THE CHALKBOARD Vol. 2
GENERAL
UPDATES AND INFORMATION
Please scroll down for the latest
installment.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 01, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Another year gone, and
a new one begins. In many ways, 2009 was
one of our best years yet. I was
literally too busy to devote much time to the VSC website. Some of our Leagues-related projects
included building and testing the World’s first functional replica of a 20,000
Leagues “Baldy” Crew Diver Helmet; and the construction of a new studio
facility for Vulcania Submarine.
At the time of this writing, the new studio is 99% finished and we’re in
the process of equipping it.
The coming
year looks like it’s going to be a good one for us; and we hope it will be for
you, too.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
REPLICA 20,000 LEAGUES NEWSPAPER
As I
disclosed late last month on the previous CHALKBOARD page, veteran Leaguer
Larry Brooks has an excellent collectible he’s making available to the
public: an accurate replica of the newspaper we see Professor Aronnax reading
in the early minutes of Leagues, where the paparazzi sensationalize his
comments about “the monster”.
Today, I
posted a page here at VSC so you can “read all about it” in words and photos
from Mr. Brooks himself. There, you’ll
also find Larry’s contact info in case you want one of these newspapers for
your collection. Here’s the link
to Larry’s page.
P.S. Larry says we can expect to see more of these
for sale on eBay in the very near future; so if
you’re looking to get one, you might want to keep your eyes peeled. J
Friday, January 15, 2010
REPLICA PROP NEWSPAPER AUCTION AT EBAY RIGHT
NOW!!!
As a
follow-up to the above: Larry just started an auction at eBay where you can buy
one of these newspaper props in a “Buy It Now” auction. Here’s the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI..dll?ViewItem&item=200428675875
Enjoy! J
Sunday, January 24, 2010
THE NAUTILUS COMES HOME
After six
months wearing a raincoat in outdoor storage, the NAUTILUS MINISUB finally
rolled into our newly-built studio at Vulcania Submarine: a fully
insulated, climate controlled facility with sectors dedicated to the
development of: (1) the NAUTILUS MINISUB and our 20,000 Leagues Diving
Suits; (2) classic
cars; (3) custom motorcycles; and (4) a general purpose area where we will do
other cool things including, but not limited to, composing and recording new
music and videos.
0
The 20th
Anniversary of the first successful testing of the NAUTILUS MINISUB occurs next
year. Somewhere along the line,
renovating the submarine got low on our list of priorities; but now the time
and circumstances are right. Film at
eleven…. J
Sunday, February 21, 2010
NEW NAUTILUS MINISUB PAGE AT VSC
Tonight I uploaded a new page entitled
REFURBISHING THE NAUTILUS MINISUB PAGE THREE.
Here’s the LINK.
Life’s given us a lot of detours
and obstacles since I began restoring the sub back in 2001, but we’re finally
underway again. Now, the only delay to
progress will be available time. But
I’ve got the new shop set up to optimize my efforts, and I’m devoting every
available hour to this project. The
NAUTILUS MINISUB will dive again; and when she does, she’ll be better
than ever.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
MORE REFURBISHING
I’ve added more pics and info to
the REFURBISHING THREE page, showing what I’ve been doing to the sub lately. Click the link, scroll down, and look for the
word NEW!
And to answer anyone who might be
wondering (besides those who have asked in emails) “Yes, that’s rust on the Nautilus
Minisub.” The hull’s made from steel
and about twenty years old. Rust can
occur rapidly in a tropical environment, but that will abate now that we’ve got
the boat in a climate controlled shop.
What you’re seeing is surface
rust. It’s not as bad as it looks, and
if there was any serious damage, I could simply cut that area out and replace
it with new steel. After all, that’s how
the boat was built in the first place: one handcrafted piece at a time.
Some have suggested (since the
Disney Nautilus appears rusty anyway) that I should let my sub oxidize
naturally. I see their point, but she’ll
last longer if coated with a protective finish.
So before she takes to the water again, the
NAUTILUS MINISUB will be sandblasted, prepped, and receive a marine-grade
paintjob which simulates the rusted iron exterior of the fictional screen
namesake.
Monday, May 10, 2010
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE
Nowadays, most
scale modelers try to emulate a significant Disney Nautilus when building their
replicas. But the Nautilus Minisub already
IS a significant Disney Nautilus: the first manned submersible of this
design. I could leave it as is, but my
plan was always to finish the scale exterior detailing.
