Hi Vincent:

I don't know the weight of the whole machine, especially now that there is water in the boiler. I can only guess 70 pounds or so. I am able to lift it. If you have one in your sights, buy it!!! Then you may be puzzled what to do with the rest of your collection.

Recognizing that you have an amazing collection ... you'll really love the coffee it makes. And with that box left off the group it's pretty steampunk. When I told Barb Garrott I had a chance at one for not much money her response was:

"BUY IT! And if it's too much for you to deal with, buy it for us!"

Drip Grate Progress

I didn't know I could cut stainless steel with precision until I managed to do it. Today I successfully cut the top plate for the drip grate. Here's the template on the steel that's protectively coated. I worked with the template until it was exactly the right size for the hole pattern and coverage I want.



And the template traced onto the steel coating itself, creating cut lines. I used a Sharpie marker for those.



I learned that a jigsaw is a perfectly adequate tool. Here it is in place with the steel well clamped. The secrets to success with the jigsaw are letting it do the work (not forcing it too fast), knowing that I can hold it place and turn it slightly to make sure the cut is right on course, and changing to a new blade the moment it starts to buck, which isn't extreme. I wore leather gloves and a full face mask for safety. I'm also holding the steel firmly and avoiding scratches by using flat wood held in place by the actual clamps.



The cutting went fairly quickly, about five minutes for each actual cut. Most of the time was spent setting up the clamps. Here's the successful first cut.



To make the perpendicular cut I drilled a hole in the corner, carefully aligned and just large enough to fit the jigsaw blade. I began with a Starrett B automatic center punch, which is strong enough and hard enough to dimple steel. If you're not familiar with these, you place the point, then push the end hard with your hand. It's spring loaded and releases to create the dimple. This is one of those tools that isn't right unless you get the high quality brand. I got this one used on eBay of course!



I used two sizes of carbide bits to drill the hole, carefully.



This allowed the other two cuts to create the top plate that will extend the drip grate further back.



The finishing work before getting this welded in place is to file the edges smooth, being careful to not mar the upper surface. I've left some extra steel inside the cut lines so I can carefully fit this to the drip grate holes.



I've also been working on plumbing in the Sirai PSTAT. It is a tight fit. I'm still struggling a bit to get one of the sweated compression fittings to completely seal, so will solder that again. I'm also following Doug's suggestion to use ties to brace the PSTAT in addition to the pipe that also holds it in place. This is just the first try for leak testing. I think my final assembly will use cable ties.



An odd element here is the vacuum breaker. It releases a lot of steam and water through the tube before settling down. At first I thought it was malfunctioning but I'm thinking of asking Doug his opinion on a vacuum breaker he tried a few pages earlier, which doesn't seem to need the escape tube. I've not heard of other machines venting so much water just to release the air gap. If I turn the T fitting I may be able to use the existing manometer bracket. In my plumbing layout the vacuum breaker could fit the top of the manometer knuckle and the T fitting attaches to the bottom with the OPV attached sideways and the PSTAT pipe connecting to the bottom of the T.

That's great advice, jonny. It really tells me what I'm dealing with and not to worry other than figuring out what might be a little neater cosmetically. It did eventually become effective and I now have a large drip tray where it can drain.

BTW what do you mean by a "barbed" vacuum breaker? And, when I've looked inside other machines where there are wires that closely curl in several circles, is that run-off tubing for a vacuum breaker?

This is what jonny was calling a barbed vacuum breaker. Now I get it, the barbed connection at the top that holds a hose:



This one is $12.75 at Chris Coffee.

Today I dropped by Orchard Supply Hardware and found a knowledgeable guy in the tools department so I asked him what I might be doing wrong in sweating the pipe and compression cap. He suggests that the propane I'm using isn't hot enough and says I should use a Mapp torch and heat it well. When the fitting is hot enough, assuming I've done other things right (clean surface, flux, etc.) the solder will flow right into the joint when touched on the pre-heated parts. I may be able to try that on Thursday and have a Mapp torch on hand from when I was trying to free stuck bolts long ago.