Posts by Diving gecko

Quote from greekdiver

I always thought they could come up with a heavy duty pneumatic for big tuna instead of luggin a tree down with you. The technology is not quite safely there yet.

Sorry for bringing a very old thread to life and hijacking it, too. But I just read this and thought of a gun in development by a Ukranian spearo and gun maker. He is a mad genius and I mean that with the outmost respect:-)
The goal is to make a powerful pneumatic tuna gun which handles much better than the big logs of wood and is as or more powerful. I think he is aiming at a muzzle speed (?) of about 50 m/sec - which is a lot!

It's a hydro-pneumatic, so you use sea water pumped into the gun during loading to pressurize it.
I think in its current state it shoots a 9mm shaft.
It's a titanium gun with a stainless steel barrel and a wood stock for buoyancy.

Me on the left with the tuna gun and Dima, the inventor on the right with a smaller vac-muzzled traditional gun:

Ah, I see on an older post, that you also have a Bazooka!;-)

I have a friend back home in Denmark, who has a Bazooka with carbon fiber tanks (I sourced these here in China) and a vacuum Tomba muzzle...;-)

Stunning gun!

I'll hazard a guess and say it was discontinued because it was too expensive and I think it may also haven been a (slight) sinker. I am sure the performance of it, especially at the time, was great, but cheaper guns came out in the thousands around that time. Rubber guns had also become better and would not sink.

Same thing happened to the even more advanced Mirage (and I see they share a few parts) - great, great gun, just too expensive for the time. I think the Mirage got kllled in the early 80s, not sure about this one. Probably earlier?

Popgun Pete on Deeperblue (don't know if he is here, too) would probably know. He is one of the most knowledgeable men on the planet when it comes to pneumatics.

Quote from Sith

You rock:thumbsup2: I didn't see those on the site at first!

Yeah, his site is a bit hard to navigate but he is solid, he knows his stuff. First time I bought from him, shipping was not cheap but he kept looking and found a better alternative. All in all, very highly recommended:-).

Quote from Sith

Thanks for the wealth of information and confidence Gecko. Based on the info you provided, I should be able to keep the gun maintained for a while. :thumbsup2:

I found the hand pump and ordered it from Edosub. Not sure what shipping cost is going to be yet but they said they would send me a quote. I may write to them to see if they can get me a piston and shock absorber as well to have as spares.

He has all those things on his website:-). The o-ring set, too, at E5.5.
Piston is about E10.5. Can't recall the shock absorber.

http://www.edosub.it/ecommerce/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=4661&category_id=57&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34

http://www.edosub.it/ecommerce/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=5415&category_id=57&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34

http://www.edosub.it/ecommerce/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=2451&category_id=57&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34

http://www.edosub.it/ecommerce/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=5622&category_id=57&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34

Don't freak out, Sith;-)
The Italians will stock parts for these guns for a long time - and both the Airbalete and the One Air is still in production, I think.
Yeah, it's a pain if you have to have bigger parts shipped, but the parts will be there. And the small stuff like o-ring sets, pistons etc. can be dropped in an envelope and prolly not even get much trouble in customs.
I can recommend both Neossub and Edosub for parts in Italy. They have online shops and answer emails in English.

My One Air (which share the same handle and most of the eternal parts with the Airbalete has no issue with the valve being exposed to saltwater. I dive on vacations, most often 3-4 weeks at a go and at the end of the trip, I take off the handle and clean the valve. Never in between and I haven't seen any sign of corrosion at all.

For replacement shafts the easiest could be Sigalsub's pneumatic line from scubastore.com but the flopper will be countersunk making the tip a tad weaker - but the shaft will fly faster and more precisely. So, it's a toss up. Otherwise, go with Devoto shafts for toughness (no countersunk flopper on their pneumatic line). For hogfish, you are prolly fine with a countersunk flopper though.

18 bar is not that much, but a 7mm spear should also help you load it at more pressure. I think the Airbalete has an 11mm barrel and as such, you should be able to take it up to the mid-to-high 20s in pressure. I think I am on 26-28 on my One Air.

And, of course, if you want maximum performance out of that gun, you should consider adding a vacuum muzzle. With that exact gun, you don't have too many options, though. STC makes some expensive ones (perhaps around E100), but you can get a cheaper, custom made one from Tomi and Marko in Croatia (about E60-65). It will be a thing of beauty and give you about 20% more power and a more quiet shot. I do think Don Paul has one, too.