Lately I’ve had
the time to do a lot of graphic comparisons and mathematical analyses of all
available references. Bottom line is:
even though it was built from the Disney Plans via a method of indirect
extrapolation; and even though there are differences between the Disney Plans
and the 11-footer, the numbers say I can make it match the 11-footer if I want
to.
The photo
above shows how she looked last time I worked on her. Templates for the salon window fairings and
aft deck / skiff bay are finished, and some minor adjustments have been
made. Still more to do, but the good
news is, “It’s all doable.”
Basically, I want it to look like
what we see in the movie. More about
that later…..
BILL STROPAHL
My wife and I had a grand time
talking with Disney Diver Bill Stropahl and his wonderful wife Gale last
evening. Both are doing fine and
enjoying numerous activities during their golden years. Bill has a couple interesting projects
underway, and you may be hearing more about that here at VSC in the near
future. Meanwhile, if you’re a fan of 20,000
Leagues and / or the Disney Divers, I know you’ll want to join with us in
wishing the Stropahl’s all the best of success in the future. “Keep on Leaguin’, Bill and Gale!” J
BTW: Here’s a press release photo of Bill on
location during the filming of 20,000 Leagues in the Bahamas, 1954. I have lots of pictures like this showing the
divers aboard the LCT between filming.
Looks like they kept their rubber drysuits on most of the time. Having dived this kind of rig myself, I can
tell you: I get overheated just putting the darn thing on, and have to dunk
myself in the water a couple of times while suiting up, just to cool down! I know it must have been hot in the Bahamas,
and for those guys to stay suited up between dives couldn’t have been
easy. You guys were plenty tough,
Bill! J
Monday, June 21, 2010
LEON LYONS
Most folks know Leon Lyons is
considered one of the World’s leading authorities on deep sea diving
helmets. His book, Helmets of the
Deep, is considered the definitive reference on the subject; and his
new expanded version of that tome is in the works and eagerly awaited by diving
enthusiasts around the globe.
(L) The original version of HOTD. (R)
Leon Lyons suiting up.
What many of you may not know is
that Leon has been battling cancer for some time now. I heard from him today, and despite the fact
that the radiation treatments and chemo therapy are very difficult, his spirits
are high and he remains optimistic of making a full recovery. Leon is in our thoughts; we pray for his
rapid return to health, and hope that you will do the same.
HELMETS OF THE DEEP, VOLUME TWO:
UPDATE
Today, Leon informed me that his
photographer Spring Saldana has been working to ready the new book for
publication. Spring has over 1000 pages
complete at this time; there’s still more to do; but publishing is expected
before the end of this year.
Those of us on the pre-order list
may expect to receive notification in about one month stating that the book is
going into the manufacturing phase, and it’s time to send in our payment for
the copies we’ve reserved. Leon
explained this money will go into manufacturing and shipping costs.
As a reminder: the first printing
of Helmets of the Deep sold out, and copies of it are selling on eBay
for more than ten times the original cost.
The new expanded version is already shaping up to be gigantic, and will
no doubt continue the tradition of being the foremost reference book on the
subject of deep sea diving helmets in the World.
As always, this will be a limited edition printing, but there’s still time to reserve
your copy through Leon’s Website. If you are interested in
hardhat diving at its best, my advice is, “Don’t wait, or you will miss out on
a great opportunity.”
Sunday, January
02, 2011
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Wow! It’s hard to believe it’s been six months
since I posted anything on this website!
No excuses. I’ve been BUSY! J
This year
will mark the 20th anniversary of the day we first launched our
NAUTILUS MINISUB. I really wanted to get
her back into the water with our diving suits to shoot some video for a TV
documentary; but there’s still a lot to be done on the sub, my “real job” is taking up most of my
time, and we have other projects underway, as well. So, it doesn’t look like that’s going to
happen any time soon. But there is hope
for the future!
Meanwhile,
I’m happy to report that my good friend Leon Lyons is doing well with his
battle against cancer, and his photographer Spring Saldana is putting the new
version of HELMETS OF THE DEEP together at this time. Hopefully, it will be available soon. If you’re on the list (or want to be)
you should contact Leon as soon as possible.
His contact info is available above.
I’m also
pleased to report that I’ve heard from Bill and Gayle Stropahl lately and they
are both doing fine. Latest news I’ve
heard is that they’ve dug a fish pond in the back yard of their home in
California. That’s especially good to
hear, because (as I’ve reported here at VSC) Bill’s had some health
issues in the recent past, and it’s good to know he’s able to do hard physical
labor again. Way to go, buddy! J
Anyway, I
just wanted to stop and take the time to let our friends know we haven’t “gone
down with the Nautilus” (Heh! Howdy,
Tres! J) and we’re
still very active in all the things we do.
