I finally got it working. I just needed to fiddle with the set screws for the min and max pressure on the built in pressure regulator. I'm using a totally normal bbq grill regulator off the tank. The only really weird thing I had to do was make the adaptor from metric brass compression fittings with BPP nut to the American propane hose and regulator. Also, I hand made the propane kit supports. It does take ages for the machine to heat up.... I need to figure out how to fix that.

Anyway, now for all the machine's glory!

Congrats man! HB'er Clint O had (maybe he still does) a propane 2 gp lever (Astoria??) and the shots were out of this world. His lever took awhile to heat up too but once it was to temp, it was one of the most temp stable machines I've personally ever pull a shot off of...

I've got some fine tuning to do but so far I'm really happy with the performance of the propane. I need to figure out how much propane it uses. How long it will take to heat purely from propane (I gave it a kick start with 220v today because it wasn't even starting to get warm...) But once it made it up to 1.4 bar it was pretty stable. I wonder how stable it will be pulling back to back shots with back to back late milk.

Congrats!! Well done!!

I love the start of your video, in a campgrounds, off the grid, moving to a close-up of the propane burner. Nice!

That's awesome. Very nice!

Wow thats really cool.

Now you only need an old Wolksvagen van to put it in

/Uldall

That is very nice! Congratulations on getting it working. Did you consider something like MAP Gas instead of propane? It gets hotter and if it did not damage anything it might speed up the warm-up time. It uses all the same fittings and the small bottles are available in your local hardware store. I use them in portable propane torch for heating things.

Way cool ... taking espresso to the outdoors. A noble pursuit!

Well done.sounds like you worked hard for it and it paid off. I wonder if your heat-up time has anything to do with the distance from the flame tube to the boiler? Dunno if you were given the factory specs to work with.

My Astoria two group Lever heats up in 20 minutes or less on propane when it's 70-something degrees out. It's faster than on its 110v option. I also wonder if your resting flame height is trying to do the job of the primary flame. The adjustments for each are fiddly, but once they're dialed in they don't need much.

I don't have my machine set up at my current location and I miss it. I do have a vintage two group Cimbali Lever project in the final stages of assembly, and I want to gas power it badly.