intro/camo guinea pig

[socalgoatkiller]

First off let me introduce myself since ive been reading these threads ive noticed most of those on here frequently like to know whos who... so there inlies the question of myself... The name is John live in San Diego frequent the la jolla cove as my hunting grounds just outside the preserve... Ps always looking for new people to meet up with in the area and get some spear on...

On to the thread


Im fairly new to spearfishin though i was instantly turned on by it through a friend in dive school (commercial dive school.... aka not all fun and money... another story) any way... through going to that school i had come across some useful ideas in that some of the gear used commercially when moded has worked increadibly well. 3 things

1. The bailout bottle harness used commercially, without the bottle of coarse, converts awesomely into a weight belt when you take the weights (older lead style that usually go on a belt) and you use a large hose clamp to attatch to the back plate where the bottle would mount. I have noticed after a few dives that the weight placement moved from the waist to the back not only eliminates the weights from falling up on your chest when diving down but feels quite a bit more comfortable and stays tight at all times.. also the extra d-rings are useful for attatching your dive knife camera etc. However i do know there is a downside in this being that it is not that easy to ditch weight in the event it was desired but im sure there is no one on here pushing the envelope to much to need to worry about ditching weight.

2. I have a ABBiller ss 42'' which obviously does not float to counteract this i have simply made a custom lanyard out of two brass eyelet clips found at most hardware stores and used one to attatch to the gun and the other via myself in the case of needing to ditch or let go of the gun to recover a fish and made it long enough that at full reach aiming i am not shorted

3. And finally the guinea pig for the spearo on a budget. Since i am no longer trying to assertain a job as a commercial diver i now have this 7m two piece farmer john to try out my rembrant skills and hit it up with some camo colored paint so far things look like it could work i shall let you know when paint has dried and will attempt to add a few pictures to share these ideas and trials with you all

thank you to everyone who has posted anything there is never enough information to be had



SPEAR WHAT YOU EAT....AND HAPPY HUNTING


id love to hear about your guys's personal mods unles of coarse there too personal

[blaiz]

Are you SCUBA, or feediving?

[asantirims]

oh man i so want to see your suit when it is dry
what kind of paint did you use?

[murke1982]

I contemplated painting my suit but was worried the paint would: a. come off within the first few dives, or b. damage the flexibility of the suit. Let us know how it turned out. Post a pic if you have one.

[DSRTEGL]

I was giving some serious thought to a blue/gray/black camo pattern for my wetsuit that I could airbrush on.......I was thinking of a paint/dye like Lumiere by Jacquard Products as it is rated for textiles but it also recommends a heat cure that could kill the deal.

It would be appealing to me to break up my outline when viewed from below if you get my meaning...........Already planning a similar paint job for the underside of the boogie board I am turning into a dive float.

[Stodelle]

I just got done camoing the back half of my new HSD Yazbeck 1.5mm. I used the Duracoat paints you buy at a craft store mixed with the textile medium to make it flexible. I used chunks of raw sponge to give the 'coral' look. It too mentioned a heat treatment, so I merely laid it out in the sun for a day. The paint absorbed the UV and heat so I know the suit is fine.

i used alot of reds darker and lighter as red will disappear underwater giving a grey color. I also used some yellow which is a predominant color here in Hawaii corals. My dive partner said the camo is awesome when looking at it from underwater, but out of the water, it looks somewhat 'weird'.

I decided to only do the back and head since we pretty much lay on the bottom and I didn't see a need to have to do the stomach area. I'll have to report the longterm durability, but it ended up only costing me about $20 for all the supplies.

[jimy286]

Hay can you post some pics of this crazyy camoe???

thanks
James

[Stodelle]

Here's the link to the page/topic on Hawaii Skin Diver:

Hawaii Skin Diver • View topic - Painting a wet suit?

Pics are about halfway down. The colors have slightly faded after use so it is not as bright as it was in the pics now and blends in much better. In fact, I have friends asking if I will camo their suits for them now as well.