offshorediver.com

Dive Hats - Metal

A Progression of Gorski Hats

click here to see some of Les's prototypes

Miller 200

Serial number 222

Don't usually see Millers with serial numbers

Courtesy of W Barnhart

Superlite 77

Powdercoated stainless steel with KMDSI's REX regulator

This hat "X77 S03" is the first to be tested and used by working divers.

From G Lo Conte of Epic divers

Miller 400 smooth shell

Above: after rebuild

Below: when he got it

Courtesy of J Boggs

S a c r i l e d g e
2006 - Miller 300 with SL-37 neckdam rubber in the Miller ring. Sacrilegious? Yep, but it works well. It's kind of
like putting a Chevy motor in a Cobra. Hat belongs to M. Herness.
Courtesy of M Nienow
L Pierre lives

These are manufactured by Martin Morris, d.b.a. Heavy Metal Divers.

Courtesey of R Johnson

Gorski G2000SS

Gas Reclaim System

Pics courtesy of Leszek Gorski

Ben's First Hat

April 2004 - Jan Miller has this to say:
"For a period of time I kept having a dream that Ben was telling me to find something. He kept saying "find the gear". In the dream I was looking in wreckage yards, dumps, basements and all kinds of strange places.

A couple of weeks ago two men from KMDSI came to get the last of the inventory. We were looking in a small room in an old trailer where Ben stored a lot of catalogs and paper work. There was a built in bed with doors on top that I had never looked inside of. When I opened it; I found two helmets.

I really believe that this one (photo) was the one he built first. The second one (the photo you have) was built for his brother. (see below) This one has a different faceplate and regulator, as if he took them from something else to create his helmet. I wish I knew for certain, but I'm pretty certain that this was his first. It was hidden quite well along with the other. The other has a welding shield that is different. It looks homemade. I don't think the one with the welding shield has ever been in the water.

PDM (Petroleum Diving Mask) built in the 70s
Courtesy of Didier Hannaert

Some Info on the PDM mask:
From Rob Krul, Holland Feb 2004
See further below for a picture of the mask he's referring to.
I sent a picture of a "PDM" mask to offshorediver.com a few months ago and got some response from Peter Jackson from the UK , he could tell me that these masks were build by an American in the UK in early/mid 70's and were sold under the name off Triple XXX enterprises and the name PDM is short for Petroleum Diver's Mask and designed and developed for working in the gas and oil-fields.

Another Savoie Gas Hat
Pictures and text from R Fontana

The owner told me that this was an original modification from Joe Savoie so the hat could be used to dive gas. The only difference is the original regulator was an scuba type that had problems. So my friend put a new kirby morgan superflo on it instead. You can hook up to air in the rear of the hat like normal or hook directly into the regulator with gas. The regulator is plumed in thru the neoprene in the neck dam. As for the polished welds He said he talked to Mrs. Savoie to find out if that was original and she said she had polished the welds on those hats herself.

The Gorski Hat Continues to Evolve
Pictures and text from Bob McMillan

Bob McMillan - "I had the privilege of diving the new Gorski G2000SS dive helmet. I can honestly say this is the most comfortable, easiest breathing hat that I have ever dove. Another big plus for this hat is that there is no exposed tubing on the outside of the hat that could be damaged. I believe we are going to start seeing a lot of these new hats in the field real soon. In my opinion, there isn't another hat that can compare to it. Mike Mason is the one inside the old Siebe Gorman hat, scratching his head while looking at the new Gorski hat."

PDM-MKV
Serial # 240. Bronze frame with regulator inside the mask.
The owner would like hear from anybody familiar with this mask. You can email him here if you are.
Feb 2004 - Mystery solved. See the box above.

A Savoie gas hat

Courtesy of Michael Wolfe

If I remember correctly, the hat was built by Joe in 1979. I don't know who the original owner was. The regulator is a modified ScubaPro. I bought it at JackVilas's in 1989. He had it on consignment. JollyDriskell, who worked for Jack, knew the Savoies andwas able to get a new face port made for me. I dove the hat while I was a tender. I retired it and bought a used Superlight when I broke out. The Savoie had nonose clearing device and with an oral-nasal installedit was not possible for me to clear quickly. Also, the hat had no plumbed in bail-out. The dive hose attached to a block on the back of the hat. A hose from thatblock ran under the divers arm to a Swage-Lock QD onthe regulator. I had a whip from my first stage with a matching QD and a caribeaner seized on it attached to my harness. The Swage Lock QD is easy to undo andreattach even when the whip is charged, so, to go on bail-out I would simply unplug the regulator and plug in the whip from the first stage.Things were a little lean in the mid 90's and I needed a new Superlight due to impending hat inspections, so when Jack called me and said he had someone looking for a Savoie, I sold it. I justcouldn't justify a paperweight worth that much! I don't know who bought it, but I hope they dive it from time to time.

Ben Miller's Second
-or-
Possibly Third Hat

Pictures from Jan Miller
April 2004 - Based on the recent finding of a pair of hats which Ben had hidden away, Jan reckons this was not the first Miller, as previously written here. It is certainly a very early hat, however.

The Carson 2500 stainless steel dive hat

Something Else You Can't Do With Fiberglass...

OK, you ready for this? I've turned a rejected (check out the hole in the side of the casting) raw Miller 400 Helmet Shell in to a bell/wind chime. (And man is it LOUD!) I've silver soldered two brass rings onto it to hold the hardware. One ring on top for hanging it, the other inside to hold the chain, clapper and sail. The clapper inside is a fan belt pulley from an old Chevy engine and the chain and sail from the pile of old junk in my garage. The sail has a Miller sticker on each side. Ben believed that nothing should go to waste. I'm sure that he'd approve of what I did except for one minor detail, the pulley should have come from a 70's Ford Van!

Steve Kushner

President, Kirby Morgan Dive Systems Inc.

The venerable Desco pot
Courtesy of Magnus Lundbeck

Savoie
Courtesy of Steve Struble

Miller 200E
Courtesy of S. Urban

Miller 300
Pizza Power
Courtesy of Steve Struble

Polished Miller 300
A retired hat after working the 70's and 80's
Courtesy of B. Lemoine
How it looked before

Bad Ass Bucket
Mike Musser's Miller 300 with nickel plated shell and black anodized parts.
Pics from D. Trochman

Miller 2/400
Special order from Ben Miller
Courtesy of J. Sullivan

Miller 400 Smooth Shell
Courtesty of Terry Hun

John Deere Miller 400
Courtesy of W. Tullis
March 2001 - Perforated by a 30.30 round.
Oops.
Way to go Strick9

Miller 400
Paint by Krylon
Disinfection by Ortho
Courtesy of H. Thompson

Bronze Superlite and Bandmask frame
I lost track of who sent this picture in, but I think he is offering these things for sale. Here is an idea we have all had actually done up by somebody. Of course the suits will be shitting themselves trying to get in line to hunt this guy down, but it sure is a nice looking hat.

F F