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Bryan
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Herman Mowery

Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:42 am

Heeeeeeeers Herman!

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Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

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Herman
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Location: Raleigh NC

Re: Herman Mowery

Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:34 pm

Damn Bryan, that is almost scary. :)

I am a relative newcomer to diving and to vintage diving in particular as compared to many on this board. I got certified in 1992 when a couple of other coworkers got certified and encouraged me to join them. I dove a little in the first few years but in 1999 my diving kicked into high. I had joined a local dive club and got on a trip to Bonaire, it has been down hill ever since. I dove a lot after 99, hitting the quarry at every opportunity and to Florida and the Caribbean whenever I could. I took a lot of training between 99 and 2005 , completing my PADI dive master 2006. Since then, I am an active dive master with one of top 100 PADI shops in the southeast. I have the opportunity to dive with a lot of new students every year and all of them get a little lesson in vintage gear. I am lucky in that respect, the 2 major dive shops in the area and their instructors support my vintage gear habit. I usually do 1 or 2 “try vintage gear”’ days sponsored by the LDS’s each year.

In early 2007 my addiction took another downturn, a local dive buddy offered me “an old double hose regulator”. I liked old toys and figured what the heck, I remember those for the old SeaHunt show, little did I know how much money that old double hose reg was going to cost me. I bought it and took it out for a test dive…no octo, not SPG, no LP inflator, this damn thing has got to be dangerous but I with a buddy in tow I gave it a dive in a local quarry. Not too bad and I didn’t die but it did not perform very well and I set it aside, taking it out on occasion but never really liking it. By the way, that regulator later became my first Phoenix and is now my go to regulator. It’s old and beat up but the regs I dive most often. Then 2 happenstances combined to really push me over the edge, someone gave me a couple of old junk single hose regs and while diving at the quarry one day, I crossed paths with an old guy diving a loudly squealing double hose. The old single hose regs got me interested in what makes the mysterious and highly complex, you will die if you don’t know what you are doing dive regulators work so I took one apart…..where is the black magic ?? This thing is simple. I cleaned it up, replaced some orings and returned the old Dacor to service. I started buying old regs off eBay (another huge costly mistake :)) and bringing them back to life, I had always loved to tinker…or piddle as my grandmother called it, seems it runs in the family, dad and granddad both have/had work shops of some kind. About the same time I met the old guy mentioned above……Henry, aka hallen41 of this board and his Mistral. We hit it off immediately and with a new buddy who liked the old regs, my interest in diving the DH returned. Armed with my new found knowledge that dive regs really were not magic I started looking for any info I could on double hose regs, maybe what mine needed as a tune up- turned out both us needed help, the nuances of DH diving never occurred to me. In my search for DH info I found Vintage Double hose and the wealth of knowledge I was looking for, parts for my DH reg and best of all a like minded group of individuals who enjoyed restoring the old regs. I set out to learn as much as I could about the regs. I had found the parts, information and technical assistance was available but there were still some things missing that I needed, some metal parts and tools. Another of those long hidden and suppressed desires reared it ugly (and expensive) head and this time I could “justify” it. I had always wanted to learn how to use a lathe and do metal work. I found an old lathe locally but then I needed a place to set it up, the storage shed got converted into a regulator work shop. 2 lathes, a combination machine (lathe/mill/drill press), a band saw, a drill press, a couple of grinders and a whole lot of tooling later I am have a respectable workshop going and with it I can now make pretty much any metal or plastic part I need. As many of you know, I make a line of vintage regulator service tools that have not been available in over 50 years which Bryan has allowed me to list in his store and there are more to come…With my shop set up and my tools helping soften the cost of tooling other opportunities have opened up. Recently I have been working with several board members to produce a few restoration parts to restore otherwise junk regs back to service and the most fun for me, prototyping parts for until now unknown regulator hybrids… they are not true vintage but still double hose.
It’s been fun the last few years, getting to understand the old regs and tinker….or maybe I should say piddle… with the old regs but best of all has been, getting to meet and dive with many of the members of this board. To all who read this, I strongly encourage you to come to one of the vintage events and put faces with the names, it’s well worth the travel….I had the pleasure of diving with 4 other board members a couple of weeks ago in Cozumel, double hoses were everywhere.

This is what a DA and a few old trash regs has lead to.
The work bench, with the original DA turned Phoenix that started it all.
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The machine shop side of the shop. A Smithy multi machine in the forground and 2 60's vintage Craftsman/Atlas 6 inch lathes.
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Herman

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Vintagediver
Master Diver
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Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:28 pm
Location: Benzonia, Michigan

Re: Herman Mowery

Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:57 pm

Great writeup Herman. It definitely sounds like you're hooked on vintage gear and having a great time with all that good ole stuff as we all do. That doublehose bug is very infectious; ya just keep needing more! :lol: As for your reg workshop; WOW 8) ; I'm green with envy. :mrgreen: Hope to see you again next year at Portage, and maybe if I'm lucky at Sand Dog IX. Terry
The friendship of many has been inspired and created while together we've explored beneath the waves the wonders of God's creation.

