So as a slight refresher I wanted to share what had to be done prior to the "stripping" trip to the Re-Chrome people.
This must be done before any brass work can be done. I was informed of this order of procedure by the Chrome people. If you get the brass work done first you strip, you risk some pretty bad etching and pitting in the new softer brass by the corrosive bath that will strip the chrome off. The re-brass work to the wallowed-out slots will destroy the chrome finish, so it was nice not to get this step backwards !

So the chrome folks told me to seal the three openings in the group head with fitting, rubber plugs and an explainable plumbing plug. I took the grouphead with me and was pretty successful on my first trip to a really good local hardware store( Parkrose Hardware!) Note I thought I found the right expandable plug right off the bat- CAUTION- I took the time to really tighten in while in place and found that it never really got tight enough to insure not seeping the corrosive stuff into the inner portion of the grouphead--READ THAT AS - BAD!

So here is the grouphead- and all three different devices I used to seal her up:





The rubber plug will be driven into the piston shaft hole, before the expandable plug is tightened in place. Then the fitting. I assume that these items will need to either be reused during the re-chroming process or purchased again if they get wrecked during the stripping phase- I will let you know how that goes. BTW the plug says 1 3/8" on the to-I measured it to be in an un -tightened diameter of 44mm or 1 3/4 " A nice snug fit ! I can't describe the fittings other than one is a small gas line type with a steel 1/4 plug screwed in the other end. And yep a rubber plug!

Here is the grouphead all trussed up and ready to get re-acquainted with the brass look!



Ok, that is it for now....... hopefully a de-brassed shot is next on the agenda before our trip to the brass artist at the radiator repair shop? (Mac's Radiator!)

This project is alive just kind of on the back burner. I have been Digesting a new job change so the after work projects have been on hold for a while.

A small update- The switch escutcheon arrived along with a broken switch that Will from Home Espresso threw in . I repaired the broken plastic body of the switch with epoxy putty and I am one step closer to proceeding. I have placed my order again with Olympia ( safely after the Holidays) and ready to get to the next steps.

Watching and marveling is much of the enjoyment in being allowed to share in your generous and ongoing epiphany of dedicated craftsmanship! No protracted disruption to the cramped workspace here, either (a good thing, trust me).

Trisha

Trisha, You are just a fun read.. ... I think you could type listings from a suburban phone book- "in your own words" of course... and it would be fun to read......So, See - staying cloistered DOES have it's upside

I truly hope that Olympia is getting past the holidays or any supply interruptions they may have had and will be able to fill my parts order. Without it the "Twins" have a possible terminal future. So just thinking positive thoughts...... come to me please my little parts!

So Greg,
What is the deal with the twins... I have went back to see what had last been said and I noted the 25 Feb date... I was primarily reminded by Espressme after the post of my pinhole event. But what is the lastest word?

Like the rest - just waiting to see if this thread proceeds as a twin project or just one. Parts- Parts- I am hoping the supply difficulties encountered by Olympia will soon re resolved ...

Do you know what kinds of parts are unavailable; hard metallic parts or soft gasket - O-ring type parts?

I don't at this point. Marcus is working hard I 'm sure to get caught back up. But until things reach an equilibrium, most items are on hold. Wonderful quality but their size is very small as far as personell etc. I have been learning a little more about this through some European contacts. We can be a noisy bunch here sometimes and a bit impatient but the Swiss are known for their follow through as well as quality- it may take us a while but it sounds like further patience is called for.

Hey Greg, how about turning one of them into a plumbed-in HX Cremina?

Henry

Henry, Interesting thought....

Modify the feed tube for the grouphead to have a loop or coil of some kind. Then have it outfitted with a fitting that would be inserted in to a hole on the opposite side of the boiler , with a seal and nut. That way the group head could be removed with tube in place . The external protrusion would provide a place to hook up a water line.

You would only need enough tubing in the HX loop to satisfy the internal capacity of the group cylinder. Maybe an external adjustment to keep the incoming water pressure to that of the 15psi- so we don't blow the surface of the puck apart.

On the initial brain storm , it doesn't seem that hard....... in theory. Perhaps a nice P-trap arrangement sdo that the path of the HX extends down enough to draw the incoming water through variations in boiler fill. So the HX loop may need to be bolted to the group with the element removed.

where is my design department? My spare time... darned "real life" keeps me from these fun exploits^&%$**&%!