Hello folks - i was very excited as I finally received my Caravel, from Italy yesterday.
I am now part of the club! Unfortunately though, when taking the little beauty apart to boil and clean all stainless steel parts, i noticed a crack on the grouphead which got me really disappointed.
I wanted to see if anyone has seen such thing before on any group specifically a Caravel one, and if so what's the remedy? Will this become worst and eventually crack and break as i use it? Is this fixable or should i just return it? (Really Hope not, as shipping = cost of machine)
Thank you in advance for your help.


Crack is on the right side of group if looking from front, and it is 15mm long!!


Location is shown with this photo.

You can test it to see if it leaks when it is under pressure (brewing espresso). Does the crack look like it goes all the way through the metal, or just the surface. Either way you ought to be able to have it welded I think. It may not look quite as pretty, but the espresso will be just as good.

Good luck, and keep us updated.

PC

Is that really a crack or just a very deep scratch? Hard to tell from the photo how severe it is (maybe you could get the shot in focus by moving the iPhone backward/forward after focussing).

Anyway, it's located in a position where it does not get into contact with water, outside of the group gasket, thus I think it will not leak. As long as you don't over-tighten the portafilter like crazy (which will apply force to the crack), it might even be safe to try the machine out. But that's just guessing. I second peacecup's opinion that it will be possible to fix it without compromising function.

Btw, shipping = price of the machine, sounds like you got it quite cheap, assuming that the rest is in reasonable condition.

Cheers,

Roland

Thanks gentlemen - i have also sent an email to Doug at OE asking for his advice.
This is definitely a crack, and actually if i trace it i can feel that it continues a little further than the 15 mm under the polish. I will update another photo tonight...maybe that will give a better idea!

Thanks again.

marios,
looking at my caravel, i am thinking that this is the weld line between the two (and more) parts that make up the group connection. being a welder of stainless i know that this is a fairly easy weld to re-do and that, being stainless, the weld can easily be cleaned and refinished. this is not under pressure form the pull of coffee, but every time you put in the portafilter you would put this crack under further stress.
hard to tell, but it may be fine to keep using, take a good photo and recheck after a month of use. i assume, and may be wrong, that the weld is good elsewhere. stainless is strong stuff, even welded, and the only pressure on that crack will come from you jamming the portafilter into place and sealing.
if you know someone who works stainless nicely, it is 5 minutes work, while cleaning it up on a linisher and with sandpaper and a final buff is maybe another 20 minutes....

Yes- I was thinking this is a seam in the metal. I just had a look at my Caravels and some of them do have a seam right there. Perhaps your isn't cracked but was just a poorly finished weld. I don't think it will cause a problem.

thanks for all your feedback. i just finished the cleaning and restoring and will put it to test this weekend. i am really hoping its not leaking. thanks again.

sorrentinacoffee wrote:Yes- I was thinking this is a seam in the metal. I just had a look at my Caravels and some of them do have a seam right there. Perhaps your isn't cracked but was just a poorly finished weld. I don't think it will cause a problem.

this is definetely a crack, can't really tell if its on the seam or not.

Take it to a TIG welder. It's a nothing of a job. You could even do it with a stick welder, but much messier to clean up.

Usually when you weld a seam in stainless and clean it up, the weld is deep enough in penetration that the metal is strong. If the weld is shallow, you can clean through it to reveal a crack, or over time the weld is so shallow that stress opens it up. That crack is where the pressure goes when you rotate the portafilter in and seal it against the group gasket. it was originally two separate pieces of metal.....
Daniel is right - definitely a job for a TIG welder, MIG at a pinch, but stick not so great an idea. It is quite quick, it is of course the hassle of finding a TIG welder who like coffee in your area....
Nonetheless, these machines are made to last - worth fixing! But I do not think it will leak from there, though you may get a leak from the group seal if the portafilter is not sealing properly because this joint is flexing a lot (very unlikely....)
tell us how you go! yay for caravels!!!