Kjenna,
You live in the north or the south?

If in the south, then get a fishing pass for Denmark and cross over. For a handful of years, spearing has been allowed in Oresund, even at night. Good trout, hvar, mullets and cod there in season.
Otherwise, go to Norway - New Zealand of Europe;). I haven't been yet, but if I lived back home in Denmark, I would most def go.

Here's a recent video from a Danish spearo from his Norway trip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjlG-KeIAk0

Gerald and Akira are right - keep in mind that Cressi foot pockets are on the narrow side. (That is, if the the modular pockets are similar in shape to their old counterparts the Gara plastic fins).
Ideally, like when buying masks, try foot pockets on.
I have flat wide feet and my old Cressi fins gave me cramps because of the tight pockets. I actually succeeded in widening them with heat and an expansion tool, but just wanted to let people know.

The Japanese supposedly farmed the first "sustainable" bluefin tuna just a few years ago on a small, experimental basis. Iirc it takes about 7 years for a bluefin to reach "slaughter size" but while they have farmed tunas for a while, this batch was a full cycle one - meaning it was from eggs hatched in farms. Dunno about what they feed them, but for a fish like this - perhaps it would make sense to farm it... Not sure on my own stance on the matter, just passing along info.

I was waiting for you to break down, haha;)
it's cool - it is all in the name of educating the masses, right:cool2:

Yeah, it's some beautiful guns that guy makes. I first saw one of his creations here a few months back and immediately asked him who made them. Not much later, I found out he did, haha. So now, I have a folder full of his guns. I am hoping to make something a tad similar but with air...;-)

Quote from Dude george

My pleasure, many here put up with mine when I first like you decided to go into the Blue... its a lot easier than you think. My observation is it got harder the more I did it, that was probably due to the fact I wanted it more and more [emoji6]. When I first started I was just like whatever and expectations were low. Keep expectations low brother, it makes the shooting easier [emoji4].

Beautifully put!:)

Taaak!
It could very well be the prettiest gun in the universe:-)

How long is it, btw?

Yeah, let's see Seal and Onkel Hedde show off their stunning work:)

Hedde, pleeease show that magnificent hydro-dipped hybrid (try to say that ten times in a row, btw...):thumbsup2:

Seal, enlighten us with your newest pulley gun. With or without GF:cool2:

Quote from Teaspoon shallow

Sorry for the late reply. Thank you very much.

I used polyurethane on these handles and after 2 years it still does not require any maintenance.
When I tried these the handles felt super slippery with my new dyneema gloves. So I used Sika 310ml Sikaflex Pro Polyurethane Adhesive Sealant in a caulking tube. Moved it around with a paddlepop stick (small flat stick) till I was happy it filled all of the voids.

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Gotcha, thanks so much, mate:-)

In the meanwhile, I did a few dry test on land with silicone and it just doesn't have the adhevesive capabilities that Sikaflex does, so it comes off with some heavy rubbing.

I used to use Sika 291 (I think it was) back when I raced sailboats and it's crazy strong. We used to joke that when we used it underneath the Harken 'frog leg' cleats we could have left the screws out when we went sailing and the cleat would've stayed in place.
Supposedly, 3M 4200/5200 could be alternatives as well, though I never tried them.

I'll have to source this outside of China, no one has it here.

I think it is "Soller", right?
http://www.sollercomposites.com,carbon fiber,carbon fiber sleeve,Kevlar sleeve, fiberglass sleeves,carbon fiber fabric,epoxy,west system epoxy,nitrile,gloves,nitrile gloves,aramid,fiberglass,kevlar,tape,biaxial tape, biaxial sleeve

Once you get a handle on their old-school website, they do have good stuff and a lot of detailed info as to thickness, weight, diameters etc.
I was about to place an order but then when another package from the US never showed up in China, where I live, I put it on hold.

But I did do a comparison between 3-4 different vendors who all sell CF sleeves and Soller came out the cheapest and with the most products to choose from. So, I just have to find a China-bound friend in the US sometime in the future and have him bring me some back;-)

Another beautiful gun:-)

I wonder if I could possibly get you to share a few tips? I might look into making a CF custom barrel myself for a pneumatic this year using a 'lost foam' technique - shaping a blue construction foam core and dissolving it chemically after the laminate has cured.
In particular, how do you apply the sleeve and keep it that straight? Do you roll it on turning it "outside in" as you do, or do you use a sort of tube over the blank that you pull out as you lay down the sleeve? Spray glue to keep the sleeve in place, too? I reckon you lay the sleeve up dry before impregnating with resin?

