Jake's Futurmat Rimini Espresso Machine Rebuild

[Tex]

Lookin' good!

Jake

I understand.  I have 4 commercial machines in various states of dis-repair.  I too have a working espresso machine (actually 2 of them) so the other ones are not done yet.  Do I consider myself a procrastinator.  Nope, just a guy who has other priorities.  If I needed a working machine I'd change them.  I have parts on order for one of my machines and got a few parts in the mail 2 days ago.   I'm looking forward to seeing your machine go back together.  

*cough* milowidget *cough*



(Not that I have a lot of room to talk...I have a gaggia that needs PID, a Hottop that needs thermocouples installed, a project truck that's been in the garage for 7 years, and about a billion other things I'm putting off at the moment.)

But I bet the plane gets all the attention it needs? I think Larry and I should have a contest to see who has the most unfinished "projects" going at any one time,

[milowebailey]

But I bet the planes gets all the attention they needs? I think Larry and I should have a contest to see who has the most unfinished "projects" going at any one time,

Don't you have to start a project before it's considered "unfinished"?

[Tex]

But I bet the planes gets all the attention they needs? I think Larry and I should have a contest to see who has the most unfinished "projects" going at any one time,

Don't you have to start a project before it's considered "unfinished"?

OK, let's count 'em!
1 - Brasilia Belle Epoque: torn down, waiting to go to polishers and reassembly. Mrs T already bought a nice table for this to be displayed on in the living room, so it'll get bumped to the head of the line.
2 - Bunn ES-1A: painted & powder coated, waiting for drip tray grate & front panel to come back from polisher, then reassembly.
3 - La Victoria Mini Family: waiting for a switch, then reassembly. To be displayed with #4 in a wall nook.
4 - La Pavoni Pro: torn apart for chrome polishing and pressurestat replacement, then reassembly. For display w/#3.
5 - Gaggia Classic: waiting for chassis to come back from powder coater, then mod & reassembly. Backup machine in case #2 ever breaks.
6 - Old White Gaggia Coffee - everything ready to go, just waiting for me to get to it. Friends backup machine, no hurry he says.
7 - Gaggia Carezza: doing PID, OPV, steam wand mods, then reassemble. Test machine.
8 - Bunn ES-1A: this is the one I'm using now. Once the keeper is finished it'll be stripped, descaled, and checked for damage; then sold to the highest bidder.
9 - Hottop B: in like-new condition, just waiting for the milowidget.
10 - Hottop B: NIB, waiting for a milowidget & a chance to unload it.
11 - UFO/CO: rewiring the turbo oven to eliminate all switches & thermostats; for use with router speed control. Rewiring the Stir Crazy so heat is switched, so I can throw a lot of heat into a roast at any given point.

There are more, but since I haven't actually begun working on them, they don't count as projects yet.

[milowebailey]

My list is shorter

Elektra Belle 2 group.  - disassembled and waiting for time
Rancilio S20 2 group - waiting on new side panel, then start going through it.  I pick up the side panel Monday
Gaggia Coffee - need to adjust OPV - done this weekend
Gaggia Espresso - need to clean it up a little more and pack it for shipping
Milowidget - in work, really
      - includes hottop mod and Behmor mod and SC/TO mod

On deck - not started yet
Brasilia Portofino 2 group
CM rebrand (cafethema) 2 group lever (Propane and electric heating)
Elektra home machine
Gaggia baby
Gaggia Espresso

[Tex]

Next we'll tote up projects actually finished this year.
My Gaggia test bed machines;
1 - Gaggia Classic: Tex mods & sold.
2 - Gaggia Classic: Tex mods & sold.
3 - Gaggia Espresso: Tex mods & sold.
4 - Gaggia Espresso: Tex mods & sold.
5 - Gaggia Carezza: Tex mods & sold.
6 - Gaggia Coffee: Tex mods & sold.
7 - Gaggia OWC: Tex mods, powder coated & given away.
8 - Rancilio Silvia - Tex mods & sold.
Other projects;
9 - Nuova Simonelli Personal: Rebuilt, Tex mods & sold.
10 - Mazzer Super Jolly: Refurbed, cleaned, reburred & sold.

[milowebailey]

Next we'll tote up projects actually finished this year.
My Gaggia test bed machines;
1 - Gaggia Classic: Tex mods & sold.
2 - Gaggia Classic: Tex mods & sold.
3 - Gaggia Espresso: Tex mods & sold.
4 - Gaggia Espresso: Tex mods & sold.
5 - Gaggia Carezza: Tex mods & sold.
6 - Gaggia Coffee: Tex mods & sold.
7 - Gaggia OWC: Tex mods, powder coated & given away.
8 - Rancilio Silvia - Tex mods & sold.
Other projects;
9 - Nuova Simonelli Personal: Rebuilt, Tex mods & sold.
10 - Mazzer Super Jolly: Refurbed, cleaned, reburred & sold.

