ira wrote:Have a look at:

http://www.brushresearch.com/

Ira

Thanks for that Ira, lot of options. I'll have to look through them more carefully. I haven't yet been able to find something with around 12" OAL to be able to run down the length of the pipe.

So far I've tested out using a long flat spade bit with some steel wool wrapped around it and then sandpaper wrapped around that. It seems to be working, but I need to go get some coarser grits or maybe a tougher material paper. All I have right now are finishing grits, but it seems to be working.

The brushresearch stuff looks like if I can find the right one, it would make the job go much faster, so much appreciated!

I did get a response back from brushresearch. They can do custom orders and lengths. So looks like it will work out good. Of course I could just use the 8" standard length and polish from either end, but would be nice to have it full-length so I can make sure I'm polishing as evenly as possible.

Will post up some pictures once I have a cylinder all polished and finished. Thanks!

Custom parts are nearing completion!



I should also be receiving the tools to polish the cylinders today or tomorrow.

I also have tried out a myriad of materials to cover the cylinder and ring with. Nothing is as good in terms of longevity, looks and feel as the rubber tape. I've tried just the plain silicone tubing, plasti-dip, spray rubber, shrink tube, closed cell rubber foam. The main downside is just the time it will take me to wrap each device, but I think right now with low volume it's worth the effort.

Here's the likely final configuration (silicone tubing on the tube then wrapped with 1 layer of rubber tape). The rubber on the ring also goes to the underside so that you get a no-slip grip when pressing into the ring or a cup.



Let me know what you guys think!

Also, I've been thinking about possibly making a run of lower spouted "portafilters". What comes with the device is the obvious bottomless ring, but having a cone that you could thread on a double or single spout might be a nice option. If anyone is interested in one please post or PM me so I can get an idea.

Lookin' good!

Custom parts are done! I love working with amazing craftsmen, this guy really takes pride in his work and I think it shows. Now I just need to get my polishing parts in as that's the last remaining piece left before assembly.

I haven't yet been able to get the tools in to polish the cylinder. Apparently those flex-hones in low-grits are rarer than hen's teeth. Supposedly they'll be here by Tuesday.

De-burred and fitted together a unit for myself that I'll use for testing to make sure everything goes together smoothly and polishing works out well. Once I'm happy with the process it won't be much longer to start shipping units! Dropped this guy on the scale, 1.3kg (2.87 lb) as it sits without the ring stand (but with the gauge & basket).

I was able to get some more shots of the custom parts together. Here they are:













Couple notes about the above shots:

• No covering (silicone and wrapping) on the pipe yet since that part isn't finished, just test fitted everything together to give a visual idea.
• You can see a line cut in the lower ring, this will be an aligning mark, you line it up with the pressure gauge hole and should start threading easy.
• You can also see the T-Handle threads onto standard 1/4"-20 tpi threads. So anyone looking for custom handles for their machine can get started! I like the shape of the stock handle, as I tend to "pull" the piston down rather than press it. But having something that fits your hand or ergonomics better is always a nice touch.

Any of the finishing options like the lower ring mark, or wrapping are optional. If you have a plan to do something else and just want them left out, let me know.

Once I ship out the first units, this will conclude the project thread, until then these are just updates for anyone who's following along. Also, would like to give a big thank you to the HB community for supporting the project so far. I'm sure honest reviews and owner's experiences will follow this project thread for any who still want to discuss it.

Looks fantastic man! Look forward to hearing reviews!

As an update, I had hoped to have a few units together already. But getting the inside of the cylinders smooth has proved to be quite a time sink. Flex-hones didn't work out, so I'm planning to send them to the machinist for precision reaming. Good news will be that they will be very uniform, after that I'll go ahead and polish them with the flex-hones as a final step.

I believe this will be the best way to go about it. I had hoped that with coarse grit silicone carbide or diamond hones, that it would have gone pretty easy...but to go on record again...304 stainless is some hard stuff! I'm not sure if any of us will be able to wear the Forge out, no matter how many coffees you make, or how many nails you hammer in with the thing! It's an extremely sturdy device.

Although this does mean a bit of a delay, the machinist works fast and priority shipping should have it there and back in less than a week. Will post pictures once they arrive with hopefully another demo video. I had tried to get some pictures of the inside of the cylinder, but my camera isn't good enough. I have a friend with a nice SLR who should hopefully stop by and can give an idea of what the inside of these seamless pipes look like.

Sending out the pipes to get reamed, this is basically the last piece. I've just received the last of the other parts (baskets, shower screens, seals etc) today.

To give you an idea, although the inside of the stainless pipes are "seamless" here is what they look like:



These are the best pictures I could get of a partially polished cylinder. I have one other that I polished even more, and is functionally working well, but I wasn't satisfied with still a few surface scratches on the inside. So they'll all go out for reaming. Before polishing the inside is so dark I can't even get an image of it. Will get some images after they come back. It's easy to see by eye, but hard to capture with a camera.

Definitely different than the aluminum pipes I got before, but different metals I'm sure require a different process to make them. Many stainless pipes are welded which I was concerned about, but since they will have to be reamed anyway, I suppose it may not have mattered.

I had hoped to ship some units already, but I think this ~1 week delay should be worth it for long term longevity of piston seals. It should also make the piston feel nice and smooth when pressing.

Machinist has the pipes, and started reaming...only to find out that the ID of the pipes are larger than the first ones I had attempted to polish. Looks like we'll have to order a larger reamer and change out o-rings. A bit of a set-back in terms of time as he was hoping to ship them back to me today or Monday.

I'm wanting to make sure we ream out every last groove, so we are going with a safe depth of 0.65". Just to give you an idea, spec ID is supposedly 0.622", but the one I had polished was more like 0.63 after polishing...some of the other pipes un-polished are up to 0.638"

After I receive the pipes, I'll have to test out different o-ring sizes, so I'm ordering several thicker ones. With the delays, it looks like we should be on track for my original planned end of April ship date. I had really expected to be shipping units much sooner, but I had planned on delays being likely to get things perfect.

With all the parts and changes...I'm hoping I'll at least break even on the project. At least I'm hoping there's demand enough for a 2nd run in any case! Again, much thanks and appreciation to all those who have supported and pre-ordered so far. It's helped out immensely.