Anyways, beautiful and very inspiring work as always - thanks!

Quote from Mighty kc

So, a funny story about that;

Gillo said "i am not getting in that visibility with the Bull Sharks"

Cedric told him that "we never see sharks here!" I looked at him funny because we see them there all the time.
Gillo got in and shot his first fish in the USA, and his first Amberjack.

On the way home, Ced told him that on our last trip to that spot, we lost a jack to a huge Hammerhead, and a Bull shark tried to get Patricks fish. Gillo was glad he got the fish, but said he would have not got in if he kn ew that.

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That IS funny:-)

Depends on who is making it in China;-).
It's a bit of a recurring theme for me these years, as I live here, and know a lot of people in production. Yeah, they have shit here, but they can also make world class stuff here. If the client pays for it (and pays for good QC, too).
A lot of the Italian spearo brands seem to produce out here and whether that's the reason my Omer suit is falling apart faster than I can glue it or not, I don't know. But I think it is fair to say that it's a bit more hit and miss these years. Brands that used to be good, aren't always these days.
Oh, btw - I think a brand very close to this website has some of their stuff made out here, at least I think I saw that mentioned;). And that shit holds up, right?
So, again, make sure you are on top of the manufacturers and pay them enough that they don't wanna cut corners on you (some still do, though) and you should be fine with it quality-wise.

Quote from Marco

Hi Gecko!

My 100 tracks better than 90 band gun. I have had no chance to try it in the sea, but pool tests look promising. I did some footage

I've pumped it to 24 Atm and it shots very nice with very little recoil.

Actually, I'm not interested in messing with vacuum kits. That's why I got the best available standard "oleo".

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Gotcha,
Thanks for the comparison:-)

Also, I think I understand your hesitation on the vac muzzles. I know that you are great at getting big fish on nice little railguns and also, that you live in a place a bit far from "mainstream spear gear shopping". So, first, you don't need it. Second, you want something that just works.

But personally, I don't mind all the help I can get, haha. And I actually really like taking long, and precise shots plus the nerdy quest of optimizing my guns suits my personality.

Though the vac systems are pretty sturdy and some of them even use completely regular and easily obtainable o-rings there is actually a risk of some other issues stemming from their use.
Eg. you risk busted pistons and shock absorbers because on higher pressures with a vac muzzle they just take more of a beating than, I suppose, the manufacturers estimated when they designed them.

For the safest use of vac muzzles it would probably be smart to split the gain you get from it by lowering the pressure a bit. You would still get a more powerful shot, and you then get an easier loading effort on top.

I have run into problems with my Mirage which is not only vac-muzzled but also loaded at higher pressures than normal oleos. I have cracked pistons (STC) and shock absorbers (STC & Vuoto) in that gun. As a result, I no longer use the optimized and trimmed down 3rd party pistons (such as the one from STC). I have gone back to the standard sturdier Mirage pistons.

I may still have an issue with the shock absorber but for now, will just run my gun a little lower than I could - around 28 bar (equivalent to 39 bar in an 11mm gun like the Evo HF). That's still 10 bar or 55% more than I can load a regular oleo at...;-)

Quote from Diving gecko

Wow, that's surprisingly bad. Almost as bad as Chinese to English (I live in China) - but still better than Chinese to Danish, haha.

The plot thickens, I just tried Google Translate, too and it came out pretty great. Weird:

Hi Kim,
And welcome! There are really good people here on the forum and lots of knowledge.
Consider sharing some Norway Photos, I think the other members here will be surprised how much life there is up there

[EDIT]
Got it! hank had specified Norwegian as the "donor language" in Google Translate, but I was writing in Danish. They are both Scandinavian languages and quite similar and often we can get by if we come upon each other. But that was why it was off the first time around.
I have to say, it is pretty spot on from Danish to English.
Not too many years from now, when voice recognition will be even better, there will probably be services where you call someone in another country speaking another language and voice recognition software+ eg. Google Translate will do the translation almost in real time... Brave Coming World.

Anyways, welcome/velkommen, Kim:-)