The latest project sucking up all my spare time- and some time that isn't spare is the restoration of a 1970's club machine. I will post some pictures as I go and welcome any hints or tips.

The machine I have is different than others I have seen on here and elsewhere. The group head seems different than the Romana, Ponte Vecchio machines. It has hex screws on the top of he group and if you remove them the piston and lever can be easily removed as one unit.

The machine works fine but there is some rust on the chassis, evidence of leaking seals on the boiler element and pressurestat and other signs that indicate the entire thing should be disassembled and rebuilt.

So far I have managed to rebuild the group head with a new shower screen seal (from a La Pavoni Europiccola- seemed a perfect fit, and lube of the original piston seals (2 seals- one v section and one 'double v section seal, clean piston etc. I replaced the sight glass seals with silicon seals (also Pavoni). Now I have removed the boiler- I am about to attempt to remove the element- it seems a little stiff.

I am just wondering- how should I clean the boiler? Can the element be replaced if it is defective- or worn out? Any thing I should be looking out for?

Also the machine seems to have been plumbed in- there is no bakelite cap on the boiler- just a nut. I need a new cap- or to come up with some new type of cap. I am tempted to cut a hole in the stainless cup holder top and have the bakelite filler knob above the tray- it seems a bit crappy to have to remove the tray to fill the boiler- and the spout hole is quite small- seems like it would be easy to spill water into the machine and hasten corrosion, etc. Any one have any ideas about a solution for this?

here are pics showing the machine as it is reduced to its parts:



here are some pics:

and with the cover off:

and the boiler was such a nice object I photographed it separately:

Hi,
Congratulations on your acquisition. I own a similar machine that I let "on" all day long to produce espressi "on demand". This is my favourite machine in terms of "cup result". The group/pison/PF assembly is similar to the one of an Elektra microcasa, but is not bolted to the boiler, and is mounted in a thermosiphon loop.
Best,
F

Thankyou Francois,

I cannot wait to rebuild this machine and see how it performs. I am encouraged to hear how happy you are with your daily espresso.

Hey there:

A nice looking little project you have. Looks like the machine is in pretty decent shape ATC. Have you had the element out yet? I'm curious about the shape of it inside the tank.

I'm asking partly because Garth Breaks and I are in the (long, slow) process of taking down his Sama Club, which has serious boiler issues. We're going to have to crack it and re-braze it together again. But the rest of the machine looks very similar and we've done a few refurbs now and have experience with most of the issues that will come up with this one. I'm also taking down a Sama Export at the moment, the little sister to your model.

Our experience with the boiler was that the build-up of calcium / lime scale had created a bridge of sorts to the bottom of the boiler, and so when we applied pressure to take the element out, it ground against the bridge/bottom of the boiler and ruined the element. I'm not sure if Garth has sourced a new element yet, he may have, we know a shop here. Your machine has a similar age and so I would guess it will be stiff too. I wish in retrospect I'd taken a de-scaler to it first and then tried to open up the element. His thread on this is here:

http://www.home-barista.com/levers/sama ... t8510.html

Hope this helps. Will be curious about the boiler cap fix, I'd be tempted to mod it too, but there may be parts around from other machines that fit as well. What are the exact dimensions of the fitting?

Good luck with the refurb, looks like a gem of a machine.

sa

Thanks for the info- I am glad I started out with a descale now- I was hoping that would be all that is required but I think I should totally clean the boiler now I have it out- and replace the seals on the thermostat and element. I hope the element is OK. I tested the machine and it worked perfectly so hopefully it is OK.

I will add more images here as I go- and I look forward to any ideas or input as I go,

I am wondering what the best method for cleaning the boiler will be? Ultrasonic Bath?

You could go nuclear and blast it with something, but I just use commercial de-scaling liquid. Takes a bit to run it through but does the job. I also use brass brushes on my drill when I have decent access -- you can get a lot done manually.

Let me know what you end up using, we'll need the advice. sa

took the boiler down to my local roaster/espresso tech guys- as long as they can easily remove the element it will be spending the night in an acid bath. Whilst I wait and hope they don't somehow destroy it- I have taken a wire brush to the chassis- turns out any rust was only surface and with a new lick of black enamel paint it now looks like new. Will post photos when the second coat is dry. I haven't measured the boiler filler hole- looks similar to the Ponte Vecchio.

