srobinson wrote:With regards to tools. Can you not use a screwdriver bit in a socket wrench?

I tried with a socket wrench and slotted screwdriver bit and ultimately succeeded. But the screws are made of a very soft material, and didn't want to budge. With the socket adapter, the socket, and the screwdriver bit, things were pretty wobbly and I couldn't get a good feel for whether the bit was seated in the slot of the screw head. I thought maybe a little tommy-bar-screwdriver-bit gizmo, if it existed, would give me more tactile feedback. However, I pressed the bit into the screw head as tightly as I could before ratcheting and hoped for the best. The screws did budge and only a little bit of metal on one of them was lost.

The gunk between the shower screen and the piston is really something to behold. It's almost archeology.

Regards
Timo

moved

You think that is bad, here is one of the groups off of my Faema. Looks like tar.

Maybe it was being used as a hookah?

Regards
Timo

moved

timo888 wrote:Well, I've CleanCaf'd and double-rinsed the machine twice and the black water in this picture is now running clear. There's lots of water leaking out of the hole when the lever is depressed fully. Does that point to a particular problem?

What is the purpose of the hole?

Timo -

Looks like the sealing ring on the psiton is worn or cracked - allowing water to flow past the piston and out the overflow hole which is there to keep Miss Peppina from having an 'accident' on your counter - which would so embarrass the old girl she'd probably turn red ....

Here's a link to a site which has .PDF files of the original F.E.A.R manuals:

http://www.dmreed.com/coffee_equipment_manuals.htm

Scroll down about halfway, and you'll see links to:

http://www.dmreed.com/images/FE-AR_La_Peppina_manual_1.JPG
http://www.dmreed.com/images/FE-AR_La_Peppina_manual_2.JPG
http://www.dmreed.com/images/FE-AR_La_Peppina_manual_3.JPG

I'm not sure where to find a piston gasket, but you could try Thomas Cara in San Francisco:

Thomas Cara, Ltd. 415-781-0383, fax 415-781-7224, 517 Pacific, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA.

or 'The Good Coffee Company' here in Seattle:

Good Coffee Company (206) 622-5602 818 Post Alley, Seattle 98104

Both of whom are so ancient that they spurn a Web presence.

Cheers

Jim

Many thanks, Dr Jim.

Timo,
If you have any luck finding someone with rings or such to fix your Peppina please let me know. I have A La Peppina waiting for me to buy it - black just like yours- It has the same leak you show in your pictures. I hesitated because I could find no one that carried anything to repair them with. I will glady buy the one waiting for me if you report a parts supply- Good luck, I have my fingers crossed for both of us.
FYI- I was just in Seattle last week and dropped by Home espresso repair on Phinney- They offered no options.

peacecup wrote:
http://www.espressomadeinitaly.com/sito_inglese/garelly_foto.htm

peacecup, the Photo Gallery of old machines is very cool. After looking through that gallery, I like even more the idea that the Peppina's primitive gravity-fed group, fed from a *non-pressurized* boiling chamber, could be adapted for a retro-styled but future-looking machine that would be a superb hybrid for today's home enthusiast...if it also had a smallish auxiliary pressurized boiler dedicated to steam/hot water, and a fresh-water reservoir with a little fill pump.

I think it is high time for a primitive revival. We leverites should lead the way to a new synthesis. With a fresh-water reservoir feeding the boiling chamber, the chamber could be relatively tiny, 3-4 ounces. It's a boiling chamber only, not a reservoir too, and only for brew water. Single-temperature. A little bit of water could be brought to brew temperature in no time. This machine would be more energy efficient than those machines that must bring a large undedicated (i.e. brew+steam) boiler to temperature.

It can be dubbed The Beast. Its advertised price should be $666. I want one.
RIP HX
Timo

mogogear wrote: If you have any luck finding someone with rings or such to fix your Peppina please let me know.
FYI- I was just in Seattle last week and dropped by Home espresso repair on Phinney- They offered no options.

Willl do. Thanks for the info re Home Espresso Repair.
Timo