Pasquini Livietta (Olympia Maximatic) restoration - Page 8

#71: Post by **Alan Frew** » July 5th, 2012, 7:20 am

Re your silicone/teflon tube "stents". These are standard parts for a particular type of compression fitting, usually the connection between pump and boiler. The "set" is an insert, a lozenge and a nut at both ends of the pipe. See http://www.coffeeparts.com.au/misc/fittings for the various inserts and lozenges, and the pic below.

Alan

#72: Post by **drgary** » July 5th, 2012, 10:18 am

Alan,

I don't see that fitting in your photo; mine is inside the tube. For you and Doug, are these in there because for that particular connection there could be a decrease of pressure that could collapse the tube? And for the one I pictured for my machine, how do I know if it needs to be replaced?

#73: Post by **drgary** » July 8th, 2012, 10:48 am

Yesterday I lined up and photographed the stainless steel case parts next to get a bid for chrome plating. Long ago Ray Johns suggested Blue Magic metal polishing cream yesterday I found that it is ... magic. The results are so good I won't send anything out for chroming. I don't have the lens or photography skills to show how good this looks, but I'm thrilled to avoid a high cost and long delay and get on with it.

#74: Post by **allon** » July 8th, 2012, 10:59 am

drgary wrote: I don't see that fitting in your photo; mine is inside the tube.

If you look closely at the end of the tube, you'll see there is a metal insert in place.

These types of fittings are designed to bite into the tubing. When used with copper tube, one does not use the insert. With plastic tubing, the insert is required to keep the tube from deforming, which would keep the outer ring from biting.

#75: Post by **drgary** » July 8th, 2012, 11:15 am

Hi Allon:

Yes, my tube has the outer nut that connects to an inner piece that bites into the tube. I was commenting that Alan's photo doesn't show what you see here, a piece inside that seems designed to hold the tube open. (Since taking this photo I've polished off most that nasty scale on the HX.)

#76: Post by **drgary** » July 8th, 2012, 2:31 pm

How to Safely Remove a Stuck Sightglass

First a hint from Yoda who has the disciple read the scriptural text and offers just enough information to figure it out ...

orphanespresso wrote:the glass tube will come out with fastidious application of heat and twisting the tube until it breaks free from the seals...the brass thin washers will likely get destroyed but are not really needed....personal lubricant is your friend, or spit in a pinch....

The danger points are glass and "fastidious application of heat." Ah, how much heat, sir?

The recipe that worked was personal lubricant, a heat gun on low, and a leather glove to protect my hand should the glass break. Here's a little more on how to get beyond the "what" to the "how."

I started cautiously by immersing the whole boiler and sightglass in very hot faucet water. I then added liquid soap to the outside bottom of the sightglass and gently tightened the nut and loosened it a few times, just beyond finger strength. I tried this four times and it wouldn't budge.

Then I went to our night table, got out the personal lubricant, went to the kitchen sink and gooped it into the top of the sightglass, urging it down with some vertical movements of a skewer. At this point my wife walked by and offered a few choice comments. Onward.

I smeared some of said lubricant around the bottom of the sightglass, tightened and loosened the nut a few times to get it down in there. Then I aimed a heat gun on Low at the brass fitting that surrounds the sightglass bottom while periodically touching the brass with my hand. Even though this sightglass is thick and is made to hold boiling water, I didn't want it to get too hot to touch.

I tried twisting the sightglass. No. Tried moving it up and down and saw it budge a bit but it didn't break free. Then I remembered, "Glass. Right." I put on a thick leather welding glove and gripped the glass firmly but not hard and moved it up and down four or five times until the seal broke free. I noticed that the bottom edge of the glass is slightly chipped. There were no glass remnants in the well, so I assume that's how it was before. When the machine was working the sightglass didn't leak.

Now I've got a metal boiler to clean up, which shouldn't be hard, and a sightglass I can immerse in descaling solution.

#77: Post by **orphanespresso** » July 8th, 2012, 3:45 pm

Perhaps I am too late, but immersing the glass in descaler will remove the painted line!!!

#78: Post by **drgary** » July 8th, 2012, 6:10 pm

Thanks, Doug. We're entertaining here so I was saved by circumstance and now your warning. How should I clean that out?

#79: Post by **TomC** » July 8th, 2012, 8:35 pm

I used some "borrowed" sterile long cotton Q-tips from the hospital I work at. They're super duper perfect for the job. Some simple green took off any heavy residue. You can also carefully spin on some thin, thin bits of steel wool around the head of the Q-tip, for cleaning off stubborn hard water mineralization spots. I still have plenty with me at home if you need a few. They're 7 inches long, so they're like a pipe cleaner with a firm spine for leverage to clean better.

I also have a full can of white high temp, if you happen to want to redo your fill line background. It made my Cremina's 100x easier to see/read in any lighting.

#80: Post by **drgary** » July 8th, 2012, 9:52 pm

Thanks, Tom. I may take you up on that. Meanwhile you inspire me to try some pipe cleaners I picked up recently. If I bunch them together they should create a good scrubbing surface to use with something like Simple Green.