Hello folks! First-timer here.

I recently came into a Gaggia Classic Coffee machine, and have been in the process of restoring it. I took the whole machine apart and cleaned any scaling and deposits with white vinegar then sealed it up tight with the proper gaskets, sealant, etc.

The problem I'm faced with now is the body. It's an older Classic Coffee, so it's nickel-plated carbon steel. It has begun to rust. I've tried sanding blocks, and dremels, but they work so slow, and I don't see great results (especially as it strips the nickel). Stripping the nickel will just lead to more rust, thanks to the noble qualities of carbon steel versus the nickel. I've considered stripping the body chemically (muratic acid bath) and then replating the body with nickel, but it's quite costly. I've also considered using Rust-oleum like products, but I worry about the paint being so close to potable water (as the reservoir for water has an open top, with the rusted metal directly over it).

Any ideas on how to treat the rust, and keep the body in service? Price is important for me as well (poor college student who happens to love espresso, bad mix). Thank you so much for your time folks!
Wally

I don't think that the Rustoleum would be a problem. The best way to do it would be to have it sandblasted and powder coated. This would also be one of the more expensive ways, but probably not as much as nickel plating.

Nickel plating, sandblasting, etc.... can be quite costly. You'd have to remove the inner components before doing anything like that or using muratic acid (don't get it on your skin ) ouch. I was faced with this issue just recently as well and here's what i did.
I replaced the severely rusted housing of my old Gaggia classic with a housing from the same model but in better condition. It's really easy to do and doesn't involve taking the boiler apart, just removing the 3 bolts that hold the group to the housing, disconnecting the wires from the switches, removing the steam wand, and a few other minor steps. Now no more rust. The project took about 30 min.'s. The only difficult part is finding a housing. There are a handful of older machines on ebay that you could use for spare parts. Good luck.

Thanks for the replies, folks! I guess I'll price out my options and come back to you folks with the finished product!

Thanks again,
Wally

Introducing the newest member of the family! =D



The powder coating job went amazing. Good news is the pump works still, too! (I can get water to shoot forcefully out of the steaming nozzle.)

The bad news is I barely get a dribble out of the shower head. It builds up pressure (which I assume gets too much, as the water return starts going full bore), but water barely comes out. I've taken off the screen, and can't seem to get the shower mount off now. I've tried dozens of ways.

I know the boiler is fine, I took it apart and cleaned it myself. I'm imagining some heavy-duty scaling behind the head though. Any ideas folks?

Ever figure out location of the blockage? Plugged Solenoid hole?

Actually no. Ironically I ended up with caffeine toxicity before I finished my machine. I believe it will work now, but I believe it may have been an air bubble somewhere causing pressure, I'll finally get to test it soon!

Time to thread necro. So I've finally rekindled my espresso-pouring love post-toxicity enough to start this up again. I bought a Baratza Virtuoso grinder to match, and I'm ready to get started. The only problem is, my Gaggia isn't.

Strange stuff, really. I wonder if I Dezcal backflushed too many times or something. There's pressure that's not getting released properly. I can prime the machine and pass all the water I want out of my steam wand, but when I let it heat up and hit the pour button, the pump gets quieter (straining I'm sure), and then water flows through the return valve! No water leaves through the pressure release post-press of the pour button. I must be missing something. The only thing that is different is my shower holding plate, which is brand-spanking-new. Perhaps it's screwed on too tight?

Thanks, folks!
Wally

If you remove the dispersion disk (what you call the "shower-holding plate") does water come out when you press the brew button? If so, something is wrong with the way you're mounting the disk. (This is unlikely.)

If not, then you have a blockage further back. Most likely candidates are either a clog in the solenoid or in one of the boiler inlets, or a completely failed/leaking overpressure valve. If you take the solenoid off the boiler but leave it connected to the pump you can check its function, though it is a messy process. While it is detached pipecleaners can help you check for clogs not visible in the solenoid and boiler.

Necro'd and finally over! It was the solenoid. Once I finally got some help and prised it apart you'd be shocked at the amount of rust! Promptly replaced, thanks to the help of my local espresso distributor and up and running! Thank you all for your help!