NAVED Member #137
Member of The 2016, 2017 Sea Hunt Forever Dive Team

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adairrj
Master Diver
Posts: 231
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:37 am
First Name: Adair
Location: Sao Paulo - Brazil
Contact: Website

Re: Herman Mowery

Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:08 pm

Hello Herman,
It is a pleasure to know your history in diving and know a little more about you.
This really is a great idea! An excellent way to know members of the forum. :D
*******Adair*******
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swimjim
Master Diver
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Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: Herman Mowery

Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:48 pm

Nice write up Herman! Love your shop. It doesn't look like it was involved in an air strike like mine. Nicely equipt too!

Jim

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Herman
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Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:45 pm
Location: Raleigh NC

Re: Herman Mowery

Sun Nov 27, 2011 5:03 pm

swimjim wrote:Nice write up Herman! Love your shop. It doesn't look like it was involved in an air strike like mine. Nicely equipt too!

Jim
The photos were carefully set so the junk that was moved off stage can't be seen...usually its a lot more of a mess although I did do some clean up, now if I can just keep it that way.
Herman

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hallen41
Skin Diver
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Nov 18, 2006 12:34 pm
Location: Goldsboro, North Carolina

Re: Herman Mowery

Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:22 pm

Great story Herman, Shop looks great in the photos. I will come to your house soon and help you mess it up.

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Aileron
Master Diver
Posts: 269
Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2011 10:24 am
First Name: Lisa
Location: Stuart, FL

Re: Herman Mowery

Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:23 pm

Great writeup Herman! I've been fantasizing about a shop like yours. Yes, I know I'm a girl. But my Dad has a 3 car garage converted into a wood shop and yours reminds me of his. Lathes, saws, hanging tools on pegboard, the smell of freshly cut wood....I'm betting yours has the smell of freshly restored regs and neoprene, which is better in my opinion. :D

Thanks for your help over the past year with thought provoking questions, new ideas and lots-o-laughs.

Lisa
The Kids: Royal Mistral, Voit Faux 50 Fathom, Jet Air, PRAM x 2, Snark III Silver, DA, Healthways, DA Non Mag
NAVED #205

swimjim
Master Diver
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Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: Herman Mowery

Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:26 pm

The smell of freshly restored regs and neoprene in the morning.......... Smells like........... Victory!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBksHaTQCbU :shock: Ha, just could not resist.

Jim

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8dust
Master Diver
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Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:39 am
Location: Nashville's North Shore

Re: Herman Mowery

Mon Nov 28, 2011 1:04 am

Thanks for the write-up Herman! :)

Fred
Freddo
NAVED member #201

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antique diver
Master Diver
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Location: North-Central Texas

Re: Herman Mowery

Mon Nov 28, 2011 9:45 am

Hey Herman,
I wish you lived next door with all that cool machinery! :P
The older I get the better I was.

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JES
Plank Owner
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First Name: Joseph
Location: Fleming Island, FL

Re: Herman Mowery

Mon Nov 28, 2011 11:48 am

Thank you Herman for sharing your story with us. Like almost everyone has said, great write-up and what a great shop! 8)
NAVED Master Diver #108
'Anima Sana In Corpore Sano’

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Drado
Master Diver
Posts: 681
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 6:11 am
First Name: Eduardo
Location: Manila, Philippines

Re: Herman Mowery

Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:05 pm

Great write-up Herman! :D

So that's the shop where good things come from :D

You were one the 1st people who helped me out during my nascent days as a double-hose diver, so thanks!

Now... was there a segment in there about Singer sewing machines?
_______________________________
Ed

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gj1963
Master Diver
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Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2011 11:33 pm
First Name: Geoff
Location: AlbuquerqueNM

Re: Herman Mowery

Tue Nov 29, 2011 11:54 am

Thanks for the great writeup. That is quite and enviable shop. My workspace is usually the garage on a corner of table not covered in engine parts and baby toys. :D
-Geoff

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Ron
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Location: Puget Sound, Washington
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Re: Herman Mowery

Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:15 pm

Another interesting fact about Herr Herman is that, if you ask really nice, he will machine things for you of absolutely amazing quality. He is quite the friend to have 8)

One of the truly cool things about this group is that together we could design and build almost anything. Try that with one of those snobby tech shops LOL.
The impossible missions are the only ones which succeed. -JYC

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