back. They seemed to have these big white football sized balls attached to the top of their tanks. I think the idea was that they made the tanks more buoyant and they then released them as they breathed the tank down. If you had something like that it might reduce the weight of the tanks on your back?

I bet if you carried a paddle with you then when you finished your dive and came to the surface you could climb onto the tanks and paddle them in like a raft

 

[elmer fudd]

Hmmm. A little off topic, but that got me thinking about the possibility of other triple sets. LP120's? Heck, imagine making a setup like that for Heiser HP190's.

Seriously, those are incredibly cool. I have some doubts about their practicality, but I still wish I had a set just like them. Sometimes practical is boring.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

A Freedom Plate would cam band right up on that center tank and your problems with it being uncomfortable on your back would be over.
In fact, I'll bet you could put an Oxycheq Mach V 40# wing under the plate and the inflation tubes would fit right into the areas between the side tanks perfect.
I know it's not vintage but neither are triple 72's.

Super job BTW.

 

[simonbeans]

Yep, spend all that time making up a nice vintage triple set with correct repro fittings, bands, harnesses and put on a modern Freedom plate. Sounds like a plan.

 

[SwimJim]

Thats one of the most awesome things i have ever seen!

I remember watching a documentary of Cousteau diving the Britannic and the divers all had huge big double cylinders of heliox on their back. They seemed to have these big white football sized balls attached to the top of their tanks. I think the idea was that they made the tanks more buoyant and they then released them as they breathed the tank down. If you had something like that it might reduce the weight of the tanks on your back?

I bet if you carried a paddle with you then when you finished your dive and came to the surface you could climb onto the tanks and paddle them in like a raft

I have the Britannic episode and they dive triple sets. Sure looks like triple 72's to me. I'll bet Ryan Spence would back me up on that one. They dove those triple sets with Spiro Royal Mistrals too. Imagine a 400 FSW dive with a single stage reg!! Less is more!

 

[VooDooGasMan]

We have a dive park, across the water from me, and this guy has been working on it for many years. bruce used a tripple 72 setup to have plenty of air for his plastic drums to float all his artificial reef parts around. A guy brought them in the lds and dropped them off, when I laid my eyes on them, the manager john said, there going to bruce.

Bruce would put them on a dolly and roll it in the water and and it would float off the dolly, then when ready he just put on in water. he put the same exact scubapro bc I had on it, I knew if they were mine I was goig to adapt it that way. Actually could not believe he had that old of a scubapro bc, thought I had the only one.

So pete he always walked on the bottom to work and build, so it was a way of weight to hold him down, he said id worked great so if you can, take your fins off and try to walk. In fact just walk right in to 15' of water and then put your fins on and exit the same way, might be easier.

That reminds me of sigmund the sea monster, a show I watched when I was a kid.



Happy Diving

 

[Gilldiver]

A Freedom Plate would cam band right up on that center tank and your problems with it being uncomfortable on your back would be over.
In fact, I'll bet you could put an Oxycheq Mach V 40# wing under the plate and the inflation tubes would fit right into the areas between the side tanks perfect.
I know it's not vintage but neither are triple 72's.

Super job BTW.

Actually, if it wasn’t for the terms of the contest where a vintage cotton harness had to be used, I would have just strapped on my freedom plate and a BC and be done with it. When I break these down for my set of triple 30’s or 40’s that is exactly what I will do. I still need to dive the beast, so next weekend it will be my dry suit with a large bubble and not much weight on the belt.

As I put these together I was thinking that Pete Gambel would have liked them for when he did his first dives on the Andrea Doria back in 1956 right after she sank. The largest tanks he had at the time were twin 72’s. I bet the extra tank would have been appreciated.