Sporasub One Air Trigger Mech (Line Release Thoughts)

[Diving Gecko]

So, some of you remember that Sporasub warns users to engage the line release before loading the spear into the sear otherwise, there's a risk of misfiring.

We have been discussing this a bit on different threads and I finally reunited with my One Air and got to fiddle around with it a bit.
I think I now know why we have had to adopt the Line Release First regiment and I try to show it in a rather dull and long winded video...:
(Hope it makes sense)

Oh, there is a password: deeperblue

 

[tromic]

Good explanation Diving Gecko!

 

[Diving Gecko]

Thanks Tomi!
Much appreciated

If someone takes apart an Airbalete handle, we can compare the parts - I have some shots of them.
I suspect the handles are identical. I also suspect the mould was just modified with new inserts to make the logos as around them, I see fine lines suggesting the mould has inserts for different logos.

On Pescasubapnea there had been talk about the spring for the line release on the Airbalete handle being too strong and not letting go easily enough and thereby exerting force on the line during the shot. This alledgedly led to inaccuracy of the gun and some spearos took the spring out.

If I had to speculate, I think Spora agreed and left it out and this is what created the issue with the One Air's line release having to be flicked out manually before loading.

Also, the line release has a small hole in it, which I think could be the fixation point for a spring and one side of it is recessed - again, I think to make room for a spring. On the One Air, that space now has a plastic plate.

 

[Diving Gecko]

Here are the pics:
(btw, the handle came discolored from the dealer/manufacturer. It have gotten a bit worse since then though)

 

[Diving Gecko]

The last few pics:

 

[popgun pete]

Well this thread is essentially the continuation of http://forums.deeperblue.com/threads/omer-airbalete-line-release-fix.97425/#post-906177 and now we can see that Omer (wearing their Sporasub hat) has deliberately left the spring out and filled the space where it sat with that plastic moulded piece. When you shoot lighter shafts their momentum is less and it looks like it began to have an effect on the shaft's ability to pull the line release forwards without the resultant tug affecting the shaft's flight direction. Too weak a spring there and it may not reset the line release properly, so they have left it out completely and attached red stickers instead. A front tied line is more susceptible to the shooting line pulling the spear off course, especially if bare-ended shafts are not fitted with a loop tethered line slide to pull from the rear end of the shaft.

It would have saved some confusion if Omer/Sporasub had actually stated the reason in the instructions for the "One Air". Looks like you can add a spring if you want to as the mounting holes for it are still there.

 

[Diving Gecko]

True, it's very much what we have discussed in that, and I think one other, thread as well. But I felt like it needed its own thread in case people with One Airs wanted to find it more easily.

I also belong to the tribe which thrives on information. If they had told us why this was an issue, then I think more people would take it seriously. But again, it doesn't make them look that great. A re-design would have on the other hand. But that costs money and time. Red stickers not so much.

Enough with the handle for now though. As I have said many times, I haven't personally had issues with it, I like the feel or it and its trigger and more importantly - in one week's time, I will hold it again and hopefully they marriage of my hand and the One Air handle will bring food on the table

 

[popgun pete]

True, it's very much what we have discussed in that, and I think one other, thread as well. But I felt like it needed its own thread in case people with One Airs wanted to find it more easily.

I also belong to the tribe which thrives on information. If they had told us why this was an issue, then I think more people would take it seriously. But again, it doesn't make them look that great. A re-design would have on the other hand. But that costs money and time. Red stickers not so much.

Enough with the handle for now though. As I have said many times, I haven't personally had issues with it, I like the feel or it and its trigger and more importantly - in one week's time, I will hold it again and hopefully they marriage of my hand and the One Air handle will bring food on the table

That was not meant as a criticism, it was just to provide a link as you said there that you were going to take some photos on that earlier thread and now this is where they appear. Have you pushed the pivot pins out and looked at the two "triggers"? I am not referring to the link between them, I don't think it would be advisable to separate them as the link pins may otherwise loosen. However you will be able to tell one way or the other by seeing if anything else holds them in place other than the pins in the link being a tight fit (or the link plate on one side falling off as the "pins" in the link appear to be moulded into the other side of it).

 

[Diving Gecko]

You are right Pete, I just reread that other thread - it would have made more sense to post there. I had forgotten about my own post saying I would take pics and get back.
I'll see if I have time to take the handle apart again when I swing back through Bangkok to pick up the gun on my way to the sailing and spearing trip in a week's time. Otherwise, I'll try to do it on the way back after the trip.
And then I might move all the stuff to the other thread and declare this one dead.

 

[popgun pete]

BristolDave said there was a 3 mm washer and then the wire loop, L-shaped spring which sat on top of the cast line release lever in the "Airbalete", so a "One Air" owner could ask their supplier to provide them with these "alternative" parts (or "missing" parts, depending on your point of view). The washer just stops the thin wire spring digging into the plastic ceiling which would otherwise be above it. The "One Air" plastic insert to fill the vacant recess in the cast line release lever does not require a washer, although it looks like it needed flattening off judging by what appear to be abrasion marks on the top surface. A production change made "on the run" perhaps!

