Peppina Redux - Page 6

by **timo888** on Fri Dec 29, 2006 6:24 pm

Peppina o-ring and washer dimensions:

1. One-way washer in the group: O.D. 14.5mm; I.D. : 3mm; thickness: 1.25 - 1.5mm
2. One-way washer in piston cylinder: O.D. 31mm; I.D. 6 to 9 mm will work; thickness: 1.25 - 1.5mm

3. Piston o-ring: I.D. 46mm ; thickness: 3.2mm
4. Smaller group o-ring: I.D. 31mm; thickness: 3.2mm
5: larger group o-ring: I.D. 47.5mm; thickness: 3.0mm (optional)
6.Gasket above dispersion screen for PF seal; I.D. 40mm; thickness: 4mm

7. o-ring at base of kettle: I.D. 96mm; thickness: 3.3mm

by **espressme** on Tue Jun 19, 2007 12:58 am

by **SJM** on Mon Sep 03, 2007 8:22 pm

I just won a lovely LaPeppina on eBay. Hurrah.

(I know, I know, I still haven't gotten the SAMA piston re-set, but it's not altogether my fault. The Dow 111 white grease has been out of stock and I just got hold of some on Saturday.....)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI....7#ebayphotohosting

I hope I wasn't bidding against anyone here, but since they won't show us, it was hard to know.

I sure am glad there are so many links previously on this thread so I can get lots of information on her.

Susan

by **mogogear** on Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:23 pm

I am sure several of us watched "Record Setting Susan" :wink:

Have fun referencing the threads on the La peppina that Richard listed above...

Congratulations to an enthusiastic LMWDP member- who has the fever!

by **espressme** on Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:54 pm

My goodness! Congratulations. From Gaggia pumps to levers, Wow!

I bet your wallet has espresso machine photos and none of relatives! :shock:

LaPeppina, when tuned will really give a joyous cup!
What a wonderful hobby!
The Best to you! If we can help out, let us know!
rp
I watched but my pocket book are shrunk't

SJM wrote:I just won a lovely LaPeppina on eBay. Hurrah.
(I know, I know, I still haven't gotten the SAMA piston re-set, but it's not altogether my fault. The Dow 111 white grease has been out of stock and I just got hold of some on Saturday.....)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI....7#ebayphotohosting
I hope I wasn't bidding against anyone here, but since they won't show us, it was hard to know.
I sure am glad there are so many links previously on this thread so I can get lots of information on her.
Susan

by **SJM** on Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:10 pm

Well, you know, Richard and Greg and anyone else, it's all because of the Lever Gallery that I got hooked in the first place. One day I was cruising through the pictures, and I saw the Jack's SAMA (which may actually be a PV) and it was love at first sight .

The La Peppina (maybe Bushrod's?) got under my skin in just about the same way....

Looks do count! and luckily there aren't any kids who have to go hungry due to my acquisitive nature.

Susan

by **Bushrod** on Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:38 am

Congratulations, she's beautiful!

by **SJM** on Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:39 pm

mogogear wrote: "Record Setting Susan"

Okay, same question I had after I bought the SAMA: was I way out of line on this?

Having perused what I can find about this girl, she will be harder to fix if she needs fixing, but from the description it seems as if I might have actually purchased a machine that DOES work?

That would be a first (LOL), or at least since my very first purchase three years ago when I got my used Gaggia Coffee and the espresso world opened up to me. Currently my desk is littered with a partially restored SAMA, a partially restored Orange Baby Gaggia, and a Gaggia Dandy in need of a replacement brew switch (so I can put it into operation and open up the Coffee to add a PID and an OPV....).

Small prayer to the god of espresso machines: "Oh please, please, please, let her work....I really have been as good as my nature allows !"

Susan

by **timo888** on Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:59 pm

SJM wrote:Okay, same question I had after I bought the SAMA: was I way out of line on this?

You can spend twice as much for machine that won't produce espresso half as good.

Servicing the piston on a Peppina is somewhat easier than doing the same on a SAMA/PV. Not as easy as working on machines whose spring assembly can be removed as a unit for service, but you won't need to fuss with a clamp, especially if you have a helper.

Regards
Timo

by **SJM** on Sun Sep 09, 2007 8:12 pm

Well, today I finally got the PID into my Gaggia Dandy, which means that I have finally finished at least ONE project.
Then I decided to pay attention to La Peppina. She's just like Timo's....which means she's beautiful !

I started by reading Timo's posts from start to finish, trying to decide if I needed to take her apart before trying her out, and finally deciding that she looks clean enough that I'd just try her.