It's one part I am definitely going to need- and as things are speeding along I may need it soon. Looks like I will need a new seal at the least for the heating element- given the likely scarcity of an OEM part- any suggestions an an alternative?

And if my element shows signs of corrosion- or is otherwise damaged- any one know if a replacement is available? When I seal all this up again I am hoping it will all be pristine at least internally. I am thinking I will insulate the boiler- and drill a hole in the side of the case so the thermostat can be adjusted.

BTW Simon- does your group head look the same as the one pictured at the top of this post? Can you see how the group flares out at the top of the piston? I have not seen this on the other similar SAMA/Romana/Ponte Vecchio machines. This allows the piston to be removed out of the top of the group by simply removing two hex screws. I have been looking for info on Sama and most of the other groups seems to have a design where the piston can only come out the bottom (with some difficulty).

Thermosyphon loop aside, as previously mentioned, it looks very much like the group from the MicroCasa a Leva. Certainly thats how the piston is removed on that machine also.

Thanks for the tips- I will check out the Micro Casa machines... any one know how that group performs?

here are some pics of the group head and lever- When taking them I noticed a little screw at the base of neck/bridge part. I guess it is for cleaning the water inlet/thermosyphon vents?

I will post pics of the spring and seal set up if anyone needs to see them:









now if only I can remember where all these wires went- I believe I may have been sloppy with my color coding

Can't wait to jump in here with some more detailed replies - unfortunately I'm a little swamped today (this week?). Regarding your wiring, if you run into a jam I should be able to help out - Simon and I took roughly a million photos of my wiring before taking it apart.
From looking at your photos it would appear that we have exactly the same machine.
Mine is in excellent shape minus the boiler and element. Unfortunately the element seems to have splayed out within the boiler and can not be pulled out. The debate I'm facing is whether to have it cracked, removed and welded shut or to try and source a new boiler.
The thread that Simon linked you to lists everyone that deals in old Sama parts - I made a few calls and had great success, I just haven't pulled the trigger on anything as the potential cost of boiler repairs has this project teetering on the edge of never getting finished...
I'll write more and upload any photos you may need as soon as I have the chance.
Great looking machine BTW - love the front mounted dials.
Oh, my boiler is tapped for direct water too but it still has a proper fill spout under the cup warmer.

Is this machine related to the Ponte Vecchio Lusso in the same way that the Sama Export is related to the PV Export? Seems a very similar concept and layout.

certainly it is closely related to the Ponte Vecchio machine...

here is the chassis with 2 coats of matt enamel- Looking good:

At some point Sama switched groups to the current 45-mm version, without the removable top flange. Too bad, because it makes seal replacement easier I think. I suppose there are lots of little parts differences, etc. but the concept is similar. In fact, there are a number of the "club" type machines that appear occasionally on auctions, etc. Mogo had one of the coolest, a white, later orange Bezzera, which he passed on the someone on this forum a while ago. For some reason I think the Bezzera was one of the original club machines.

PC

gyro wrote:Thermosyphon loop aside, as previously mentioned, it looks very much like the group from the MicroCasa a Leva.

this is correct- I just had a look at the MicroCaso a Leva and it is the only group I have seen with a removable flanged top like this one.

Am I correct that the Micro Cas does not have a thermosyphon set up like this one?

Can someone explain to me how this thermosyphon group works and any advantages it may have over the Pavoni type group?

It seems that water from the boiler circulates through the group between the seals on the piston. I am guessing that if there is any weakness/shrinkage in the seals then there is the possibility that coffee debris can get drawn back into the boiler? This may explain the brownish sludge that was in the sight glass...

Hopefully I can pick up the boiler this afternoon-

Hmmm, boiler refurb has been delayed due to difficulty in removing the element. I hope to God they don't wreck it- as I now have everything else almost ready to go back in...

