Hi everyone,

So my Faemina arrived Tuesday and, as expected, it needs some work. There are some good threads on diagnosing leaks, so these questions are more basic. Any help is appreciated!

1. The machine shipped w/o a basket (!). Apparently the previous user put the dispersion screen directly in the portafilter, put the coffee on top of that, and pulled it. Fortunately, the screen doesn't appear damaged. But I'm having trouble seeing how it is held into the group. The portafilter gasket is pretty high up, and I don't see how it would keep the screen in. Is there a separate o-ring or gasket to hold the screen in place?

2. I unscrewed the cap to the sight glass and a small red seal was pretty brittle. The sight glass, though, is still in pretty snug. Is this small seal necessary, or does it just keep the cap from rubbing against the glass?

3. The bolt at the very bottom has sheared off. A female-threaded post fits onto this and holds on the bottom panel to conceal the wiring. I don't think the bolt is critical to performance, so it's just a question of how I kludge together a solution. Is the bolt the bottom of the long rod that runs throughout the boiler? Or is it a small bolt that can more easily be replaced? I still have the post...

That's it for now! I'm sure there will be more questions as I dive deeper into the machine.

scott

You will need this:
http://www.orphanespresso.com/Faema-Fae...541-1.html

1. It clips/crimps on.

2. You need the seal, buy it from Orphan, they have a different seal that fits.

3. Can you take a picture if this?

I built a tool to remove the cylinder sleeve that consisted of hard wood with two holes drilled in and two filed down punches. I also used a heat gun to warm the outside if the cylinder. Not a blowtorch! This machine is a bit tough to work on as I ran into some dissimilar metal issues, but is a real performer once put back together.

Thanks for the link Mike; that's awesome. I'll try to get a picture of the bottom (sheared) bolt, as well as measure what's left.

In attaching the dispersion screen, do you just hand-crimp it (pliers? screwdriver?). Mine doesn't snap on, which makes me think it's been bent, but not too badly.

I'll have to think hard about whether I want to rebuild it myself or have Orphan do it. On one hand, it would be nice to know how to do it and learn how the machine works. But if it's been sitting for many years, I don't want to break anything that would be even harder to fix.

Thanks for the help,
scott

I imagine you could crimp it by tapping a screwdriver around the top, or by pre bending the edges with pliers. The biggest concern will be damaging the softish metal in the cylinder sleeve. I tried the hammer and awl technique and I succeeded only in putting some divots in the brass. The homemade tool, with the heatgun, worked much better. I used needle nose pliers to disassemble the end of the piston. The preinfusion gadget adds a lot of pieces to this thing!

If you have the tools, go for it. If not, I'd send it to Orphan.

Thanks again. After looking through that post, I've decided to send it to Orphan. I lack the most important tool listed: patience.

scott

You'll be incredibly pleased when it comes back. Wonderful machine.