Hi lever fans and hi restoration/project fans,

I have wanted a commercial lever for charity gigs. But the price new was too dear. However, a gargantuan restoration project was agreeable to domestic tranquility. I have started!

Here are pics of the machine and my first questions. I would have many more questions were it not for the useful topics already present here. Question number one: Has anyone encountered this configuration of CMA type lever? A google search for 'Cafethema' did not find success.







My second question is: Does anyone know the purpose of the assembly pictured at the bottom? It connects via copper tubing to the bottom of the sight glass assembly. Normally on the CMA there is only a cap below the sight glass boiler connection. Is it a boiler drain? There is no other outlet on the boiler to drain it. To my mind that is a design flaw since water stored in the boiler leads to corrosion over time.

In the links about Astoria levers I have not seen description of the steps for spring removal. Since mine are remarkably corroded I do plan to fully disassemble the groups and replace the springs. Any tips or links for group disassembly. Is it useful to remove the sleeve that lines the group? Is it possible?

My progress so far: The unit is entirely disassembled except for one bolt holding a group to the frame/boiler and nine bolts holding the boiler together at its teflon gasket. I will start a one week soak in liquid wrench this weekend. Those bolts and the possible ruined threads they are bound to may threaten this entire project I suppose. Is it possible to replace an entire boiler? Or cheaper to have new fittings made in a machine shop?

Before starting the disassembly, I filled the boiler. Water under pressure seeped rapidly out of the groups above the piston and when the boiler was full, the element did not heat. There were no other leaks. The power light did not come up. Both a 20 amp and 15 amp circuit was tripped. The element is good (20 ohm resistance with my cheap multimeter) but obviously I have some more work to do on the simple electronics of this machine.

This will be be a nice project, make sure to identify and label all pipes and other parts before disassembling.
The assembly in your bottom picture is most likely a gas regulator, there may have been a gasburner in the original configuration.

Don't worry about corroded or even broken bolts and studs, see it as another challenge to replace them, you have come to the right place for advice.

early CM lever. Part under driptray is indeed a gas reg. You can still buy exact part.

gr - I would expect they're sleeved (all the cma gr I have seen have been). I rebuilt an astoria which leaked around the sleeves. They press out, I can't remember which way, up or down. Will try and find my pics and rebuild notes.

other parts - everything still available, the best kind of candidate for a resto.

Yep, gas regulator. We have the same machine but a bit newer (painted panels instead of chrome and black top of thegroups not the chrome...). Hard to say on the electricals, but if you have a 20 ohm reading on the element it may be a 220 machine, which would math out to a 2200 watt machine running at 11 amps. If 110 then it would math out to 5.5 amps and 600 watts or so....seems unlikely to be run that low on 110. The breakers may have tripped due to a short somewhere in the wiring. Lots to do on a machine like that but well worth it. All very familiar looking.

gr - sleeve is held in place with orings in a press fit. To remove sleeve once gr is on your bench, place a block of wood across the bottom of the sleeve (the gr gasket end). Give a few judicious bangs with a hammer, it will be stuck pretty good with coffee gunk.

After you've cleaned and fitted new orings, use a little food grease and you'll find installation a breeze.

Thanks for the encouragement. I am quite enjoying this project.

gamgra and orphanespresso clarified that the assembly of the final picture in the OP is a gas regulator. I guess it has no business connected to the bottom of the sight glass assembly. Correct? I'll see if I can buy a cap to replace where that gas regulator was connected.

Paul, thanks for the tip about the sleeve. I will eventually post pictures of the group and sleeve (still in my camera). I'm not clear on the technique you recommend. Rest the group on a block of wood? What to I strike with the hammer?

Thanks again for all the tips. I am making pictures and taking notes, labeling pipes as I remove them. I appreciate the encouragement about stuck bolts and fittings. I am taking care but I've already broken two bolts holding one of the groups and the fourth bolt of that group is being quite reluctant to release.

sorry.

remove top assembly and set aside
remove old gr gasket
with the gr up-ended on your bench, looking down on the gr gasket end;
use a piece of wood as a cushion and strike the innermost ring (which is the sleeve). It will eventually give and slide up and out of the gr body.

Paul,

Your advice proved valuable and I quite easily removed the sleeves. I hope I have so much success when I reach the point that I can replace them into the groups.

I received the machine from Republic Espresso Restoration in Seattle. They do commercial machine restoration and have provided me with lots of great tips in addition to the ones available here.

I guess the gas regulator varies the flow of gas and thus heat according to the pressure delivered at the bottom of the sight glass and that is why the assembly was mounted there.

gas reg - these have two settings, pilot and heat. Pilot flame height is adjusted by little grub screw. pstat band is adjusted by the larger screw (usually covered with a rubber cap).

If you don't intend to use it, I would recommend capping off the fitting at the sight glass and removing the reg. I always remove old gas bits when restoring machines. I hate the idea of someone hooking up old gas bits in years to come.

If you do want to run machine on LPG or NG, I would at least replace the reg membrane, or better still, replace the whole component with a new one.

Just a progress update: All but one corroded boiler cap bolt unscrewed after one week under the soak of Liquid Wrench. I did have to extend the Allen wrench torque with a pipe but then "CRACK" x 7 with the fittings intact! As my Southern relatives might say the last bolt is my "bad day". The head is so corroded that it stripped quickly. I hope to grip it with a pair of vise grips. Wish me luck.

In addition I have two other bolts that broke off holding a group to the frame/boiler and one bolt that broke off holding a chrome cap in place. I will have to learn the art of bolt extraction. Then, unless I have to figure out how to make some new fittings, I can have the frame sandblasted/powder coated.