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>Anyone knows where i can get good Spring Heel straps and bye them on line ?
>
>Some thinks are difficult to find if you leave on Mediterranean Island.
>
You're better off making them, as long as you have some degree of
aptitude for this sort of thing. All the ones I've seen for sale use either
an aluminum or delrin cylinder with SS wire bent through them for the
connection between spring and fin. They are not as clean as the original
design. You can make your own that are a lot closer to the original oceanic
straps, and are just as clean as the originals. The clear vinyl tubing is
also popular on the pre-made jobs, and it is less than optimal.
Cobb's web site has a pretty good page on making the straps as far as
where to get the springs (McMaster-Carr online) etc., but when you get to
making the ends of the spring straps do this instead: Go to the local
marine supply shop and get a 3" black rubber bow bumper (one of the things
that looks like a "v" with a thick middle). Cut the "wings" off and split
each one in two. You now have four chunks of hard black rubber that are
tapered from one end to the other. Now find yourself a pair of the oceanic
straps or a photo of same. Shape the blocks until they look like the
oceanic connections. I used a dremel tool, a razor knife, and some 60 grit
emery paper. You'll need to drill a 1/2 inch hole for the spring, and a
5/32 for the connection hardware. Tie in your overstretch line, stick a
loop of the spring into one of the ends and secure it with the original
Scubapro strap hardware. The metal "U" goes through the block and through
the loop in the spring (inside the block). The little rod goes through the
attachment point on the fin. Peen them back together. Be sure to put on
the spring covers before doing the other side.:-))
For the spring covers, I used the sheathing for 10/4 water resistant
electrical cable. It's much softer than the vinyl tubing, and is closer to
the compound on the original straps. Cut it to length, pull out the guts,
and slip it on.
The original oceanic straps had a hard plastic or delrin strap end, but
it is a non-structurally critical element--The spring and attachment
hardware are what is being stressed and the strap wouldn't break even if the
block disintegrated--so the rubber compound works without sacrificing any
strength. Total construction time was about four hours. There is a lot
more pissing around involved with making the strap ends like this, but the
end result is worth it. The lines are much cleaner.
Hunsucker has a set of the originals, and the only way you can tell our
fins apart without taking a REAL close look is the fact that I have round
black rubber spring covers, and he has the original triangular oceanics.
I'll try and scare up a digital camera for some photos. I'm terribly
low-tech. :-))
If you'd rather not make straps, Lloyd Bailey has them for sale online,
but they're the type with an aluminum cylinder and SS wire for the
connections.
S/F,
Duane
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