I'm working on a refurb of an Enrico with a friend, and we are missing the dispersion screen. Does anyone know if there are parts available (I know Doug and Orphanespresso has some) or if there is another machine whose dispersion screens are the same size? I believe the diameter is about 2 3/8 inches wide. It is such a large group head, I wondered if there were dispersion screen for commercial machines that would be the same size.

We're working up a set of pictures and steps for the take-down and re-furb which we'll post pretty soon. And, just to answer Doug's questions, yes, I finished the Riviera refurb successfully, with fixes for the major problems, and will be finishing that thread shortly. I have lots of tips from people who wrote which need posting and acknowledging too. Just need time to do the posts. The Sama Export take-down is just getting under way as well, and the boiler on the old Sama is headed to the machine shop shortly, after which we can really get down to business with the heating element. Then, a quick job on a Peppina.

Thanks to any advice on the dispersion screen for the Enrico. If course, we're going to have a hell of a time finding a tamper as well, so, really, all advice welcome.

Here are a couple older threads:
Here
merged threads here
If you can find a larger dispersion screen or basket, I will make tooling to swedge and crimp one to size. 70mm is a bit oversized!
-Richard/espressme

Hello again. I'm still looking for a dispersion screen for an Enrico -- if anyone has suggestions about substitute parts.

Meanwhile, I have finally got the piston out of the group, and I find this monstrosity. I'm not sure what to do. I may need some extra extra Enrico parts, if anyone has some they'd like to sell me. The piston seal refurb is enough work without dealing with something like this, made from cheap metals and fixed by what looks like a rivet.

Has anyone seen something like this? I'd like to fix this one up but I'm not sure I'd want to use this piston. I'm open to ideas....



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Well, enough depressing Enriconess. I'm off to dinner.

Simon,

Is that a spring lever or a manual lever model? I have a parts group for the manual lever which, sadly, has no dispersion screen. I have a spring lever that I'll be rebuilding in the next month or two. While it's down I'd be willing to send the dispersion screen out to someone to make a pattern, if you want to go down that road. As long as I get it back in time for the rebuild it wouldn't be any trouble. Just let me know if I can help.

Brett

espressme wrote:Here are a couple older threads:
Here
merged threads here
If you can find a larger dispersion screen or basket, I will make tooling to swedge and crimp one to size. 70mm is a bit oversized!
-Richard/espressme

Thanks Richard. I'll go searching for materials and get back to you. I may have to get something done custom, so I'm going to head back to the metal shop I've been using, they do a lot of prototype work. No chance you know of tampers for this beast?

I'm not in love with this machine but I'm curious to see it up and working. It is more peacock than I like. for example, the massive group suggests that it should be supported by an equally large boiler, but opened up, we see a tiny little boiler and in some kind of cheap aluminum metal to boot. All the time on this machine went into the clothing, not the guts.

Alas...

Trajic wrote:Simon,

Is that a spring lever or a manual lever model? I have a parts group for the manual lever which, sadly, has no dispersion screen. I have a spring lever that I'll be rebuilding in the next month or two. While it's down I'd be willing to send the dispersion screen out to someone to make a pattern, if you want to go down that road. As long as I get it back in time for the rebuild it wouldn't be any trouble. Just let me know if I can help.

Brett

Hey Brett: its the spring model. I have the take down pix just not posted yet. We're doing a rebuild as well so let's keep in touch on this. We picked it up off the big E for 100 bucks which seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I see the piston, etc., I'm sobering up. Anyway, we have it stripped right down and my major holdup is parts, I want to solve the dispersion screen and the piston issues first. I'm not seeing any real parts -- but I'll do a bit more targeted emailing first. If I don't find some used parts I'll be getting some made by some sheet metal workers I know. If you have parts needs, let me know, I'll add them to my list and keep an eye out. I should say that from time to time I get into work too much and don't post for a month, but I'm still on the job.

Will let you know about borrowing the screen for a pattern. Thanks for the offer, very kind of you.

Hello Simon,
Will you take a measurement of the diameter of the dispersion screen? I do know it is somewhat smaller than 68mm. I also wonder if the piston is gunked to the screen. From the photo, it seems to be a very weird way to assemble the two. I would think that the screen would have been held on by a snap fit or use of the PF gasket.
As I remember, my lever machine had a snap on screen.
-Richard

Richard,

I think he's missing the screen. I'll pop mine off this weekend and measure it. It looks exactly like yours. I think the screens for the spring and manual groups were the same but I'll measure it to be sure.

Brett

espressme wrote:Hello Simon,
Will you take a measurement of the diameter of the dispersion screen? I do know it is somewhat smaller than 68mm. I also wonder if the piston is gunked to the screen. From the photo, it seems to be a very weird way to assemble the two. I would think that the screen would have been held on by a snap fit or use of the PF gasket.
As I remember, my lever machine had a snap on screen.<image>
-Richard

Richard - yeah, Brett's right, screen is gonzo. That's what you get with a hundred clams and a flier on the big E. I believe it would be a clip on as you suggest -- but Brett will have the goods. I'll take measurements of the outside diameter of the group chamber where I would imagine the dispersion screen fits to just to confirm.

On the bright side, the casing itself was rusted to hell, and now my work-mate Jonathan (who is doing the refurb with me) has taken the citric acid and elbow grease to it, it has come up a beautiful sort of "worn tarnish" copper and brass. The brass wore better than the copper -- it looks like it may be "copper plated" actually -- but in combination, there's something really full of character about it.

I'll get the pix up soon -- they are trapped inside a camera right now that is not my iphone, which means better quality but administratively intense for me to post.

--and PS thanks Brett for those measurements.

--and I keep meaning to ask - has anyone ever seen a piston in the same shape here? (See pictures above). It appears to be a stainless or aliminum shaft and piston head, with a second, "cheap pot grade" metal cylinder riveted on to the head. The other piston pix I found on the intertubes were at least all made of one type of metal, not this combination.

I suppose my threshold question is, is this useable in any sane, safe and non-damaging way, or do I need to go into deep parts territory to source a new piston or something even more drastic.

Thoughts?

Here's the one from mine:


I think they were the same and that they decided to operate without a shower screen. Therefore the extension.
The machine could be safe to use if all the parts are clean.
-Richard
PS I used a brake hone to clean up my group. Then fine wet or dry paper over the hones to remove the worst of the scratches.

One more thought, Try putting the piston into the group in the exact height that it would be when all together. That would tell whether the extension was an after thought. Also look at the exit of the group to see whether it originally had a snap on indentation.
Cheers!

I finally popped my screen out. It's 62mm. Simon, my piston doesn't look like yours. It's made out of the same cheap metal but there's no rivet.

Brett

thanks Brett and Richard. I got busy in June with restructurings and didnt get a chance to work on this machine.

So, our two main problems are the piston and the dispersion screen. For the piston, we're going to pop the rivet off and try to return it to normal. I have no idea what the prior dude was thinking -- maybe no dispersion screen and pressing water through the portafilter itself. I would like to think no-one would do such a thing, even to these machines. It takes a bit of Macgyver to rivet a cylinder of aluminum onto the piston, so some thought process was there.

The dispersion screen is harder. I have one more parts place in Toronto I can visit next weekend and look for a screen. After that, I may need to just have one made, in which case I'll consult you both and probably make a few.

Until then gentlemen.

Oh - and Brett - you have to share your story about the chainsaw sale, that was pretty good. I had visions of you testing out these beat up ole husquarvna's and then coming across the Francis. I've never used one and they are real eye candy, but do they work well? How does it compare? Nice find there for 25 bones, I see them on the Big E for several hundred.