Okay, maybe not so active in making Internet reports or reading email,
but when it comes to building the things we’re known
for: like the guys in the picture below, “Oh yeah! We’re still workin’ on it!!!”
Here’s
wishing you a Safe, Happy, and Prosperous New Year!
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAUTILUS
MINISUB
This month
marks the 20th year since we first launched our Nautilus Minisub.
At this
moment, she’s sitting in the shop undergoing a renovation that began years
ago.
I’ll be the
first to admit: I haven’t made a lot of progress on the sub itself since we
first launched it; but the progress it’s engendered in my life is huge.
Because of
that submarine: we moved to Hawaii; found a new and better life; assembled a
large collection of 20,000 Leagues items and memorabilia; built and
operated the World’s first and only functional replicas of the diving equipment
seen in Disney’s classic movie; built this website and became known to Leaguers
the World over; met some very cool people; learned a great deal along the way;
had a LOT of fun; and much more.
It’s been a
blast. And now it’s coming around full
circle: the dream I’ve had for so many years is finally coming true.
I know I’ve
been promising that for a long time, but what can I say? Sometimes, life gets in the way; and so has a lot of other Leagues-related projects, most
of which are on display here at VSC.
Counting from
when we first launched the submarine, it’s taken two decades to reach the point
we’re at now; the course we’ve had to travel has been anything but a straight
line, but soon Vulcania Submarine will once again become the focus of my
daily work, and I’ll be running the shop full time.
Twenty-five
years ago, I started with nothing but an idea, a backyard workspace, some raw
steel, and a few drawings on paper. Five
years later, the World’s First Functional Disney Nautilus submarine was
launched.
This year,
I’m starting a new phase: but this time we’re in a new shop with better
tooling, a working submarine, and authentic replica diving suits. It’s only a matter of finishing the detail
work now, and bringing all these elements together underwater, for the
cameras. We’ll be featured in Leon
Lyons’ soon to be released expanded reprint of his internationally respected
reference book Helmets of the Deep; and we’re presently in communication
with producers representing the Discovery and National Geographic
channels regarding a TV documentary.
Later this
year, I will put the past on deck, dive the boat, and set course at full speed
toward a new horizon: living the dream as no Leaguer before me ever has,
and documenting those events for the enjoyment of Leagues fans
everywhere.
Or I might
just say “To Hell with it all!” and go fishing instead. We’ll see…..
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
“It was twenty years ago today….”
After making
all the necessary preparations on the 21st, I’d gotten about 40 minutes sleep
before I had to get up and drive to the launch ramp. It was still dark outside; the air was cold;
the water would be murky; and I was concerned.
This was the culmination of five years work, all done on blind faith in
design and construction methods I devised myself. I was about to test the experimental
prototype of an unproven design, underwater, in zero-visibility conditions,
with limited support. There were at least a half-dozen ways this thing might kill
me. But what I was worried about most
was that it might not float, and the jackasses who predicted my failure
would have the last laugh. I felt like
turning off the alarm clock and staying snug and warm in bed. But I didn’t…..
…..and the rest is history.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thank you, Veterans.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
My resolution
was to stop procrastinating so much… J
Friday, March 30, 2012
DAN KACHUR’S NEWTSUIT
Veteran scale
modeler (and long-time Nautilus fan) DAN KACHUR produced an amazing
replica of Dr. Phil Nuytten’s NEWTSUIT, and sent us some pics and info. Like everything else Dan builds, it’s so
well-detailed that you can’t always be sure whether you’re looking at a photo
of a model or the real thing. We’ll be
adding to Dan’s page here at VSC, ASAP.
Meanwhile, here’s a teaser:
Image
© Copyright 2012, Dan Kachur, “All Rights Reserved.”
Monday, April 02,
2012
NEWTSUIT PAGE POSTED
Check it out: http://www.vulcaniasubmarine.com/DAN KACHUR.htm
Friday, April 13, 2012
PAGE UPDATES:
Added
more pics and info to the pages of Dan Kachur and Karl Stanley, right here at VSC.