I am thinking about my boiler cap problem: whilst repairing the outer shell I found that it had a hole near the top/back cut out- I assume for plumbing- it was covered over with a strip of stainless steel. Then I remembered another Sama thread on HB where a machine had this push button set up:



I am considering running a T of the top of the boiler and having a manual fill Knob at the rear of the machine protruding from the hole in the back- and setting up a similar push button valve on the base as seen on the SAMA above.

Does the new Ponte Vecchio have a similar plumbed line system?

I don't think I will ever actually plumb it is but think its a great thing to have- and now is the time to drill the holes in the frame- whilst the machine is disassembled.

Any one got any idea where I could find a push button valve like the one pictured here?

Also anyone know where I could source a new Ponte Vecchio Bakelite plug/knob?

That push button affair is similar to the Riviera setup, but that is old parts only, and other systems used a toggle type valve witht he same body. Inside is a spring and collar washer system which can be prone to leak if the seal is not exactly right. Plumbed is absolutely the best all around and if you are serious about it use an actual valve and redo the feed. The idea with these little club machines was to miniaturize a commercial machine but if you use a regualr valve, like a toilet valve or other small plumbing valve you can go direct to the boiler with a knob on the side of the machine frame which will not leak and give you very good control. the boiler cap is a standard PV part but the fill is pretty slow since you have to use a real small necked funnel so I would go with the valve and line fill.
How are the piston seals. Sure looks like a Mcal group but what about the seals? Have you pulled the piston to check?
Nice looking work so far.

Is there preload on the spring beneath the plate?

timo888 wrote:Is there preload on the spring beneath the plate?

Que?

I am not sure what you mean? The lever spring? If you mean by preload is the spring held under pressure- yes...

When I originally tested the machine- the group leaked. There is an airhole on the top back of the group to allow the air in the top part of the piston to escape when the lever is released. Water starting bubbling out there. so I took the group apart- At first I undid the two hex screws and nothing happened- I pulled on the lever but no movement- so then I undid the lever and released the spring ejecting the filter plate in the process. The piston has two seals on it- one is a V section (bottom) and one a double V (top-V on both sides). The seals were quite good- so I cleaned them- lubricated heavily with Dow 111 and reassembled. I had a lot of trouble getting the spring pushed in to re-attach the lever- Until I used a clamp to slowly wind the spring in- so easy. Then I tested again and there were no visible leaks. But I am not sure if the first V seal fails then maybe coffee/water could escape from the piston into the boiler.

Thinking about it now- I think I will take the spring out again and post pictures of the seals to see if they are still available...


one hour later:

Not so easy... I undid the hex screws- and nothing- cannot put the lever and spring out- they won't budge at all- looks like the seals are pretty tight. There is nothing stopping the entire assembly pulling out- except the seals against the piston wall.

I could clamp it and release the lever again... but maybe I should just leave it as is? In my last tests there were no leaks...

Doug- do you have a spare boiler cap?

And with the water inlet- I would have to use the filler hole at the top right? If I ran an elbow and some pipe down the rear of the frame and had a valve with a tap mounted on the side- do I need some kind of valve to let the air escape as water goes in? Forgive my ignorance here- this is the first machine like this I have worked on.

I was thinking perhaps I could put a Tee on the boiler filler hole- and have one pipe either rising up through the stainless cup tray (via a hole I will reluctantly cut)- or out the rear of the shell- for manual filling, and running the other one down to the base for a plumbed line. If I had a tap on the plumbed line at the T- then it could all sit there waiting for a time when it can be plumbed in.

but then there is part of me that just wants to put it back together as is- get a small funnel-plug the boiler with something and go for it.

The thermostat worked fine when I tested keeping the machine at 1 Bar steady (if the gauge was still accurate). Should I consider replacing it? Or just change the seal and put is back?

Reading on OE about the Ponte Vecchio- I see it has some kind of high temp safety switch- is there something I should fit to this machine to protect it against a dry boiler meltdown?

and then I was wondering about fitting a different steam arm assembly. Some Retro one like on the Ismomac Alba:



The steam arms that that are fitted are a bit of a joke to look at- no nozzle- just one big hole- no movement- impossible to get a large jug underneath the steamer... I really like the toggle/screw valves they have bu that's about it...