coffee machine 1970,

Thank you for the post deQuincey! That was amazing. You have a talent for sure and a lot of patience.

My Elektra started leaking from the heater/boiler last summer. The replacement gasket wasn't sufficient as the soft brass bolting faces were not flat. After attempts with different gaskets I applied a hi-temp, food grade sealer to fill the cracks that wouldn't seal. 5 months later and it still works well. There is nothing like home made cappuccino in the morning. Cheers!
 

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Fredomatic said:
Thank you for the post deQuincey! That was amazing. You have a talent for sure and a lot of patience.

My Elektra started leaking from the heater/boiler last summer. The replacement gasket wasn't sufficient as the soft brass bolting faces were not flat. After attempts with different gaskets I applied a hi-temp, food grade sealer to fill the cracks that wouldn't seal. 5 months later and it still works well. There is nothing like home made cappuccino in the morning. Cheers!
Click to expand...

that is very nice, that elektra is really a tight design, everything is packed there, is the big alternator kind of thing a water pump ?

you solved very well the issue; i am now in a similar animal, and i found a very similar leak, the PO said it was in the main boiler gasket, but no, it was the heater element gasket, just like yours, i will have to work on it, but we will see

love the motto as to travels broaden minds, and help knowing of other realities, well said

regards
 
well i will unveil the mystery

i have seen that lever machines are quite different when you talk about home, and profi, or commercial ones

essentially in those home ones you apply the pressure to extract the coffee using your arm, on the contrary on the commercial ones you apply the force to load the groupe springs, then when you release the pressure the arm will make the extraction

as i am always searching for something to learn...


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it needs some love, but who doesn’t ?
 
Well DQ's initial La Pavoni post has just culminated in a transcontinental project. DQ found and sorted a Europiccola in Bilbao from 1994 or so, and all I had to do was unpack, replace the heater element with a 120V skew, check my work and pull the first espresso. The result was fantastic, I used my usual Peerless Espresso Maranello beans and it is a completely different taste now, one that lingers in your mouth for hours. I nominate DQ to the status of "the Don Lawrence of La Pavoni machines".
Five pictures from unpacking through first use...
 

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Arde said:
Well DQ's initial La Pavoni post has just culminated in a transcontinental project. DQ found and sorted a Europiccola in Bilbao from 1994 or so, and all I had to do was unpack, replace the heater element with a 120V skew, check my work and pull the first espresso. The result was fantastic, I used my usual Peerless Espresso Maranello beans and it is a completely different taste now, one that lingers in your mouth for hours. I nominate DQ to the status of "the Don Lawrence of La Pavoni machines".
Five pictures from unpacking through first use...
Click to expand...

deQ is already deQ and the Don is already the Don so no upgrading of status is possible.

This entire thread has done my head in. I just looked up the price of a la marzocco linea mini and it's $8,200 AUD. Really!

I get the restoration thing - that's fun and interesting but can the coffee be that much better? Not to mention all the talk of the learning process, bean quality, sourcing, etc.

Call me a Philistine but sheesh, just give me a coffee will ya.

Mind you, Arde's new machine is gorgeous. I'd have that just as a work of art. Is it rude to ask how much? And I promise not to be scornful.
 
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I am not advocating for the fancy automated machines. We installed one at work and it is always rebooting, self cleaning, or whatever. Any service visit is 600 dollars just to futz around with motherboards and actuators.

I think the one DQ got me was about five hundred and change Euros for the machine, including the 120v element, and including all the gaskets and parts he replaced. Then another 120 Euros to get it from Bilbao to Cupertino in 3 days..because coffee delayed is coffee denied, like our lawyers say.

The viability of the project was also based on DQs generosity, as I got his expertise and labor for free!

Up until DQ's post my plan was to buy on Ebay a Russian Samovar from Tula, circa 1900, just because they are beautiful, and because my grandmother had one.
I do not drink tea, and they use charcoal. After his post I ended up with a nicer gadget that makes incredible coffee.

In short Gazz, do you want yours in chrome or copper/brass?


