All of the sheet metal parts showed up in a nicely packed box yesterday.

The drip tray insert is just laser cut for the moment. I wanted to check it for the fit before paying for the custom tooling required to stamp the holes.



The drip tray itself is pretty much good to go like this. There is a slight difference in the finish at the corners where the discoloration from the welding was buffed out, but this is actually more visible in the photo than it is in reality.



The warming shelf - ready to go except for the system for retaining it in place.



The cup warmer rails.



The backsplash, ready to be installed.



... and the cover. This is the most difficult part of the lot because of the radiused corners at the back. Those have given me much pain both to model in cad and in finding a supplier able to make them.





A test fit of the cover and the drip tray...



... and, following a complete disassembly of the machine, a test fit of the the backsplash and cover.

Is this thread ultimately ending in a Kickstarter campaign!?!?

That, or something very like it, is the general idea!

Take my $!

Haha! With pleasure

I am aiming for a launch in the fall.

A quick update on the progress of the sheet metal.

Months ago, when I ordered the cold-rolled steel for the frame, I neglected to actually measure it when it was delivered. I therefore missed the fact that the supposed 1/8" x 2" was in fact 1/8" by 2 1/4". As a result, the base of the frame was a 1/4" too high meaning that the hole in the backsplash for the group didn't line up with the flange on the boiler. I cutout and remade the cross bars, cleaned up the (now rather beaten-up) frame uprights and put everything back in its place.

While doing so, I welded on a couple of tabs to keep the backsplash in place. The tabs, together with the last interior flanges of the cover create a track for the backsplash to slide into.

The tab clamped in place before welding.



The cross bars must be set back by at least same distance as the tabs. A scrap of 3/8" bar plus a brass shim create the necessary thickness.



Back to where we started!



Now for the fun part! I made a change to the design because I was unhappy with the placement of the pressure gauge. There is just enough room to fit the gauge and a u-bracket between the upright and the exterior of the cover.



This gauge is both easier to read in this position and is now flush to the exterior surface. Far more satisfying all around.



I knew there was a reason to put a coil in the line to the manometer! It was an easy job to reshape the existing part and to re-orient the coil so that the condensate runs back into the boiler.



AND... just because I like to feel like I've achieved something today, a test fit of the case parts with (yet another) valve.



Hmm. This thing is starting to look vaguely like a coffee machine.

I really like the way that you have mounted the manometer.

Your Aurora certainly IS taking shape!

I am keen to hear (eventually) how the shots compare to your other Auroras.

Great progress! Having said that, I prefer the retro look of the pressure gauge the way it sits on the original machine.

arcus wrote:Great progress! Having said that, I prefer the retro look of the pressure gauge the way it sits on the original machine.

Paolo wrote:I really like the way that you have mounted the manometer.

Ha - Proof positive that you can't please everyone!

The pressure gauge is mounted to the top of the level gauge in the original which means that it has to be 'outside' the case. This is an expedient method but personally I find it a little too "steam engine" in an otherwise minimalist design. The advantage of exterior mounting it is that it is much easier to take off as the part that it mates with is fixed. With my mounting method, attaching the copper line directly to the gauge is more of a hassle. OTOH it isn't like you have to take the case off once a day...

I installed the SSR and slapped a coat of rust paint on the frame. This was also a case of expediency as the frame will be powdercoated. I just lost my patience with the rust. Amazing stuff that paint, you could almost put it on with a spoon and it will still level itself out...

Great job. It probably takes quite some time and knowledge.