kellzey wrote:OK... I'll look into that. Since this is still new to me, I guess I was going based on Pizzigri's discussion here...

Building the Ultimate La Pavoni Europiccola

Ah, that is an irreversible mod that I would never accept to do on a precious, perfect condition machine like yours... I made it for those who have machines that really started out as scrap metal (see the condition I've rebuilt the machine from at the top of the thread) and want to rebuild them into workhorses machines. Yours is almost a museum piece, and I'm actually envious...

As for replacing the spring and plug of a pressure indicator-less EP, the OVP valve is actually set at a lower pressure because it works as an indicator that the machine is ready to brew.
0.7 is actually a good pressure for these machines.
If you do fit a manometer, then I believe that a PSTAT compatible spring and plug assy (which should be set to open at 1.5 bar) can be used.

Believe it or not, the 0.7 bar set OPV on these early machines also work as a great cup warmer! I can remember my dad - when I was, like, ten - placing the cup on the OPV, turning on the EP and waiting until the steam came out, and after a couple of minutes loading the basket, locking it on the machine and moving the cup under the PF to pull the shot...

My 1963 or 1964 Europiccola spends most of its time sitting on my "museum table" in the centre of my living room. I never make any irreversible modifications to it, and I try to keep it looking like new rather than 50 years old. Two or three times a month I remove my normal work horse La Pavoni, 1999 model from its usual place and put this wonderful old one there. I suspect using it from time to time preserves it best. I make some espresso with it, and then return it to its display. It makes amazingly good espresso with less "fussing" than the later La Pavonis. I use 1.0 millimolar bicarbonate water with a trace of phosphate only. I want absolutely sulphate and (especially) chloride free water! This is about the least corrosive water for brass and copper possible. It has low ionic strength, so it extracts about as well as possible. It also provides excellent flavour. (Remember the coffee beans contain several times as much Mg and Ca as the hardest tap water.) I do not want scale in this irreplaceable machine.

Just a passing though on water quality and espresso machines.

The act of drawing vapor (steam) off of the boiler concentrates the level of contaminants in the remaining liquid in the boiler. This water contamination level is only reduced by removal from the boiler and replacing with clean uncontaminated water. The more steaming that is done over time without a complete boiler water change the higher the residual contamination level. Draining a sample of the cold liquid from the boiler and checking TDS etc. will show this concentration effect if present with your water. Depending on the actual design of the machine will determine what and how often action should be taken to control this.

Thanks everyone! I pulled my first shot. Coffee was a a few weeks old and the grind was set for my Rancilio. I used 11 grams here. I need to tighten up the grind just a notch or two tighter... And of course the lever technique is different...

However it tasted GREAT! So I would call it a success. No leaks and the OPV seemed to kick on right, but I think I'll take everyone's advice and do the teflon mushroom valve.

Thanks!

Q

The second one mentioned by Bill is what I'm using. It installed without any other mods needed.

Is that true? The second one in Bill's post - http://www.espressocare.com/products/it ... fessionale - has not only the teflon mushroom but also the strong 6 coil spring. Is intended for machines that have a pStat, not as a pressure release/regulating valve on an older machine. If you don't have a pStat you want the weaker 12 coil spring, which releases pressure so that it never gets much above 1 bar. That 6-coil spring is way stiffer than a 12 coil spring and is intended as a safety valve for when the pStat fails and boiler goes above ~1.5 bar. Of course, with special care you might use it as Bill does on a non-pStat machine with a gauge.

Karl, that is a real beauty you have got there. As others have said, it is amazing how easy it is to pull great shots with this original group design.

I also swapped in the teflon mushroom and found that it was a nice improvement. I saved the original ball for posterity's sake.

homeburrero wrote:Is that true? The second one in Bill's post - http://www.espressocare.com/products/it ... fessionale - has not only the teflon mushroom but also the strong 6 coil spring. Is intended for machines that have a pStat, not as a pressure release/regulating valve on an older machine. If you don't have a pStat you want the weaker 12 coil spring, which releases pressure so that it never gets much above 1 bar. That 6-coil spring is way stiffer than a 12 coil spring and is intended as a safety valve for when the pStat fails and boiler goes above ~1.5 bar. Of course, with special care you might use it as Bill does on a non-pStat machine with a gauge.

With that mushroom installed on my 1961 Europiccola without a PSTAT and without a manometer the OPV emits a steady and controlled hiss of steam on the Minimo setting. The machine doesn't overheat. When I activate that Massimo switch for steaming, there's a stronger, louder release of steam like I used to experience on a two-switch second generation Europiccola. I only leave it like that briefly while steaming one milk drink. I switch it back to Minimo and it quickly dissipates to the lower, cruising intensity of steam release. I decided to swap out that part based on Robert Pavlis doing so with his first generation La Pavoni and reasoned that my boiler size, heating elements and group are the same even if there's no convenient place to install a manometer. Certainly for tuning purposes, installing that on a machine like mine could be safely done by attaching a steam gauge manometer for the first pressure test.

drgary wrote: With that mushroom installed on my 1961 Europiccola without a PSTAT and without a manometer the OPV emits a steady and controlled hiss of steam on the Minimo setting.

Thanks Gary. That clears it up - you have the teflon mushroom, but clearly with the 12 coil spring. On Stefano's site it would be this one: http://www.espressocare.com/products/it ... uropiccola.

drgary wrote:Very nice restoration! The plastic mushroom spring upgrade to the OPV fits with no need to mill out anything. I'm going to try a one hole steam tip also to give milk texturing more oomph.

A one-hole steam tip was all I needed to go from maddening microfoam to mad microfoam.

-phillip