Saturday, May 05, 2012
BROWN SUITS
About
twelve years ago (when Ty Alley and I first started talking about making
functional replicas of Disney’s 20,000 Leagues diving apparatus) there
wasn’t a lot of good graphics or info available; so (as usual) we had to figure
it out as we went along.
One
thing that threw us a curve was the color of the Nautilus Crew Diver’s rubber
dryuits: at different times (due to varying lighting conditions underwater and
in the studio) the color might appear to be anywhere between olive green and
deep brown. But actually, the Nautilus
Crew suits were a medium dark brown.
The picture of diver Al Hansen (sitting in direct sunlight aboard the
Disney barge in the Bahamas, 1954) is a good example.
Long
story short: it’s taken a long time and a lot of R&D, but we now have the
brown rubber drysuits. We call it the “Crewsuit”
and I’ll be posting a photo-page about it here at VSC in the near future.
Monday, May 07, 2012
BROWN SUITS UPDATE
I
posted the first half of a two-part photo-essay about our new CREWSUIT. More to follow…..
Sunday, May 13, 2012
BROWN SUITS UPDATE, take two…
I’ve
put up the first couple pictures of the new brown Crewsuits. Check
it out.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
THE LONG-LOST BALDY PAGE
Here’s
the page for our “third variant” Disney diving helmet: “The Baldy.” Checking back
over the Chalkboard, I see we were getting ready to post this page in
2009. Priorities happened; it was
forgotten; and I only stumbled across it now by accident, while checking my
files. Like we say in Hawaii, “Sometime
lai-dat.” J
Tuesday,
June 26, 2012
VULCANIA
SUBMARINE DISCUSSION GROUP
Our
"Yahoo! Group" is active again for the first time since 2007. To protect us from SPAM, new memberships require
webmaster approval; otherwise, the Forum is not moderated.
I'll
be adding this LINK to the Index page here at VSC.
Sunday,
July 01, 2012
ANNOUNCING:
THE VOICE OF VULCANIA
What
was I thinking? We need another Leagues-related discussion group like we
need a hole in the head! The Vulcania
Submarine Discussion Group is now officially dead and gone forever! :-)
Comes now: The
Voice of Vulcania
"No, you
idiot! Not THAT Vulcania! The guy on the island...with the submarine...???"
Tuesday,
July 03, 2012
UPDATE:
THE VOICE OF VULCANIA
I
moved the Blog to a server with better site
features. Still free with no membership
necessary.
THURSDAY,
JULY 05, 2012
Or
not......
That
new site has more operating issues than I need, and it doesn't do the one thing
I really want: a simple information blog. I'll keep that forum on ice in case I
ever want to open a WDG (doubtful in the extreme) but as of now I'm back at the
Yahoo page:
Wednesday,
July 11, 2012
GENERAL
UPDATES
NEWS
ABOUT OUR FRIENDS:
Disney
20,000 Leagues Diver BILL STROPAHL has been coping with some serious medical
issues lately: he’s had problems with
some of the medication he’s been given; and if that wasn’t bad enough, a bad
spill resulted in a serious knee injury.
I better tread lightly here, because these are personal issues and there
may be legalities involved. But I spoke
to Bill’s wife Gayle last Saturday and she assured me: Bill is not taking this
lying down, and he’s working hard to recover from his injury.
Health
issues are also a concern for diving helmet authority LEON LYONS, who is
battling cancer. I remember when he
first went into chemotherapy. It’s been
a while, and he is making progress.
Meanwhile, he continues with the work of publishing the sequel to his
famous reference book, Helmets of the Deep. Leon recently told me his photographer Spring
Saldana has about 1000 pages shot, and maybe another 400 to go. This book is going to be gigantic, and I am
really looking forward to receiving mine.
Both
of those guys are plenty tough, and I have every confidence they will overcome
their present medical problems. We’re
all holding a positive thought for them, and hope you will do the same.
PROJECTS
AT VULCANIA SUBMARINE:
Yes,
the Nautilus Minisub will have functional iris windows: I’m working on
that now.
No,
the Nautilus Minisub will not be clad in brass to mimic the way the
11-footer looks now. I never did
subscribe to the “Definitive Nautilus” concept, anyway. I’m going back to my original plan of
replicating what’s seen in the movie. To
me, the Nautilus is all that.
The
NEMO IV helmet has been sitting unfinished on the shelf for a couple
years due to priorities; but it’s back on the workbench and I mean to get ‘er
done.
The
NAUTILUS DIVER II helmet is still sitting, collecting dust. It’s that priorities thing again….
