A fun box arrived today with a lot of care in packaging and even a home roasted package of beans! You know the HB folks are the best! My hat is off to Jon (Jonr10) his care in getting a mint 1970's model Mini Gaggia to me in perfect shape after being in his care for a while! Complete with original shipping box, warranty registration with serial number hand written in, the orange card you see in this opening shot, the PF single, double and a ridge-less Synesso Big basket( I think). If I hadn't seen the photos of this machine from Jon's original LMWDP registration -I would have thought that it had never -ever been used. It is flawless. No scratches, stains or mars.

Scroll down and find his post:

http://www.home-barista.com/levers/lmwdp-rollcall-t533.html

He also has a link to some other shots on CG


It does leak out through the group head when not in use due to old piston seals- So ( Timoooo!).... I secured a full set of new seals and a thermostat from ASCASO and a back up new element from DEMOKA,SA and will slowly go through this little jewel to see how it really is put together. Measuring as requested ...

If anybody has been here long - they know the "La Peppina Marries Mini Gaggia" thread.. this will be interesting to see what is where..

I have pizza to eat so for now here is the shot before she starts to dis-robe in the near future

Heads or tails




with her travel documents

No one should be allowed to have so many pieces of functional art from Italy, Monaco, Spain, and Switzerland in their possession

Really that looks like a beautiful machine - you can now expound upon the differences between the 45-mm group and the 58 mm group, both in the open-boiler format. I'm green....

PC

peacecup wrote: ......I'm green....PC

I knew you were a "tree-hugger" when I met you

What a find!
put me on your list for first dibs on your leavings and sale machines!
Have a great time!
richard

Waaa.... nice!

When you get it apart can you post photos/dimensions of the piston and group gaskets? I'd really like to know if I could buy new gaskets for my Zerowatt- the 20+ year old group gasket is hard as rock...

Henry

espressme wrote:What a find!
put me on your list for first dibs on your leavings and sale machines!
Have a great time!
richard

Not a find Richard,
I give credit to Jon, it was leaking badly and he was not using it, we all know --- levers are meant to be pulled- he had offered it to someone, but they passed due to leaks and new to levers. If the pictures Jon posted of the shots he pulled when he first got it are pretty, I hope with new seals all works out even better.....

mogogear wrote:... I secured a full set of new seals and a thermostat from ASCASO and a back up new element from DEMOKA,SA ...

Your first extraction video, Greg, should use "O Lucky Man!" for its soundtrack
Are you using your voltage transformers, or were 110V elements available from DEMOKA?

I hope this means you will be selling your Bezzera? [fingers-crossed-eyes-closed-emoticon]

Regards
Timo

P.S. Be sure to heed the critical barista tip printed on the tag: "To function well, I need finely ground coffee ..."

No transformer needed- 125v -albeit with a Euro style pin plug! I will replace the cord though so I can have a grounded plug. The spare element is 125v too. I bought two sets of hight temp o-rings and seals for it also. So good news for the future all the way around... with now site glass vigilance on water lever is always Step 1!

So as you lat the machine down on her back, there are two screws either side of the grouphead that hold the front switch panel on. With it removed you find the two screws that hold the lower drip panel in place at the rear of that panel.

Unscrew the four feet and the plastic body piece will slide off in a backwards direction.










You can see the edge of the thermostat to the left side of the picture. It is screwed into the side of the chromed brass boiler. It is in contact with the element on the inside. No gasket or seal, just the old remains of a sealer applied when put together.

Wow!
Group head built into an open "boiler" that doesn't boil, which means it's immersed in brew temperature water. Given an accurate thermostat, this should amount to spot on temp stability.
Too bad I like Cappuccino so much!
That Mini and a Pavoni with a stuck piston would add up to a nice double boiler machine.

Ed