I put water in and managed to pull water through the group without any grounds. Then I ground some beans using the same settings I use for the Gaggias, but that seemed to choke her. Then I was exhausted and decided I had done enough for one day.

It will take me a few more days to get comfortable with her, but there are a few things I am going to need, including that cute little ratchety screw remover Timo suggested, and maybe first thing tomorrow I'll run some CleanCaf through her.

The only thing that looks kinda iffy on this girl is the rubber gasket around the top of the water reservoir. It's actually in pretty good shape on the underside, but pretty well cracked on the upper/outside.

So far so good.

by **espressme** on Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:23 am

Hello All,

FWW
This machine really deserves its following! I know of many Prosumer machines which will not do what it accomplished with relative ease.
During one of the long breaks at a seminar this past weekend, We pulled a pound of " Black Cat" beans in about 40 minutes! Mostly 1.5oz. espressi also a few really good Americanos. All but the first shot were great. The Europeans attending were enthralled. Other folks were just grinning ( a lot!)

The machine was backed up by the Melita cordless hot water kettle to keep the refill and "Americano" water ready. It did some cup warming/rinsing duties also.
First comers hand milled their own beans and when the word got around, we pulled out the Rocky to deal with the increased shot quantity and adjusted it for the windy 65° weather out of doors. The Peppina power switch was used with the thermometer to bring the kettle temp water temp to F204° at shot pull. The group (people and machine) cooled down quickly in the wind. Also the wind and the double spout made hitting the cup an interesting pass time. Hitting the small basket and tamping with grounds from the doserless Rocky was a wee bit of a lark also.!

The travel kit plus for a weekend seminar.
Contents:
Beans of choice ( lots)
1. LaPeppina, two double baskets
2. Digital Thermometer.
3. Little PeDe hand mill, and coffee scoop.
4. knock box
5. Assorted cups.
6. the little metal handled brushes and a 1 cup stainless steel measure cup.
+
7. Rocky
8. Melitta hot water kettle
9. Lots of wash cloths
10. Dirt devil vacuum
11. Extension cord
Only thing I might add in the future is an old "Bellman" Stainless steel esresso machine as a fine steamer for some requested milk drinks.!
Enjoy your machines, I do!
rp

by **Stuggi** on Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:27 pm

About that 220 volts questions people had earlier:

In Finland we have three 230 volt phases running in to our homes from the electrical company. Between any two these three phases you'll get 380 volts (which is only used for hefty equipment like arc-welders and such). But if you connect something between any one of these three phases and the neutral wire, you'll get 230 volts.

In the US you probably have something like it. But your two or three incoming phases run 115 volts instead of 230 v. So what you need to do is run an electric outlet to you kitchen with two of these phases wired as hot and neutral (doesn't matter which phase goes where). If you're really clever, you'll get yourself an european outlet, so you don't have to rewire any plugs.

I'll have to get beck to you about the hazzard of one breaker going but not the other, but I have a feeling that it's a nonexistant problem.

by **SJM** on Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:28 pm

Well, I've been reading and following threads until my eyes are crossed, and now when I'm ready to grab a bit of information that I know I read....I can't find it....so I'll just ask....(sorry)

I've been soaking LP with citric acid, and she looks pretty good, but before I make any assumptions about her working okay with just a cleaning, I'm wondering if you could refresh me about "how" she works in this regard:

When I pull the lever down (no portafilter on), some water comes through the group; water comes through again when I raise it; is that right? Somehow I had it in my head that none would come through the group until after I started bringing it back up again....? Yes? No?

Here's what the coils look like after a few hours soak with citric acid; in fact there's still a citric acid bath around them in the picture....plus lots of scale....

by **espressme** on Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:58 pm

That kettle bottom and heater looks a way lot better than most! :!:

My take on lever actions YMMV:

1. Lever down, piston chamber full. water may get to the brew group to pre-dampen ( depends on group washer and how tight it is. and the amount of air your tamp may allow thru.) Some folks hold the lever down for 10 sec.s at this time.

2. Lever up ,guided slowly by hand,= pressurized pre-infuse ( kettle/ piston washer closes and group washer opens allowing pressurized water into the puck, usually till first drips.)

3. Lever down and held there then allowed up= brew. Piston chamber fills then kettle/ piston washer closes and group washer opens to send pressurized water to the brew group.) Some folks do a 10 sec. hold down at this time.

4. Lever down again and released before it has returned to the top = more brew volume. How far the lever is allowed to rise before the second pull determines total shot volume.