I’ve
got other projects underway, too; but the above is where I’m at with the Leagues
stuff at present.
VSC
WEBSITE:
I
posted a gag photo at the bottom of the MISCELLANEOUS IMAGES page: an
automotive diagnostic tool, Vulcania-style.
J
I’m
putting the finishing touches on a webpage for my SIMPLIFIED SUB DESIGN MATH
program, and that will be posted here at VSC in the near future.
EVENTS:
We’ll
be diving our Leagues rigs for the cameras again very soon. Film at eleven…probably some stills,
too. J
Saturday,
July 14, 2012
THE
LEAGUER
We
now have an illustrated electronic newspaper.
I think this is more like what I was looking for with those other
formats. Read The Leaguer. It’s good for you. J
Saturday,
August 18, 2012
REFURBISHING
THREE
Just
some informational updates about our progress with the Nautilus Minisub.
Monday,
September 03, 2012
LATEST
PROJECT: The “Correct” Vintage 20,000 Leagues SCUBA Rig
The
20,000 Leagues diving apparatus we see in the movie was invented when
sport SCUBA diving was still in its “barnstorming” days. Not only were they experimental at the time,
they were comprised of components that have subsequently become exceedingly
rare.
For
instance, the tanks have that concave “winebottle” base seen only on Rene
Bussoz’ (Jacques Cousteau’s
cousin and founder of U. S. Divers Co.) first run
from PST, and then discontinued. If you
really want to build a “correct” vintage Leagues rig, you need to start
with Rene’s winebottle tanks, 1953-54 type.
Problem is, they’re pretty much unobtanium these days. So, until now, we’ve used standard (convex
base) steel tanks for our functional replica Leagues rigs because that’s
what’s available.
I’ve
wanted to build a correct vintage rig for many years: had one tank for a while,
and just acquired the second recently.
Here’s a pic: genuine Rene Bussoz winebottle tanks with PST production dates
of November
1953 and January 1954.
So,
this is a new project that just sort of started falling together. First, Karl Gehring alerted me to the second
tank; then he and John Ratliff pointed me toward some 1953-54 vintage
regulators and a manifold; and now it looks like this rig will be finished
fairly soon, so you might expect a page about it here at VSC in the near
future.
More
news when I make it. J
Tuesday,
November 27, 2012
JIMI
HENDRIX’ 70th BIRTHDAY
Today,
in honor of the most influential guitarist of our time, our humble electric
church will be offering Manic Depression and Red House, mostly
because we’re already tuned to Eb.
Wherever you are (exclusive of combat zones) we urge you to bathe in the
spirit of eternal Hendrixness at some point today: guitar, CD, whatever. (From what I see lookin’ around me, most of
you really need it.) Happy Birthday,
Jimi. And thank you for showing us what
a guitar is for. J
And,
you know, if you ARE in a combat zone and still want to get it on, go for
it. I would. J
SUBMARINE MUSIC
As
an afterthought, here’s a little Jimi befitting this website. Recorded in 1968 on the album Electric
Ladyland, the song is entitled 1983: A Merman I Should Turn To Be. It’s
always been sort of an unofficial theme song around the Vulcania Submarine shop
for as long as we’ve been doing it, and it just seems appropriate to play it
here today.
1983:
A Merman I Should Turn to Be
VITALLY
IMPORTANT UPDATE: There’s been a number
of global efforts among musicians wanting to celebrate Jimi’s 70th. One we’ve been aware of is the plan to get as
many guitarists as possible playing Purple Haze when it’s noon in
Seattle today. In the last ten minutes,
I decided to go with the original plan, retuned, and was mimicking along with
the studio version of Haze with my wife accompanying on vocals when the
moment arrived. J
And because it was a “Twofer-Tuesday” we did it twice! It was great fun and it really felt good to
get into the spirit of things. Pretty much
everything I’ve ever done in my life has been done to Rock music, and still
is. Just don’t see any reason to change.
Been a fun
day so far; I know it has been so for my musician friends, and I hope it was
for you, too. But now, I must be on my
way: I hear Axis playing on the
shop stereo, and I’m working on machines that enable men to live and breathe
underwater…(which they all said was impossible..sible..sible..sible… )
J
2013
Happy New
Year to my true friends. Every one of
you is the real deal and I love you for that.
Been fun and this year’s gonna be even better. J
*******************
© Copyright 2010-2012 by Pat Regan, “All Rights Reserved.”
Reproduction in any form without written permission is strictly prohibited.
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