swimjim
Master Diver
Posts: 1694
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: Newbie Vintage Diver Training

Thu Nov 07, 2019 11:13 pm

Ron wrote:
Thu Nov 07, 2019 1:48 pm
SwimJim if you ever wanted the class I'd get up to the Great Lakes, do the class with you, and then we could eat steaks and drink.

For you I'd even bring the special occasion booze.

Capture.JPG
You always welcome up in this neck of the woods Ron! You'll want your dry suit though. Some of my favorite wrecks are in 170 fow and the temps don't get much above forty even in August. The special occasion booze may help you after the dive. Lol

YoungCAVintageDiver
Diver
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2019 6:06 pm
First Name: Cody

Re: Newbie Vintage Diver Training

Fri Nov 08, 2019 2:03 am

Thank you all again for the great advice, I apologize for not being on this thread for a few days, been dealing with the death of a relative this week.
Back to diving, Ron, I would love to come up and take your course after I get some practice dives under my belt. The 500 yd swim should be no problem, that used to be my requirement a few years ago when I was a lifeguard and swim instructor (I still keep up on those certs). Your course would be perfect for whipping me into shape. And yes, I drink, cuss like a sailor and wouldn't mind squeezing into small shorts :lol:
So far the key is to find a good buoyancy coach to figure my neutral zone and learn breath control.
I need to take my open water course soon, that way I can get my vintage gear in the water! I've been building up a small collection of gear, this gets addicting! So far I have my rebuilt Voit Navy, a Healthways Gold Label (with new parts to rebuild it), and now a nice rebuilt DW Mistral. Tank wise I have my hydro'd 72 tank with Voit J Valve (that could use a rebuild), and I have a pair of Churchill and Dacor fins, a Taylor depth gauge, an IkeLight compass, and of course a new oval mask. Just need a harness from Allan and a good wetsuit.

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antique diver
Master Diver
Posts: 2210
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:50 pm
First Name: Bill
Location: North-Central Texas

Re: Newbie Vintage Diver Training

Fri Nov 08, 2019 10:58 am

Cody, I recommend that you not trust the rubber (or similar material) reserve seat in the Voit J-Valve. The main valve seat is probably ok, but all of the reserve soft seats have crumbled in my Voit J's. Some initially appeared to be intact and ok, but when poked at a little they just broke up. I hear the same from some other forum members. Also consider that if yours has crumbled there will likely be debris in the air passages of the valve body which could cause restrictions or blocking of air flow. Too bad, as those were neat little valves. Of course you could still use the valve as a non-reserve type by removing any remains of said seat from the J mechanism and thoroughly cleaning out the valve passages.
The older I get the better I was.

YoungCAVintageDiver
Diver
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2019 6:06 pm
First Name: Cody

Re: Newbie Vintage Diver Training

Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:35 am

Very good point about the Voit J valve: does Bryan sell a complete rebuild kit for the Voit J or should I go looking for a different J valve with better parts availability? I would love to get my hands on a new military spec J valve.

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antique diver
Master Diver
Posts: 2210
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:50 pm
First Name: Bill
Location: North-Central Texas

Re: Newbie Vintage Diver Training

Fri Nov 08, 2019 12:19 pm

YoungCAVintageDiver wrote:
Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:35 am
Very good point about the Voit J valve: does Bryan sell a complete rebuild kit for the Voit J or should I go looking for a different J valve with better parts availability? I would love to get my hands on a new military spec J valve.
I don't know of any source for new reserve parts for the Voit valve. I have several new old stock J modules for them, but none of the seats survived my testing, so all of those are basically useless.

If you want to use a reserve valve it seems like the USD and Dacor valves (as well as some others) hold up well, are readily available, and most parts are available. The exception being that reserve seats may not be as easy to find, but many of the old ones still work fine. I have a bunch of Dacor J valves available. The new seals and main seats are still readily available as inexpensive kits from VDH.
The older I get the better I was.

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

Re: Newbie Vintage Diver Training

Fri Nov 08, 2019 12:41 pm

I totally agree. I have a hand full of NOS Voit J valve seats and every one of them is crunchy. I highly recommend you remove the plastic bits of the Voit J valve reserve seat, just leave the rest installed. You can still use it, just not the reserve function.
Herman

SnarkIII
Lung Diver
Posts: 67
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 11:23 pm
First Name: Skip
Location: Lawrence MA

Re: Newbie Vintage Diver Training

Fri Nov 08, 2019 5:07 pm

Rob at The Scuba Museum has a plug available to block off the reserve mechanism on the Voit J valves.

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Vancetp
Master Diver
Posts: 401
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2016 7:26 pm
First Name: Phillip
Location: Belmont CA

Re: Newbie Vintage Diver Training

Wed Nov 13, 2019 9:48 pm

Cody, Check your gmail email. I have responded to offer you some rebuilt 3/4" J valves that will fit your tank.
Phil

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Ron
Site Admin
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First Name: Ron
Location: Puget Sound, Washington
Contact: Website

Re: Newbie Vintage Diver Training

Wed Nov 27, 2019 2:13 pm

h2operations wrote:
Thu Nov 07, 2019 11:04 pm
Ron,
Are the small shorts a requirement ????
Is this even a question?
tumblr_inline_o4eciwhuNl1st2ry6_400.jpg
Short shorts and action sports.
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The impossible missions are the only ones which succeed. -JYC

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