Gazz said:
deQ is already deQ and the Don is already the Don so no upgrading of status is possible.

This entire thread has done my head in. I just looked up the price of a la marzocco linea mini and it's $8,200 AUD. Really!

I get the restoration thing - that's fun and interesting but can the coffee be that much better? Not to mention all the talk of the learning process, bean quality, sourcing, etc.

Call me a Philistine but sheesh, just give me a coffee will ya.

Mind you, Arde's new machine is gorgeous. I'd have that just as a work of art. Is it rude to ask how much? And I promise not to be scornful.
Click to expand...
 
Stan said:
@deQuincey where do you keep finding these old expresso makers? They look wonderful and of course, after you restore them they are very impressive!
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my preowned europiccola was coming from france, we live at one hour drive from border,
the copper, bronze one was at local interchange market,

these were very expensive twenty years ago, now they are still expensive but not that much, preowned are good priced but always need repairs and change seals
 
My big machine is alive,.

after a long time dealing with cleaning and spares, here she is making the first shot:



interesting how this works, you load a spring by pushing down the lever, when coffee drops start to show up you pull the lever up, and let it alone, the spring force vs the water pressure makes the erogation of the coffee

creamy, succulent, flavours and smells fill the room

a nice couple, machine and grinder...still some work to do to complete, but we are in the good path

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So, tell me, what do you think a good reliable expresso machine would cost?
Is a $500 unit worth even looking at?
Not high volume, just for personal use, a cup of cafe au lait every day.
 
I think for 400-500$ you could get a new Gaggia and be happy. The lever machines would be a bit higher, I think 700$ for the cheapest new unit. Then spend say 12$ a pound for coffee beans and that should last you two weeks.
In the short term it is cheaper to go to Peet's. For all my friends that only drink black coffee I am dying to pour
them a 4 gram bag of squid ink (99 cents) in hot water and see what happens...

Stan said:
So, tell me, what do you think a good reliable expresso machine would cost?
Is a $500 unit worth even looking at?
Not high volume, just for personal use, a cup of cafe au lait every day.
Click to expand...
 
Stan said:
So, tell me, what do you think a good reliable expresso machine would cost?
Is a $500 unit worth even looking at?
Not high volume, just for personal use, a cup of cafe au lait every day.
Click to expand...

it is not just cost IMHO
it is like asking about owning an e9 in cost terms
i always say nespresso made an excellent job in puting coffee closer to our homes and offices, but it is not that all

like tuning the e9 if something is not right after your last drive,...

and BTW, coffee tastes great !

second hand machines are simple to repair, spares are expensive, but if it is your labour cost, only point is find a good project, and be able to repair it,

new machines usually integrating grinders and pumps and electronics are prone to failure, and difficult to repair, use and throw it away and buy new one motto...not for me

i do not think it makes sense,



but if you want it cost:
some numbers:

1- the careless= one cup of coffee per day at your bar, coffee shop, cafeteria,... is 1,40€ x 300 days/year x 5 years = 2100 euro
2- the aficionado = coffee 20grams/ day x 300 days x 5 years = 30.000 grams = 30 kilo coffee x 16€/kilo kenya beans = 480 €
milk 100 ml/day x 300 x 5 = 150 liter milk x 0,90€/liter = 135 €
electricity = 0,10€ kw/h x 0,5h x 1kw x300 x 5 = 75 €
total costs = 480 + 135 + 75 = 690 €
2100 - 690 = 1410 €

so any machine you buy for less than 1410 € serves you right for the 5 year period,
a good machine would last 20 to 30 years

my case:

my lapavoni costed me 1000€ in 1999, it is 20 years

1- careless = 8.400 euro
2- aficionado = 1000€ + 1920 coffee + 540milk + 300elect = 3760 € + 3 overhauilng (x 150) = 450 = gran total = 3760 +450 = 4210 €

still 4.190 € to spend in cars and whiskey
 
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After considering my personality "I would rather turn the key than turn the wrench" perhaps buying new is a good choice. o_O
 
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