Hi folks,
I noticed a leak coming from my Cremina after I descaled the boiler with citric acid. Took the cover off and was surprised to find that the leak appears to actually be coming from a very small hole in the boiler. You can get an idea by the picture I've attached. If I wipe away the moisture the water does immediately start dripping again.

Is this a case where I can repair the leak by soldering (don't know how, but this is as good an opportunity to learn as I'm going to get) or am I in bigger trouble here?

Thanks for your advice.

It is nearly impossible to make any real judgement based on that photo. It sort of looks like there is a brazing joint between the body and the base and the leak is in (near?) the braze. If that is the case, any decent welding shop should be able to repair that braze. If it is a pinhole in the body of the boiler then odds are more may follow.

Before attempting anything, two thoughts. Forget solder. It has to be brazed. And contact http://www.orphanespresso.com as they will know.

Seems to be the classic pinhole. These little holes develop and become sealed by scale. Before descaling they appear as little white dots on the inside and outside. Brazing is the final solution, requiring removal of the boiler or at least the heating element. Some people have reported using a simple application of loctite or other anaerobic sealant for these tiny holes.

As Doug mentioned, to really properly repair it, you are going to probably need to remove the boiler, and then braze it shut. Silver soldering (which is different than the typical electrical / plumbing soldering you may be thinking of) might work also, but it would require cleaning the surfaces more so than brazing probably would.

If you don't want to remove things and do the job properly, you could probably seal the hole shut using JB weld also. It's an epoxy, 2-stage glue which is very good. I have used it in the past for all sort of things. I'm not sure if they make one specifically for sealing leaks, but the normal JB Weld you find at the hardware store would probably work fine. Not the "recommended" method, but it will probably work and probably last.

Ray

Solder, on the other hand, is a necessary component of a balanced diet.

Last week I had a conversation with a fellow who purchased 2 Oly Club machines IN 1967 directly from the factory. One of them developed a pinhole in the boiler 2 years ago and he spoke directly to the Olympia technician who told him to use "the blue green stuff" thread lock. Blue green is NSF and the fellow followed his advice and told me that it fixed the problem.
I have never tried this but I am directly quoting a non HB forum following person who did.

Warrior372 wrote:....and if you go the solder route make sure it is potable.

The bluesman says, "My solder is potable. I takes it everywhere I go!"
...it's been a long week.. can you tell?

I have found a supplier of Loktite green in my area Before I go that route, is there any reason why this approach could prevent brazing down the line if that is needed?

Thanks for all the suggestions.