Rich "50,001 Questions" Beautiful 38cf Tank
- We owe it all to Sea Hunt Jerry... Back a few years ago I was repairing a Sportways valve and Jerry gave me a "junker" to get spare parts from. Well, I think I was able to fix the other valve without the Junker parts. Actually the Junker Sportsways valve had nothing wrong with it except someone in the past had damaged the seat for the burst disk. Anyway, the valve got set aside for a few years.
- So then a few years later Jerry gave me an ugly black surplus "38". I took it in for Hydrotesting and visual requalification... And it passed just fine. So I found a simple post valve and bushing and put it together... But never used it.
- Then I got into re-doing compressors and needed a tank to do test fills on. So I used this ugly black tank for test fills.
- Then one day I came across the Junker Sporstways valve and it occurred to me that I could fix the damaged seat in our machine shop at work. We did that and sure enough it turned out to be an excellent valve... Even the reserve works well. So, what could we put it on? The ugly black tank of course... And in doing so, I could check out the inside in case all of the testing had left moisture or oil inside.
- No Moisture or Oil... It is perfectly clean and dry inside. So, the former Junker valve got installed and the tank got filled. Ready for diving!
- So now Rich's birthday rolls around and we see that he does not have any 38s. He has 50,001 questions but he has no 38 cf tanks. We present him with this ugly black tank and it is so light, he thinks it is empty. He likes it... Starts thinking of back packs and harnesses... He's a professional painter and starts thinking this is a nice little tank and should not remain ugly... He paints it...
- And now it is a Beautiful 38cf tank!