To weaken a spring you can anneal it by heating it up with a gas torch, just don't overdo it or it will then be too weak. I think that I would rather have the spring fitted and the option of removing it with a note to that effect in the instructions, stickers can go missing or be removed by a previous user. The line release lever swung forwards keeps the trigger depressed, so if the trigger is still there after the previous shot then the next reload sends the spear straight out of the gun once you let go of the loading bar as the sear lever never got a chance to fully reset and hold the rear of the piston. Broseidon experienced this problem and now we have the full story behind what happened back then.

 

[BristolDave]

Hi guys, saw this new post last night and thought I'd re-check the Airbalete mech before posting. Pete you are correct, the 3mm (internal dia) washer is purely to prevent the spring from digging into the plastic housing. Furthermore the piece of plastic used to infill the recess in the line release lever IS where the spring sits. Diving Gecko- if you check the rear inner face of the plastic housing (where the release sits) you should see a small (o.5mm) hole. This is where the other end of the spring sits.
A couple of points raised in this thread has got me thinking. Firstly, the initial line release problem I had was that the catch was releasing with minimal load acting upon it. Here in the UK, I (like most) do not use a reel and, instead monofilament with a Bungee so, its fair to assume that this set up probably applies a higher load to the release mech than the supplied 'One' reel would. However, it would 'let go' with minimal load applied. This is why I bent the back (inner) portion of the catch down slightly, so that it could engage slightly deeper behind the top surface of the trigger. Now it holds until the trigger is just starting to deflect when depressed.
What made me re-look last nite though were the comments about accuracy and spring tension. I DO run a 'free spear' due to using a Tomba F700 WITHOUT a slider and have noticed (please remember I've only used the gun for one Summer so far in the UK and am still experimenting to a degree) the gun shoots slightly high! Now is this due to gun pressure (25bar at mo)? Line release spring tension acting on line ? Or just my line of sight coming from a band gun?
Either way I can confirm that indeed the release catch is permanently trying to return to the 'cocked' position as the wraps of line pass over it so, can probably conclude that as spear is released from gun the line IS applying a deflective force (especially with a 'free spear' configuration). Its not a lot of pressure but probably enough. Enough to make me re- think my set up and maybe remove the spring and use manual re-set a la the 'ONE' .
ATB

 

[popgun pete]

The shooting high of your aiming mark is probably down to your aiming style and the distance of the shot. The line release pulling from the side of the gun is more likely to affect the shaft laterally rather than in the vertical plane, if the line is tied behind the speartip, although it may not affect it at all.

When you look over the top rear of your gun you can be sighting along a slightly downward angled line compared to the gun's longitudinal axis. If the shooting distance is within the straight line trajectory of the shaft then the spear will hit the target above your aiming point. The further out the shooting distance is then the shaft begins to fall and will pass closer to your aiming point. Further out again it will drop below your aiming point, unless you compensate in your aiming by aiming higher. If you have a very powerful gun then the straight line trajectory extends much further out from the muzzle. When first experimenting with my "Black Sea" gun I drilled a small flounder right through the middle sitting on a sloping sand patch from 6 metres flight distance away by sighting through the back end of the gun. So I just covered up the fish with the rear end of the gun forming a circle superimposed over the top of it, I did not actually look at the fish, but made sure I could not see any of the barrel being angled down compared to the gun's rear profile and then squeezed the trigger. I was also holding the rear grip firmly with both hands, my left hand locking over my right hand to brace for the shot. Now you can only shoot "sitters" that way, but it tells you how the shaft flies with respect to the longitudinal axis of the gun and you can use this method to check your aim when sighting over the top of the gun and viewing the target. A small piece of weed or kelp on the sandy bottom will do if there are no flounder around to serve as a target, just make sure that there are no rocks just under the sand where you are shooting or you may be re-sharpening your speartip.

Once you are very familiar with how your gun shoots then you develop a "point and shoot" style where you don't sight along the gun at all, but angle the gun to intercept the fish and pull the trigger just as or slightly before it enters the intersection of your viewing line to the fish and your experience of where the shaft will be flying. In a way these are déjà vu shots and with sufficient repetition you know the fish will be hit as it heads towards the kill zone, you just have to wait for it to get there as curiosity leads it to its demise. The gun then usually fires itself when the alignment "looks right".

 

[BristolDave]

Cheers Pete. Thanks for taking the time to offer your experience. Its noted and appreciated. Although with our current typically autumnal British weather I fear it won't now be until next Spring before I can put it into practice!!
Also gives me plenty of time to mull over this line release/spring tension deflection issue (if there is one?)

 

[Diving Gecko]

Hey guys,
So, another mod made to the Sporasub One Air handle - this time on the line release.
Honestly, as much as I like the handle, I always felt the line release was just a tad short.
The gun shoots four full wraps of mono but even with a thin 1.2mm line, it was a bit of an exercise getting those wraps to stay in place.

Also, I wanted to rig the gun with a breakaway system, so I needed a bit more space on the line release.