You got me there too

1 - Kitchen Remodel
2 - Gaggia Coffee - all mods - coffee kids auction
3 - Gaggia Espresso - all mods - sold
4 - Gaggia Carezza - OPV steam wand - sold
5 - Rancilio - PID - B|Java

[shakin_jake]

I'm going to post pics of the hot water and steam valve as I was disassembling them

So here I am removing the hot water knob.  It's two piece (the plastic halves) and comes apart without too much drama, just by pulling one half from the other, the split pin is removed then the washer and all that;s left is to unsrew the knob from the shaft

You can see that the valve shaft the knob fits onto is threaded, it all just unscrews...then I used a ny-ty to organize the various washers and what not, while the knob waits to be reassembled

And the hot water valve is off.  FWIW, the steam valve body is identical, and here are both valves taken apart laid on a cloth towel

The steam valve on the right has been cleaned, the hot water valve on the left has not been cleaned.  For clean up I stripped it down to what you see, using a brass wire brush to clean the threads, then all of the brass and copper pieces are placed in a soak bowl filled with a combination of hot water and powderd citric acid, dissolved, to make up my acid cleaning solution, till spotless then it's off for a hot water rinse

The only pieces I replaced before reassembling them, both of the valve body shafts use 2 o-rings to keep the water from running out of the shaft and valve body.  Mine looked good but I replaced them anyway, the shaft the o-rings fit onto, at the one end is the what I call the stopper rubber which controls the flow of the water when the valve is closed.  Both stoppers looked good and you can flip them 180 degrees to use the opposite end of the rubber before replacing

Now the copper washers used in the valves to seal valve sections to one another, you should replace them since the soft material will deform when torqued down, and they are not expensive to replace but I learned how to anneal copper washers some time ago and by hitting them with a blow torch and get them cherry red, dropping the washer into water will finish the annealing process, then you're good to go and re-use the copper washer instead of replacing with a new one.  Rebuild, restore, relive=:-)
 


Jake
Reddick Fla.
"Too dumb for opera, too smart for NASCAR"-Anonymous

[shakin_jake]

Here's another view of the shaft used in both the steam and hot water valves

Notice how the one end houses the brown rubber plug?  That is the plug that stops against the valve seat, and closes the water off.  If your hot water orr steam valve leaks when it's closed, chances are this rubber gasket/washer/plug is deformed and needs to be replaced, or rotated 180 degrees

Lower part of the hot water valve being reassembled.  FWIW, I purchased new pieces, the white nylon piece you see with the rubber o-ring encased, that piece keeps the valve from leaking when you swivel the head (hot water)

I used this lubricant sealant when reassembling the o-rings to the hot water and steam valve bodies.  If you've ever used a steam or hot water valve on a commercial machine and when turning it, if it felt silky smooth, it probably had this type of lubricant used when assembled
If your commercial espresso hot water and steam valves feel less than smooth, it just might be time to service them

Steam and hot water valves, assembled and ready to install


Jake
Reddick Fla.
"Too dumb for opera, too smart for NASCAR"-Anonymous

[sontondaman]

Wow, great thread.
Keep the pictures coming. I'm having an even worse case of procrastination. My La Marzocco Linea 3 groups is nearing completion, yet there are several pin hole leak in the stainless steel boilers. I hope your thread is going to motivate me to finish my machine!!!
Here is a pic of my unfinished zoco

[shakin_jake]

Media blasting?  Is that just selecting a component and "sanding" with pressure?

Powder coating?  Whatzdat?  I know paint.

