This a new way I found to install carbon blades in footpockets that use the rail system, without drilling holes that may weaken the blade. The plastic knob is made of two pieces that snap together. The male piece goes through the blade (a hole needs to be made but it's in an area where there's no stress on the blade), the female piece snaps onto it from the other side. To make the hole in the blade in the right place, insert the blade in the footpocket and mark the blade through the hole in the footpocket sole. I use a Dremel with a carbide bit to make an approximate size hole. Then with this small conical grinding stone bit to clean up the hole and make it round, just big enough for the knob male part to go through.
I put a drop of Cyanoacrylate glue in between the two pieces to make it permanent, and snap them together.
In footpockets that have the corresponding hole in the sole, the knob will pop inside and prevent forward movement of the blade out of the footpocket, eliminating the need for screws, gluing, or the zip ties that I preferred to use. Some of you may recognize this retaining knob system as being used with the omer plastic fins.
Footpockets that I know of that currently accommodate this kind of installation are omer Millenium, omer Stingray, and Picasso. Soon also the Speardiver footpockets. Really any footpocket that doesn't have a hole, you can put a hole in the sole provided it's a very clean cut hole. You can specify this method of installation when ordering Speardiver fins from FreediveStore.com.
