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Legends of Diving Articles |
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A Little Historical Tidbit
by Dr. Sam Miller
© 2010 Dr. Sam Miller
All Rights Reserved.
I am of a different era; a different generation.
SS was virtually unknown until WW 11, 1941 to 1945, even
after the war it was expensive and rare in spearfishing
equipment; much was modified from other objects, WW11
bayonets became dive knives and Ab irons, Ford springs also
became Ab irons, home made guns were generally hinge guns --
all subject to rust.
The basic commercial rubber guns were the Rene Calavero
produced Arbalete, the short lived Aqua Bow and the Sampson.
All came with cold rolled steel (CRS) shafts ( arrows) which
were guaranteed to rust after a few submersions. Herb Samson
was the most verbal about CRS he contended that the flesh of
a SWB & YT was soft so the shaft should bend ..and of course
the diver purchase a new one from him.
The tribes used a variety of substances to prohibit rust
appearing such as , motor oil and grease (the best was water
pump grease)-- shot a fish and it tasted like a gas station.
Serendipitously we discovered that the common bacon was the
idea protectant ,so a strip of common Bacon became a
integral component of the divers armamentarium. Immediately
after the dive all the possible parts subject to rusting
were rubbed with a piece of bacon and often even before the
dive .-- Shoot a fish with too much bacon on the shaft and
it tasted like pork.
In those days of yesteryear Bacon was the idea protectant /
lubricant...Now it must come in a can or a jar from the big
Orange front store. Some times I wish for the "Good Ole
Days.'
Archive Library
Visit the Archive of
Sam Miller Vintage Articles
© 2010 Dr. Sam Miller
All Rights Reserved.
Thank you for your interest in Dr. Sam
Miller's History
of SCUBA diving. The text in this article is the sole
property of Dr. Sam Miller, he is the exclusive author.
Portage Quarry has presented it in its entirety with no
editorial review. They are copyrighted and cannot be used in
any way without the written permission of Dr. Sam Miller. If
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