B|Java

~~~about the media they used to blast my frame, not sure, could have been sand or beads.  In regards to powdercoating, Salvatore Espresso powdercoats all of thier hand built metal frames.  I owned and used one of their One Black (and Red) HX machines for over a year and the frame was powdercoated.  Here's a pic of the HX (Salvatore) I had


If you notice the stainless steel drip pan in the foreground, I removed and replaced that drip tray at least several times a day during my ownership, the paint from the frame never chipped, and for some reason, when setting the drip pan back into the frame, the pan always wanted to contact part of the red frame cover (side panel) on the right side.  I was always careful when R&Ring the pan and it would touch the red paint and the frame, but never any marks on either of those painted metal surfaces...And IIRC, the red covers were powdercoated too.  Yes!, thinking more about it, the red frame cover was powdercoated as well

My experience with powdercoated espresso machines has been positive but I can't answer any questions as to what makes up a powdercoating, if that's your question B/J


Jake
Reddick Fla. 
I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there.
-- Herb Caen

[shakin_jake]

Thought I'd post some wiring pics tonight

If you take a good look at this pic (above), the red box is the back of the main power switch.  In this photo it has been disconected from the front trim panel.  I don't know much about electrics in general or espresso machine electrics in particular=:-), but from what I've read, it's best to run your power line coming into the espresso machine to a terminal block first before connecting to the power switch like Gaggia Spain has done here (running power directly to the mian switch)

if you look carefully at the bottom left side of the photo you will see the main power wire (black cover) running from the bottom vertically upwards, and out of that black insulated group of wires you can see the light blue, brown and black wires of the main power supply covered in a clear insulation (jacket) and plugging into the top of the main switch block

Also note in the left middle grouping of wires, the heat distressed blue wire...you can see the insulation jacket (white) had been badly heat distressed.  This blue wire is a power wire heading down to the heating element.  FWIW, that blue wire is the only bad wire I have found on this machine's wiring loom. 

Over on the yahoo BUG group (Bunn users group), some of the ES-1A owners have a similar power switch, and some of the members have suffered similar electrical problems with their main switch.  My switch seems fine the short time I ran power through it, but if it acts up, it's only about $40 to replace that switch


Jake
Reddick Fla.
I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there.
-- Herb Caen     

[shakin_jake]

Another view of the heat distressed blue wire

I'm not sure how I will rectify this wire.  Woukld probably be best to replace it but I may cut the bad end off and if there is enough length, re-use that same wire, but using a new spade terminal

Here's a good view of the wiring where it terminates at the boiler heating element.  In my hand is the probe that inserts into the hole you see at the bottom of the heater element...it will detect an overly hot condition and shut down the power goping to the heater element.  There is a bakelite piece that fits over the entire end of the wiring, to protect anyone from getting shocked if the cover is off the machine yet the machine is still plugged in

Also note on the frame member beneath the end here, you can see the main power wire, how it is cinched to the frame

the blue box in the upper corner houses the Sirai P-Stat...and next to the P-Stat is the heater element over heat condition trip switch.  In an earlier photo in the main thread you could see a stainless steel cover, covering this switch.  It's removed in this photo...the cover keeps water dripping from wet cups placed above the switch on the warming rack.  You'll also this switch has a red resettable button.  If you find you don't have power going to the heater element, you check this switch first as it may have tripped.  Again, it's there as a safety fail safe.  The PO told me he has shorted out two heating elemnets.  He felt the elements gave normal service (life), and only used one of the two elements when ever he operated the machine...so after one side of the element quit working, he switched the wires to the other element, then replaced the entire element when the 2nd side gave up the ghost.  The  heating element that was in my machine when I bought it was new, and there was no apparent scale on the element

The boiler heating element teflon gasket you see in my hand looked to be in perfect condition, but I bought a new one just to play it safe.  I don't remember exactly but I think the teflon gasket was only a few bucks.  Good insurance and I have a spare


Jake
Reddick Fla.
I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there.
-- Herb Caen

[BoldJava]

...My experience with powdercoated espresso machines has been positive but I can't answer any questions as to what makes up a powdercoating, if that's your question B/J

Thanks.  Had never heard the term.  Wiki says, "Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form. The coating is typically applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a "skin". The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint..."

I learn something new on this forum every day.

RE:  Steam valve.  Mine is turning hard on the Silvia.  I know how to pop the hood.  What do I look for and what kind of lubricant do I use?  That "111" gunk you are using?  Bet my auto mechanics could send me home with a glob of goop. Thanks.

B|Java

[Tex]

...My experience with powdercoated espresso machines has been positive but I can't answer any questions as to what makes up a powdercoating, if that's your question B/J

Thanks.  Had never heard the term.  Wiki says, "Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form. The coating is typically applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a "skin". The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint..."

I learn something new on this forum every day.

RE:  Steam valve.  Mine is turning hard on the Silvia.  I know how to pop the hood.  What do I look for and what kind of lubricant do I use?  That "111" gunk you are using?  Thanks.

B|Java

The cost to powder coat is similar to painting. I have Gaggia metal chassis PC'd for ~$80, single color, +40 for candy colors. I have one that was done ~3years ago and it still looks pristine. The only drawback of PC is the limitation on color choice, but if you can go with whatever the shop has on hand it's a great option to painting.

[Ringo]

I got a sprayer from Eastmond supply to apply my own powder coat, seems easy.  This sprayer is on sale for $65 right now and the powder is $8 for 8 oz.  The biggest problem is you need an oven that will get to $400 deg F.  Lots of people use an old home stove but you can not use it for food after.  After I use it I will post on the results.  New tools are always cool!