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Lurking beneath the psyche of any REAL diver is a deep desire to
make his or her own dive gear. This probably explains why every REAL
diver ALWAYS keeps a roll of duct tape handy, since as everyone knows,
you can make or fix almost anything with a roll of duct tape. In fact
a few years ago I discovered that you could even patch a torn neck seal
with duct tape and it will hold quite well (at least for two days, after
which even I sent the suit in for repair).Unfortunately there isn't much one can make anymore. However, there
is one thing, the D-I-R Knife & Sheath. Come on, don't groan, it's
about time you hung up that dive knife, large enough to be used by Mel
Gibson as his sword in Braveheart, and start using something that serves
the purpose that a knife is supposed to serve, that is being a line
cutter. It is simple to make and very inexpensive, less than $12 for
both knife and sheath.
First go to your local "fine cutlery store", also known as the
grocery store and look for the Betty Crocker "Steak Knife". Be sure it
has the "Betty Crocker D-I-R" seal of approval. It is SS so it won't
rust, serrated so you won't have to sharpen it, and cheap enough at
$4.99 than you can get a new one every several years. For you real
skinflints, they do put them on sale from time to time. In fact I got
mine for $2.99!
Put the knife in a vise with the handle down and all but the first
1 & ? - 2 inches sticking up out of the vise. Whack the exposed portion
of the blade with a hammer and break it off leaving a short, stubby,
blunt blade. Then round over the tip with a grinding wheels, a belt
sander or whatever, so it is not sharp.
Next take a piece of 2" webbing from an old weight belt or harness
and cut a piece about 18" long. Fold it 6 ?" from the end and then 6 ?"
from the first fold in sort of a " Z " shape. This will leave an end
that is about 4" long. Then go to the cobbler's shop (that that would
be "shoe-repair shop" for you youngsters) and have the cobbler them
stitch the pattern indicated in the picture to create a pouch for the
knife and a loop or slot for the waist strap. Originally I had the
sewing done in two stages making a deeper pouch that came up past the
bottom of the waist strap. After using it I found that it wasn't
necessary and made it difficult to draw the knife while wearing 5 mm
gloves. Take a piece of webbing with you to show them how big the loop
has to be and explain what it is so they understand and don't sew it
shut. I was charged $6.50 for this service.
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That does it. You are done. $4.99 for the knife and $6.50 for the
sewing brings it just under $12. I assume that you can scrounge up a
piece of webbing for free, if not, that will set you back another $2.
You can't beat that!
Deep Sea Supply
(http://www.deepseasupply.com)
is now selling a
knife/line cutter identical to the one here. At a retail price of $15.95
there isn't much saving on making your own unless you are really into
that kind of thing. They sell replacement knives separately (for the
fumble fingered among you) for $8.95. I've examined their knife sheath
combination and it is identical to the D-I-Y version here and very well
made. For those who would rather buy than make, I'd heartily recommend
their knife/sheath. Besides being very well made, it is less than ? the
cost of anything that is even remotely similar. The pictures compare my original version,
with the Deep Sea Supply version and my current version, respectively.
Deep Sea Supply also have a very nice molded polymer spool, a lower cost
alternative to the $$$ delrin models, and produce a complete line
of wings and backplates |
