Can anyone help me ID this spring activated Lever machine?
I need Parts to rebuild it and I dont know where to look,
Its a Italian Style Model CE 14 C
Thanks for your help!
Rick

Rick,
You can find a lot of information about this machine here. Try using the 'search' function, and also look at the thread Lever Espresso Machine Gallery for photos of members machines. Good luck.

I think it's an Enrico.

hello rick,

machine is called cappuccino amore. importer was coffee imports of san francisco. model was current approximately 1983-87. importer closed in october of 1987. was also offered in a chrome/black finish. piston aluminum.

have given parts search leads to others inquiring about this model but they all turned out dry.

there have been a number of threads discussing this model at the coffeegeek forum. here is a list of them in case you would like to read up:

http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/...Search+Discussions

one person you could check with is will at home espresso repair in seattle. it is unlikely he has spares for the machine but he may know where to locate them. his email is javacoc101 at aol dot com telephone is (206) 789-9513. the h.e.r. website is here: http://www.espressorepair.com/pages/852885/index.htm

a weak spot on these machines i have encountered is the thermostat. it is a nice idea two-position one that allows the operator to go back and forth between a low setting for coffee preparation and a high one for milksteaming; similar to what is found on most home pump machines. the snag is that it is poorly made and often gives trouble.

if you discover a spares source please post to assist other owners.

good luck with her,

ideor

Peacecup has one for sale on Ebay right now- Cafe' Amore- could be a source for some extra parts ....

Thank you all for your help!
Rick

Hello Drix,

I have the same machine, though it is still is not functional. The main problem as you are finding out is sourcing parts.

On my machine the thermostat is shot and I will eventually replace it with a pressurestat. Another difficulty is that it has no water level gauge, though this can be worked around by filling every use.

The piston head on my unit was also corroded and pitted and I will have a new one machined one day.

This was the condition



And now the soft parts, the piston gaskets are hard to source but I have bought a double flanged one (they did not have the single flanged) made for the baby Riviera, I got it from a shop in Montreal named http://www.espresso-mali.com/.

I think the machine may work with three double flanged gaskets but still would prefer to rework the piston head before buying gaskets. It has been a long and slow moving project. But the machine is a beauty and one day it will be working again.

I've listed one on Ebay for 0.99 start bid, no reserve. I'm hoping someone will adopt it cheap. Not because I don't think it has the potential to be a nice machine, but because it needs restoration and has no portafilter. The brass group itself is a very solid piece of work, as is the solid brass lever arm, and the brass steam wand.

When I bought my main lever I went new, because I knew I wouldn;t have the patience to restore an old one to its former glory. Seems like I knew myself - I bought the Amore as a fixer-upper, and it has never left the box for more than a test of the boiler. I really adimre all those folks who have done such great resorations of old lever machines.

PC

My machine is still working, strong coffee at best, but alot better than anything at coffee bean or swork or I wont even mention the other one! the parts i need are the base and portafilter and one switch. and of course gaskets/seals. thanks for the seal info!

group seals: you might withdraw the piston and take some measurements. it may be that the seals for one of the zacconi home lever groups will fit. they make the groups used on la riviera, poccino, gensaco, capucio, olympia, ponte vecchio and sama.

local resource: deluxe coffee and pasta of sun valley seems to have inherited to abc inventory from the carpiac family. that is a spares trove that is huge and goes back many years. there may be something there to help you. the parts man is sergio.

http://www.deluxecoffeepasta.com/

sidenote: once handled a carton of thirty-six replacement groups for these machines. they were packed in a continuous belt of corrugated cardboard like an ammo belt for a machine gun. it was part of the inventory from the closure of coffee imports.

good luck with the machine,

ideor