OK, this is the way it went down. I was walking up to the north end of the cove, away from my snorkling party, doing a little light beachcombing. I was looking over the flotsam in the storm surge level (higher on the beach). Tangled up in some of the seaweed and ubiquitous rope fragments I spotted an aluminum tube. Well OK, lets have a look! Pulled it out and pulled everything off it and, well whatya know, a speargun. OK, what kind of shape is it in? There is the pistol grip (white handle), there is the plastic business end with a couple of thick elastic bands on it (a bit chewed looking), including the linked wishbone, and there is a sort of plastic guide for the spear, part way down the barrel. The barrel is entirely aluminum colored, no anodizing!
I took it back to the beach house, opened a large jug of vinegar, and poured it into a large enough bowl to accomodate the entire handle/trigger housing, subsequently reversing to the front end after a day or so. After I dissolved the calcareous stuff and brushed off the other odds and ends that had attempted to set up houskeeping on it, I rinsed it and dried it off. Gee, the safety and trigger work easily. I measured it, examined it closely (Beuchat on the trigger housing!!!), removed some screws, discovering that it was originally anodized black, and then hit the internet to discover how this thing works and stuff.
I discovered that it is a Beuchat Arca 750 and likely takes a 115 cm. (proprietary?) spear (Thanks Deeper Blue Spearos - I love ya!). I determined that I could replace each of the bands by unscrewing them from the plastic (graphite composite?) connectors at either end. Yeech, a little corrosion on the plated brass male screw-ins). The bands appear to be 18 mm bands (~3/4" thick).
OK, two questions (wellll maybe three):
first, I'm new to this so I don't really know what I'm doing compared to ya'll. Do you think I'm better off with 16mm bands rather than 18 mm bands and how does spear thickness factor into this? Second, what do I need to do to remove the trigger assembly from its housing so I can do a better job of cleaning it up, so the butt end of the spear can seat cleanly, and lubing it? Thirdly, it has this little trigger looking thing ahead of the trigger and it also works easily after acidizing. Does this thing work with a retrieving line and, if so, how do you rig it properly?
I took it back to the beach house, opened a large jug of vinegar, and poured it into a large enough bowl to accomodate the entire handle/trigger housing, subsequently reversing to the front end after a day or so. After I dissolved the calcareous stuff and brushed off the other odds and ends that had attempted to set up houskeeping on it, I rinsed it and dried it off. Gee, the safety and trigger work easily. I measured it, examined it closely (Beuchat on the trigger housing!!!), removed some screws, discovering that it was originally anodized black, and then hit the internet to discover how this thing works and stuff.
I discovered that it is a Beuchat Arca 750 and likely takes a 115 cm. (proprietary?) spear (Thanks Deeper Blue Spearos - I love ya!). I determined that I could replace each of the bands by unscrewing them from the plastic (graphite composite?) connectors at either end. Yeech, a little corrosion on the plated brass male screw-ins). The bands appear to be 18 mm bands (~3/4" thick).
OK, two questions (wellll maybe three):
first, I'm new to this so I don't really know what I'm doing compared to ya'll. Do you think I'm better off with 16mm bands rather than 18 mm bands and how does spear thickness factor into this? Second, what do I need to do to remove the trigger assembly from its housing so I can do a better job of cleaning it up, so the butt end of the spear can seat cleanly, and lubing it? Thirdly, it has this little trigger looking thing ahead of the trigger and it also works easily after acidizing. Does this thing work with a retrieving line and, if so, how do you rig it properly?
