mgwolf wrote:Hi all. I'm back from out of town. I couldn't wait to open up my eBay Cremina (the first of the recent two Zabar's models) to see how bad I was skunked. I was very pleasantly surprised. Except for the water level tube which is not functioning (seems to have a possible leak from the bottom portion of the tube), the unit seems to be in amazingly good shape. No dents, scratches, rust, etc. The only wear mark I can find is a small amount of brass showing under one of the knuckles on the portafilter. The only negative surprise is that there is asbestos on the boiler (1983 model). My wife is already suggesting it should reside in the basement. I plugged it in and made a shot which immediately. Seems to work fine. Now on to cleaning, repair, etc.

The sight glass not functioning is due to calcium deposits blocking the passages to the glass. It may also be leaking from the compression glands at top and bottom the seal the glass-a sure sign it needs rebuilding. I suggest you deal with the calcium before disassembly of the machine. Fill the boiler with decalification solution. Let the machine sit vertically for an hour, then put it on its back for an hour, then on its right side for an hour then its left side for an hour. In this way, you can get the solution to get into all the passages. You may need to repeat this. Once you are finished, you will need to flush the machine to get rid of the residue. If you take it apart after this decalcification, you probably should wait for the final flusing until the machine is all finished. First, neutralize the boiler with a few tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in the boiler water fill. Then many many fills of fresh water, heat up the boiler, and dump. You may still want to take it apart and mechanically clean inside, but once it is apart, you will not be able to hold the solution. When you are finished rebuilding it, you will do the final rinsing. Continue to fill, heat, cool, dump etc until all taste and smell of the solution is gone.

Personally, I do not worry about the asbestos as long as it is intact. It only is a problem if it is airborne. As long as it is intact and covered by the housing, my personal choice is to leave it alone. It was put there to keep the the boiler heat in and the exterior cool. If you are going to remove the asbestos, do it underwater, let it soak all day, then you can scrape if off, filter the water and discard in accordance with local laws.