New Cocobolo Handles for my Lever Machine

[cannonfodder]

My dad finished turning my new handles for my Gaggia Factory, and boy do they look good! The hard part was creating the inserts for the PF and lever. I had a machinist turn some brass inserts from a hunk of 3/4 inch bar stock. Then drill and tap the threads for the PF bolt. Then he took a metric bolt and turned down one end to fit the insert he just created (his lathe only cuts standard threads). Once that overly complicated process was finished, my dad had to create a chuck to hold the turning stock in his lathe.

So onto the photos!

Here is the machine with the OEM black handles


Now for the new handles! I had him turn the handles quite a bit longer than the originals which were to short to start with.


And a close-up of them.

Now I have to pull the steam knob off and have him turn one of those to match. I am going to have him turn that one oblong so I do not have to reach so far behind the machine to turn it on.

[KarlSchneider]

Great job Dave!

[luca]

Functional and beautiful. Great job!

[cannonfodder]

And I sware my drinks taste better now.

[chopinhauer]

Looks great.

Tell me, what is under the little tin man hat. I have never seen a photo of a the gaggi factory without its hat on. I'm wondering if you could post a photo with the tin man naked, as it were. I ask because I'd like to see how he compares in that naked state with the Pavoni (which forms the basis of the gaggia).

thanks,

Robert

[cannonfodder]

It covers a large black anodized bronze screw in plug. It is not as refined as the Pavoni's boiler cap, but with the tin man top on it you do not see it. I will snap a photo tomorrow. That machine is in my office.

If I ever find an Elektra eagle topper, I will unscrew the knob on the top of the hat and replace it with the eagle.

If anyone is concerned, my dad could be bribed to turn a set for others using just about any wood you want, email me if anyone is interested.

I also have another set of handles, as well as control knobs, in production for my Isomac at home.

[cannonfodder]

Here is a previous HB link with a couple of other photos while I was pulling a shot.

[cannonfodder]

Here it is with the top off.

[Hogfire]

Well done on the handles cannonfodder! I'd be interested in an upgrade as well, but grad student funds are a wee bit small at the moment. Chopinhauer, here are some photos of my Factory without the hat (actually, I never use it, dangerously hot, pointy thing in my personal space, ouch!) and my cup warming routine. This machine only serves me, so it's the perfect, compact kit. The boiler cap houses a safety overpressure release valve, and serves as a vacum breaker to prevent vapour lock. I've got this on a timer, and as I'm waking I can hear the initial pressure being released, then it suddenly shuts, and in about 7-10 mins it's ready to use. From what I can tell by looking at only photos of la Pavonis, this machine seems to be a copy of the Romantica line, only in chrome. So stoked I found this unused at a local estate auction. Heaps of pleasure for so little dosh!

Ugh!, I'm not getting how to post images directly in the post. Here are some posted to my .mac public folder. any tips how to do this?


http://homepage.mac.com/hogfire/PhotoAlbum1.html

to Dan and h00tern, cheers for #23, posted with pride!

hogfire

[chopinhauer]

Thanks to both of you for the pictures of the Gaggia. It is beautiful, all the more so with the handles. It clearly is a Pavoni in almost all respects except the boiler cap, whose cap solution I do prefer. The Gaggia's cap, being under the hat is almost identical to that on the Elektra microcasa. I do like the idea of warming the cups up there, though. Functional!!

[cannonfodder]

If you look to the right rear of the machine, you will see a small purple (it was the wife"s) cup warmer. On high it gets quite hot. I use it to warm my cups.

As far as the tin man topper, I was undecided at first but it has grown on me. I still think it would look better if I unscrewed the ball topper and replaced it with an Elektra eagle, more exotic.

I do not know what the cost would be to have him turn a set. I would imagine it would greatly depend on the wood used, but it is not horribly expensive.

To post a photo, take a look at Dan's How To.

[Hogfire]

Cannonfodder, thanks for the link explaining how to post photos in messages. I got so frustrated last night trying to locate the BBCode in my .Mac album last night. So this posting is testing two things: posting photos, and a new batch of Sweet Maria's Sumatra Lintong after a 48hr rest from roasting. The photos of the pull still don't do the beans/machine justice. It was the first go at dialing in the beans on my super jolly, and was too coarse. The pull was fast and offered little resistance on the lever. However, you can see just how thick, rich, and complex the shot is. Successive pulls looked and tasted even better, unfortunately my camera's battery died.

Concerning the tin man cap, I really like the look actually, and feel that we have a somewhat rare machine since these are discontinued and not nearly as numerous as the Pavonis. I reckon the eagle topper would look impressive if it mated up correctly to the cap. But when I'm using the machine, I prefer to leave it off and place a cold cup there. This provides a decent area to put my left hand for stabilization when pulling a shot. I've never seen the cup warming device your wife uses. It looks like a good solution as well.

And finally, when you get a chance, could you ask your father how much he would charge for a set of handles (including a steam knob) exactly like the ones he fashioned for your machine? They look worlds better than the black bakelite originals, and I like the idea of making them more substantial in size. No rush on this though, as I wouldn't even be able to act on this until after the winter holidays.

I'm also VERY interested in the Gaggia Achille which is not available in 110v. Has anyone else noticed the base seems to be the same as the new la Pavoni's? Perhaps Gaggia and la Pavoni are again dipping into the same parts bin, and this may be affecting marketing contracts in the U.S.?

I'm stoked to see how much activity this lever forum is generating, and I hope it keeps growing with good people sharing their knowledge. Cheers everyone!