Here is what I fashioned by hand - it was pretty easy actually and it works.
Be careful when sanding down the shorter, thinner end of the release. The thickness decides how much hold the trigger itself has on the release - if you make this part too thin, the trigger wont be able to even hold the release in place.

 

[Crispin]

Hey guys,
So, another mod made to the Sporasub One Air handle - this time on the line release.
Honestly, as much as I like the handle, I always felt the line release was just a tad short.
The gun shoots four full wraps of mono but even with a thin 1.2mm line, it was a bit of an exercise getting those wraps to stay in place.

Also, I wanted to rig the gun with a breakaway system, so I needed a bit more space on the line release.

Here is what I fashioned by hand - it was pretty easy actually and it works.
Be careful when sanding down the shorter, thinner end of the release. The thickness decides how much hold the trigger itself has on the release - if you make this part too thin, the trigger wont be able to even hold the release in place.
View attachment 39663 View attachment 39664 View attachment 39665

This is exactly what I'm experiencing, the gun shoots 4 wraps with ease on 25+ bar, yet it's a balancing act getting those 4 wraps to stay on (even with thin dyneema) I'll be making this mod as well when I get a chance. Nice work.

 

[bmwgsboy]

Hey guys,
So, another mod made to the Sporasub One Air handle - this time on the line release.
Honestly, as much as I like the handle, I always felt the line release was just a tad short.
The gun shoots four full wraps of mono but even with a thin 1.2mm line, it was a bit of an exercise getting those wraps to stay in place.

Also, I wanted to rig the gun with a breakaway system, so I needed a bit more space on the line release.

Here is what I fashioned by hand - it was pretty easy actually and it works.
Be careful when sanding down the shorter, thinner end of the release. The thickness decides how much hold the trigger itself has on the release - if you make this part too thin, the trigger wont be able to even hold the release in place.
View attachment 39663 View attachment 39664 View attachment 39665

You wouldn't happen to have an extra one?

 

[Diving Gecko]

You wouldn't happen to have an extra one?

Sorry for the late reply, been away from DB for a while.
And no, unfortunately I just made the one.

But it's not that hard to make - any kinda of tough, sturdy (non-brittle) plastic should suffice, too.

 

[bmwgsboy]

Sorry for the late reply, been away from DB for a while.
And no, unfortunately I just made the one.

But it's not that hard to make - any kinda of tough, sturdy (non-brittle) plastic should suffice, too.

No problem

 

[Diving Gecko]

Making your own it not really hard, but does take some tinkering and time.

(There are some pics above, in post #14)

Some thoughts on materials first, I think you can use pretty much anything. Some very tough plastic might work. Certainly, brass or stainless will. I just used what I had and felt like playing around with (carbon fiber sheet/plate).

I am not sure what type of stainless the original one is made of, but another possible fix would be to "just" weld an extension onto the existing release. You would likely have to file the extension to shape and polish it. But the advantage of this approach is that you are keeping the part of the release that interacts with the trigger and as such, the geometry of that is already correct.
If you have access to a welder who could do this, I would probably opt for that. It's much less work as the final fitting and shaping of a new release will take some time.

If you are going with making your own from scratch, this is what I did:

I used the original metal one as template for the new one. I just happened to have some carbon fiber sheet that I could use. I epoxied two of them together to get the thickness I needed and drilled the hole for the pin. Then I mounted the original line release on top of the CF sheet with a screw and bolt and went to town with a Dremel tool and files. Once, I was closer to the final shape and sizing of the release I unscrewed the original release and went a little slower on the final shaping and thickness.

Come to think about it, to make sure the new release doesn't wiggle about too much, try to get the max. thickness in the sweet spot so that it is supported by the top and bottom of the slot it sits in - while, of course, still being able to move freely.
Also, the hole for the pin might be at a slight angle, though not sure on this.

The line release does not have the same thickness all the way through. It becomes thinner where it rests on the trigger, and that area can take some tinkering to get right. If you file it too thin, the trigger wont be able to hold the release in place once you load the mono over it. Too thick, and it might release too late in the trigger pull process and the spear might be let loose before the release is, which is a problem, too. There is a sweet spot and you'll find it.

I think it would be a smart move to let most of the air out and just keep enough in it to shoot the piston without the spear (perhaps 3-5 bar). Then you should be able to test if you hit the sweet spot by just firing it indoors (without spear). Put a little pressure on the release as you slowly press the trigger and see what goes first. Or tie a rubber band to the release.

I actually opened up the area on the handle in front of the release to allow a longer release to be able to move more forward. Hard to explain, but I cut out the opening. If you look at the handle from the side, the opening is a rectangular slot. I am talking about the front part of this slot. I extended that forward (also visible in pix in post #14).
It took a bit of "courage" cutting into a handle like that, but I have used the gun since then and had zero problems and I do think there is enough material in that spot. Obviously, it will probably void any warranty, but I think mine was out anyways and honestly, this is a pretty messy oversight from Omer/Sporasub in the first place. Make a gun that can shoot three-four loops, but forget to make a line release long enough to actually hold more than two...

BTW, the handle is not pressurized like other pneumatics so cutting into it is not that major a deal.