Can anyone help out with a drip tray (I have the grate) possibly from a "parts" machine. Willing to pay. She just doesn't look right without it
Cheers.
Ted
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superbonnie2009@gmail.com

I think this is going to be quite hard to find- unless someone has a parts machine- and even then the drip tray is a highly prized item as many Caravels coming out of Italy are missing this part.

what I suggest is to get a really absorbent super sponge and cut it to fit. Then you can place your grate over it. Very easy to pull it out and rinse when you are done- and the right type of sponge will absorb everything.

sorrentinacoffee wrote:what I suggest is to get a really absorbent super sponge and cut it to fit. Then you can place your grate over it. Very easy to pull it out and rinse when you are done- and the right type of sponge will absorb everything.

I think the ShawWow comes in Caravel orange

If its just the tray several folds of tin foil pressed into the hole would be a temporary fix. Maybe find a plastic box that fits in width-wise, and cut it to fit in depth-wise. I always end up putting a small container on top of the drip grate anyway. I use this to catch drips, but also to catch stray grinds when I remove the PF.

I've found that if I just wait a couple minutes before removing the PF there is usually no mess at all.

Unfortunately the people who have inherited Caravels without using them and then sell them often lose the drip tray, so you'll be lucky if you find one going spare.

On the other hand it shouldn't be too difficult to get someone to make one for you.

I can scan mine and send you the file so you have a template.

Cheers

Mike

Michael, when you find someone to make some drip trays let us know, we'll take a dozen. Any cost estimate? We will of course pay shipping from the UK!
Have you noticed the rolled edge and the way the back edge is slightly higher than the front edge so it follows the contour of the foot of the machine? Barb is pretty good at CAD drawing and getting all the curves right is a big challenge....the rolled lip, the little bump all around that holds the grate, the swoop on the back....the idea of having to make a stamping mold and then rolling the edge, whew....it's a toughie to duplicate, and in stainless steel no less.
I have the suspicion that having one tray made would cost more than buying an entire machine with a tray to cannibalize, which may be why there are so many without trays and portafilters.

Hi Doug!

Yes, it is is quite an intricate piece of work. And I agree that it would probably be cheaper to get a second machine than to make the whole tray.

But I must admit I wasn't suggesting a proper restoration job, just a cheap working solution.

My thinking was that one could bodge up the grille plate quite cheaply and acceptably out of cut, drilled and polished sheet stainless steel to match the hole in the base. This could sit on the little nibs around the perimeter of the oval recess or a suitably cut plastic container or sponge under the plate could be used not only to collect the drips and help with emptying them, but equally to position the plate flush with the upper surface of the base. Visually this would be a passable solution and either would work since the recess in the base base underneath doesn't have any holes through which it could leak, making this a decent cheap workaround.

Cheers

Mike

Doug and Barb already sell a drip grate just like that... it sits on the little ledges... but has a little play

Orphanespresso could make one just slightly larger- with a tight fit- and sell it with a pre-cut super sponge...

this would be a perfect and complete solution to the missing tray situation.