( This ignores a lot of "wondrous Peppina wierdities" that can't be noticed, explained or even described, that go with the experiences of having pulled a lot of shots.)

If the water in your kettle gets a bit brown, you may need a new washers at some time in the future.
Best of joy with your new baby! They are awesome!
Enjoy
richard

by **SJM** on Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:46 pm

espressme wrote::!: That kettle bottom and heater looks a way lot better than most!

richard

which maybe, just maybe, gets me off Greg's hook for breaking the record for paying for one of these girls?

Thanks, Richard.
I'll let you (all) know how we fare after I put her back together.

Susan

by **Bushrod** on Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:00 pm

Never fear, you don't have the record!

by **timo888** on Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:18 pm

It's not my usual practice, but when you have depressed the lever all the way, you can pump it up and down several times -- with a short stroke that traces an arc of just two or three inches-- to push water out to the ground coffee in several small amounts. The user "manual" describes this.

Since the piston is base-mounted, on its downstroke it is actually moving upwards towards the kettle, and on its upstroke it is retracting down away from the kettle. It is a stalagmite rather than a stalactite piston, as it were.

Each time you push down on the lever, the base-mounted piston is made to retract downwards, away from the kettle, compressing the spring -- a little or a lot, depending on how far your press the lever down. With each downward motion of the piston, some water is drawn down from the kettle into the piston chamber. But since there is a canal leading from the piston chamber to the group, a little water can finds its way to the coffee simply under the force of gravity.

Each time you allow the lever to rise, the spring is decompressing, the piston is moving upwards (on its downstroke) and thereby some water -- a little or a lot, depending on how far you allow the lever to rise-- is pushed out to the ground coffee in the filter.... water under pressure from the spring-piston.

So, you have some measure of control over the amount of water that is sent out to the puck during the preinfusion stage, over the force with which that water hits the puck (if you slow the lever's ascent by hand) and over the duration of the preinfusion phase.

Regards
Timo

by **espressme** on Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:16 pm

Hello Timmo,
Thanks for even more of an understanding of the vagaries of the "wee little beasties" you have led us into communications with!

This is the type of insightful information I meant by "wondrous Peppina wierdities" :!:

Cheers
richard

by **SJM** on Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:04 pm

timo888 wrote:Each time you push down on the lever, the base-mounted piston is made to retract downwards, away from the kettle, compressing the spring -- a little or a lot, depending on how far your press the lever down. With each downward motion of the piston, some water is drawn down from the kettle into the piston chamber. But since there is a canal leading from the piston chamber to the group, a little water can finds its way to the coffee simply under the force of gravity.

Each time you allow the lever to rise, the spring is decompressing, the piston is moving upwards (on its downstroke) and thereby some water -- a little or a lot, depending on how far you allow the lever to rise-- is pushed out to the ground coffee in the filter.... water under pressure from the spring-piston.

Uh huh. So....right now, with the kettle off and citric acid solution sitting in the heating chamber, when I pull the lever down, water in the very center sucks downwards; and when I release the lever it comes back up....Is that right? I read about a one-way flapper valve, and I'm wondering if it isn't functioning if the water just sort of pushes back up.

Now, I do understand that the machine isn't put together and therefore isn't functioning as designed, but I'm curious about this. It isn't making it simple to flush the citric acid through, for one thing....

Susan

by **espressme** on Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:25 pm

Hi Susan,
That's right, In my opinion the washer Part #1130 is not sealing against the bottom of the kettle. Look and print out the diagram here:
http://www.dmreed.com/images/FE-AR_La_Peppina_manual_3.JPG
That's the diagram of the Peppina. The cylinder for the piston { a part of the group and kettle bottom casting} is cut away partially to show that part.
It may help the understanding of the machine. You probably do need washers and gaskets.
Let us know if the diagram helps.
sincerely
richard

SJM wrote:Uh huh. So....right now, with the kettle off and citric acid solution sitting in the heating chamber, when I pull the lever down, water in the very center sucks downwards; and when I release the lever it comes back up....Is that right? I read about a one-way flapper valve, and I'm wondering if it isn't functioning if the water just sort of pushes back up.

Now, I do understand that the machine isn't put together and therefore isn't functioning as designed, but I'm curious about this. It isn't making it simple to flush the citric acid through, for one thing....

Susan

Peppina Redux - Page 6

Added list of threads to this thread

Just got one of my own

Congratulations!

Now, how good a machine are they? WOW! :shock:

Thanks Timmo


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