SCRUBBER REFILL MODIFICATION FOR RGU REBREATHER

You can die from too much oxygen. You can die from too little oxygen. You can drown. Screw up and you are likely to die. When you enter the water, you are on your own, even if a buddy is nearby. You alone must make the decision that you are capable of using a rebreather, you are up to the dive, and that your equipment is up to the dive. Even extensive open circuit experience will not prepare you for the details inherent with staying alive underwater on a rebreather. If you have any concerns about your abilities, take a course or do not dive. If you are foolish enough to dive rebreathers, be aware that it is a case of Evolution in Action. It is an effective sorting out process that has created many unhappy widows, mothers, and children. I recommend against it. This project is described for your amusement only. It is not the intent of the author that you build one of these and go out and kill yourself. Worse yet, when I inquired about some fittings for the RGU unit from a good friend in Germany, he said, "Throw that damned thing as far away as you can." I still might take his good advice.



Did I save money.....Hell No, I never save money on these projects!!! At my chargeable rate, this project cost me over 1,700 dollars in labor not to mention the time thinking about it. Parts were under just under $200. Was it fun...oh yeah...thats why I did it. Credit for the idea to do this comes from Customworks Rubber Bill. I visited his shop this fall in Anchor Point Alaska. Just happened to be in the neighborhood. Enjoyed a few hours meeting his lovely wife and his little boy ... trading lies and technology. The things he was doing must have been in the back of my mind for a while because I started seriously thinking about the possibilities of using latex for stuff, and here they are. Because I know most of you are not foolish to do all of this just for a piece of rubber, I have arranged with Bill to have the molds after Christmas. He will have the boots for sale. Just ask for das Boot.

Click here to e-mail Bill.

The first step was to order a bunch of latex rubber, coloring agent, and oilbased clay and stopping by Lowes for some Plaster of Paris. At the grocery store I got Pam for mold release, and Wallmart for some plastic containers, measuring cups, mixing bowls etc. I have been married to the same woman for over 30 years and have long learned to stay out of the kitchen stuff. While I waited for the rubber to arrive I started making my mold. The first step was to cut off the base of the scrubber. I used a cutoff saw from Harbor Freight, but could have used a dremel or any of a number of ways to cut it off.
Next I mixed up some POP and poured one inch into the bottom of my bowl. For clarity I show the bowl and the cast base. When the base hardened I cut two keys---so the second part of the mold would always go on correctly. Next, I put a little oilbased clay on the bottom of the open ended scrubber and placed it on the base in the bowl. The position is shown in this picture.
Then I mixed up some more POP. Sprayed the scrubber housing and base with Pam and poured the POP in. When it hardened it looked like this in the bowl. Took the mold out of the bowl by cutting a hole in the base of the bowl and knocking it out from below with a rubber hammer. Then I took the two mold sections apart and lightly tapped the scrubber out.
I reassembled the mold without the scrubber case and poured in dipping latex. Poured it out after 20 minutes allowed it to harden for an hour and poured in more latex. After an hour, I poured out the latex and let it cure overnight.
I took the molds apart the next morning and you can see das Boot in the top mold ready to remove.
I removed das Boot from the mold, trimmed it a little for neatness and here it is beside the cut off scrubber.
After one packing event I decided to make a little tool to push down the spring. It is made from a 1 1/2 inch pipe coupling.
Repacked the scrubber (using only one of the springs shown being pressed down) and the original cotter pin.
And here it is refilled. Note the authentic rust on the spring. These scrubber springs come with this rust. Later I will wire brush them down. If later comes.
Put on das boot and ran a strip of electrical tape just for security although it did not leak when full of water. Thats it. Ain't that special.....eat ya hearts out Drager.... Achtung, kommen die Amerikaner auf

And if I get tired of using it as a scrubber. I can use it as a bongo drum. Wow .... what a life...."Come Mr Tallyman, tally me bananas.....daylight come and me want go home.....Daaooo......Daaooo.....Where is that Rum Punch?.....Daaoo.....Daaoo