Fixing up Gaggia Orione 2 Group on a deadline

[cargocult]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and was referred to you guys from coffeegeek. I just got a Gaggia Orione 2 group lever machine. I'm planning to use it in my shop which opens May 17. Between now and then I need to get it into as good a condition as possible. I have hooked it up and the boiler seems fine, all the gaskets in the groups and steam wand are shot though. Basically I'll take any advice I can get, but I'd like to know what to soak the parts in to remove the lime or whatever is on all the parts, and if there's anything else that I should check that might prevent me from using the machine. My camera is not working right now but I'll post pics later today hopefully.

Thanks,
Jon

[Paul]

Hi Jon,

That is quite a task you've set yourself. Do you plan to use this as your main machine in a cafe? You're a braver man than I

anyways,

parts: here's a link - http://www.coffeestuff.com/levergroup.html

If the machine does not already have a pressurestat, fit one. Fit a new one anyway if you want to use it commercially. Gaskets for the boiler endplate may not be available. Have them made locally (or cut one out yourself of course). Seals for taps I would buy from a local plumbers merchant.

Cleaning: I remove lime scale by soaking copper parts in a hot 10% w/v citric acid mix. Buy citric from your local homebrew store. It can take a week for a really bad boiler.

I think this project would take me maybe 10-20 hours depending on how many rusty bolts got broken off. I have repaired many old machines and work fast. You may want to consider buying a servicable newer 2gr pump machine to get you by for a few months.

good luck and post more photos if you can.

[cargocult]

Thanks for the insights Paul. My Flickr ID is cargocultcoffee all the pics I take during this project will be on there. Any recommendations for a new pressurestat? The boiler pressurizes and does not leak so I think those seals are ok fortunately. Is there a way to replace the steam wand control knobs with something less hideous? Do you happen to know if a standard beer tap handle will fit onto the existing handle shaft? Anyway I'm sure I'll be posting more as the project progresses.
Thanks,
Jon

PS Here's some more Pics:

Another shot of the machine, I didn't take a before pic but it has all the copper facings and the eagle dome too.

This is the left side lever mechanism, the previous owner didn't believe in cleaning much

The current pressurestat I believe:

[cargocult]

Ok, new problem now. The deadline is no issue now I bought another machine to use in the interim. The new problem is that coffeestuff.com no longer stocks the parts for this machine. I'm mad at them right now because they don't stock them and they didn't take them off the website, so I spent an hour putting together an order only to get an email back that they don't stock those parts anymore. So if anyone knows anywhere else that I can order gaskets and portafilter handles for a Gaggia Orione please let me know.

Thanks,
Jon

[Paul]

PM replied to. For the benefit of any others, I suggested trying vaneli's or www.cafeparts.com

your spring needs replacing. I have never had to do one on a gaggia. I'm told that removal requires a special tool. Any spring replacement generally requires using home made jigs to provide compression. I guess this is all what is needed.

Pstat - i've only ever seen those old penn ones on US machines. I guess it was fitted by the importer at the time, ABC. I'd replace it with a new sirai one.

[mteahan]

The piston sealing rings are asbestos. Good luck getting them from Cafeparts or Vaneli. Removing them could be a toxic waste project. The spring looks sound, just clean it up a little.

Repairing this group is no task for an amateur; the spring tension alone is several hundred pounds.

The ONE company in this hemisphere capable of retooling this group and fitting it with true v-rings.

Deluxe Copper & Brass
9071 San Fernando Road
Sun Valley, CA 91352
818-768-7657

They know more about these groups than anyone and are the only people I would trust to sort them out.

The pressure stat was fitting to comply with UL as the Sirai stats weren't approved. It is a pressure switch for a refrigeration system and works fine. The earlier ones for this machine were mercury.

This is a very sophisticated and finicky group. You may have that loaner for a while.

[Paul]

g'day Michael

I bought a bunch of new parts for these groups from nuova ricambi last year. Are you sure that asbestos would still be permitted for sale in the EU? I respect your opinion and ask out of genuine curiosity. I suspect that reproduction parts have moved on.

With repect to retooling - I recently rebuilt a 1gr orione and found it very difficult to seal with new parts. In the end I resorted to doubling up on the v gasket that they use. I did this on the advice of a french collector/restorer. No leaks after this.

Thanks for the info on penn pstats. I have wondered about them in the past. Can you still get rebuild kits for them? Were they used for many years until sirai got a UL listing?

thanks again.

[mteahan]

I am showing the Spanish Gaggia using the rubber v-rings while the earlier Italian group (they look identical) uses asbestos. The groups may have been updated or replaced at some time as most of the old groups were often replaced even with Rossi groups found on Astoria and Pavoni. The chrome on the liners would flake off and most people gave up on the parts when prices were stupid high.

It was the difficulty in rebuilding the asbestos groups that lead to the change over. The internals, though, are not interchangeable. That is why these guy at Deluxe Copper are so busy with restorations; they have figured out how to modify the original group to accept v-rings.

ABC was bringing in these things and at the time, putting in a UL component was enough to get a sticker on the front. Lots harder now.

These stats are common and worthy of retrofitting. The mercury switches are very rare and very cool--so long as they don't break.