Your place looks dynamite, Gary. So Christmas-y!

Thanks, everyone!

I've been browsing perforated stainless steel photos online and like those sheets for a drip tray grate too. If I were to go that route I'm stuck on how to create a finished looking edge and would enjoy any suggestions. Perhaps I need to spend more time on the McMaster-Carr site. These are images from a general web search.







Added: I'm starting to favor something like the second image and have found stainless steel edging on McMaster-Carr that could be attached using JB Weld. Added again: But that company has limited options and their online salespeople can't get info on what they're selling. I've found better edging on eBay. This is J channel stainless molding with a narrower insertion point and a much cheaper price:

You're starting to make my La Pavoni PID project look like a walk in the park. All I have to say, beyond that, is this thing better make some fantastic espresso when it's all done!

I can't wait to see the finished machine. I hope you make a video for YouTube or something.

Ray

More Pipe Fitting

Today I was figuring out more of the plumbing. I came across this stumbling block of the water inlet pressure fitting I destroyed to free the frame for powder coating. The thread that fits into the inlet hole measures 11.7 mm with a caliper. My guess is this is metric size 12. Also a search in the local hardware store suggests it to be the finer of the pitches displayed, in this case 1.0 pitch. There was no bolt I could try and seat into my water inlet valve to confirm that. Here's a photo of what I'm talking about next to the water inlet valve that needs a connection. Does it look like I'm in the ballpark for naming the size?



One side of this threads into the water inlet valve. The other terminates in a compression fitting that takes a 1/4 inch copper pipe. The pipe can then terminate in a U.S. size compression fitting, accomplishing the conversion so I can connect the water inlet to a FloJet pump. I was under the impression that compression fittings need to be soldered but the guy in the plumbing department at the hardware store told me otherwise. Here's how it fits together. Seating the pipe fully into the fitting and tightening down presses the cap onto the fitting and holds it in place. Here's what I'm talking about:







The Teflon tube in this assembly isn't long enough to position the PSTAT with the adjustment screw facing forward so I can reach it through the front plate.



Instead I think I'll attach these components with the soft copper pipe and compression fittings you see above.

If the fitting is, in fact, M12 x 1.00, I have nice brass adaptors that are M12 (male) x 1/8"-27 NPT (female). A well stocked hardware store should have some M12 x 1 bolts - look around. In a real pinch, Honda flywheel bolts are M12 x 1. You really need to confirm the thread size first.

If you want longer teflon tubing, I believe I have that also.

In addition, I would definitely use about a 2 gallon RO accumulator in conjunction with the Flowjet or, better yet, a simple typical vibration pump/accumulator with a pressure regulating valve on the discharge of the accumulator.

Thanks, Eric.

I realized this morning Home Depot should have a bolt that would fit those threads, so I'll check it out this afternoon. About the 2 gallon RO accumulator, can you please explain for this beginner (and others) what it would do with all the specs you give? Much appreciated, and I'll let you know on the fitting very soon. I want to drink coffee from this beast already!

An accumulator is simply an energy storage device - in this case, pressurized water. I've made several posts on accumulators - search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&author_id=269 . Then you need to search those results for "accumulator". Sorry to make you resort to this reading exercise.

The Flojets max out at about 36 psi (IIRC) and would run anytime your machine had a call for water. This sorta defeats the purpose of a fine, quiet machine.

An RO (reverse osmosis) accumulator has better quality materials (again, IIRC) and the higher pressures that a vibration pump is capable of would result in a greater accumulator capacity.

Everything upstream of a machine's water inlet is a PITA to deal with but a little work beforehand would pay dividends in the long run.

erics wrote:An accumulator is simply an energy storage device - in this case, pressurized water. I've made several posts on accumulators - search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&author_id=269 . Then you need to search those results for "accumulator". Sorry to make you resort to this reading exercise.

That's appreciated. No apologies needed. If I didn't like to read I wouldn't be on this site.