Search found 126 matches

by danno
November 12th, 2012, 12:38 pm
Forum: Lever Espresso Machines
Replies: 58
Views: 7413

New Caravel Bottomless Portafilter Coming Soon!

I made a few tweaks to the original post. I forgot that the original Caravel portafilter uses a 7mm shaft for its handle. Replicating that proved very difficult for Martin, so all subsequent portafilters will come with 10mm shafts. I communicated with Martin, the machinist, and he decided it is simp...
by danno
November 12th, 2012, 12:09 pm
Forum: Repairs, Restorations & Mods
Replies: 13
Views: 2733

Olympia Cremina pressurestat microswitch replacement

Nice to know! Thanks for the tip!
Advertisement
by danno
November 11th, 2012, 9:48 am
Forum: Lever Espresso Machines
Replies: 58
Views: 7413

New Caravel Bottomless Portafilter Coming Soon!

Dear Caravelisti- Your days of wishing for a bottomless portafilter of your own are numbered! I cannot tell you precisely when, but a new bottomless Caravel portafilter will be available within a few weeks. How do I know? I helped design it! {image} It took a few months and much detail work, but we ...
by danno
November 8th, 2012, 11:16 am
Forum: Buy/Sell
Replies: 2
Views: 649

[SOLD] OE Caravel Bottomless Portafilter (EU only)

For sale is a used but very nice condition bottomless Richard Penney portafilter as sold through Orphan Espresso. {image} It is in very good condition. The bottom of the handle evidences many small, fine scratches because the plastic part touches the counter when the portafilter is put down. Otherwi...
by danno
October 10th, 2012, 2:01 pm
Forum: Buying Advice
Replies: 46
Views: 19578

Downsizing: How good a shot can lower end Gaggia espresso machine produce?

Surprisingly decent shots from my experience. More than two shots and temperature seemed to fluctuate a bit, but that is normal for nearly any machine. Shots from the Gaggia Baby I used lacked the complexity and mouthfeel of my lever machines, but it was pretty darn consistent and fairly easy to lea...
by danno
October 5th, 2012, 12:35 pm
Forum: Repairs, Restorations & Mods
Replies: 89
Views: 6771

Arrarex Caravel blown heating element ???

My Caravels both evidenced some dark gray/black dust when the bottom was removed. I traced it to wear between the aluminum bottom and the base metal body. It could be something else, but I think it should be obvious by visual inspection. If not, maybe it is not a problem
by danno
September 30th, 2012, 2:46 am
Forum: Repairs, Restorations & Mods
Replies: 89
Views: 6771

Arrarex Caravel blown heating element ???

Sorry to read that your element is, ahem, toasted. From my understanding of electronic heating devices, there is not much that you as a user can do to ruin a heating element as long as it is used in relatively normal conditions. No heavy vibrations, sticking it in cold water while hot, the usual cra...
by danno
September 28th, 2012, 11:53 am
Forum: Lever Espresso Machines
Replies: 52
Views: 6597

Custom seals for lever machines

Sorry for the delayed reply. I've been ill the past two weeks and had to go back to work the past two days. Cough, cough, blah, blah. Kurt and I have been playing with different group seals. I brought my Type III Caravel home to try against the Type I already here. I have been using Kurt's original ...
by danno
September 26th, 2012, 9:16 am
Forum: Buying Advice
Replies: 10
Views: 5157

Best Espresso Machine for a Small Office?

I bought a refurbished Gaggia Baby for use at work. It was cheap but it worked well and was reliable. Nothing fancy, but it heats up quickly, water refills were simple, and the shots were consistently good enough. Best of all is that I would not have minded if it was broken or went walking
by danno
September 13th, 2012, 12:20 pm
Forum: Lever Espresso Machines
Replies: 8
Views: 3832

Help with messy pucks

Listen to Dan. Don't worry about it. Some machine designs tend to leave watery pucks, others not. Both of my Caravels leave water on top of the spent pucks, as did my Bruni Brunella. My Conti Comocafé would leave its puck slightly watery, and even a Bezzera semi-auto left pucks slightly soggy. On th...