Restoration and Customisation - 1983 La Pavoni Professional

Equipment doesn't work? Troubleshooting? If you're handy, members can help.
jacferhog
Posts: 26
Joined: 11 years ago

#1: Post by jacferhog »

Barring my introductory post, this is my first real contribution to the boards. Given the wealth of experience here, and the invaluable advice I've gleaned from others, I hope to make it a useful one.

As is the case with many others here, once bitten by the lever bug I've rapidly succumbed to Lever Acquisition Disorder. As I said there, I've now rebuild and customised this machine, rebuilt a 1973 Europiccola and have a 1964 Europiccola sitting on the bench.However, my first purchase and the subject of this post is my 1983 Professional.

Following the advice of Francesco Ceccarelli, I began hunting European eBay sites for a suitable candidate for restoration. I spotted this machine in Germany, and knew it was the one. As you can see from the eBay pictures, it was in need of a little work, but that was the point of the exercise. Incidentally, and this is in no way an advert, I used Transferwise to make the payment, and found the service excellent. For reasons that escape me, it is not unusual to find German sellers who prefer a Bank Transfer. I was a little hesitant, but for the price it was worth a little trust.




I think it is pretty common to start tearing down a machine as soon as it arrives, and only then remember to take pictures. Having read so much about restorations, watch Doug Garrot's tear-down video and waited several weeks I made the same mistake. I was generally very pleased with the condition of the machine, barring the base which was worse than I'd hoped. No amount of trying could get the sight glass out, so I removed the housings from the boiler body. This was rather fiddly for the upper fitting, but with a little patience it came right off.




The element was working perfectly, but there had clearly been a leak from the pstat fitting. I could see someone had wound some PTFE tape round the fitting at some stage. Clearly, the thing had to come apart. The height of the terminals on the element required me to bend the pstat pipe up to clear them. In the process I flattened it out, so another part went onto the list. Keeping costs down is one thing, but a failed pstat down the line is another. Once cleaned up, the element was looking pretty good. Given the apparent deterioration of the terminals themselves, I picked out the old insulation and used the OE High Temp Epoxy and Glyptal method. Incidentally, the Glyptal equivalent I used is an insulating varnish from a UK supplier. Although it came in a small pot, I've still enough left for a lifetime!



Having decided that the element repair had eaten too much of the budget, I decided to try and salvage the base. Once the machine was in bits (the boiler ring was a total bugger to remove), I soaked the base in rust neutraliser, then went at it with a wire brush. It took three cycles to get rid of the rust, and then I chucked it in a warm oven to dry it sharpish.

I got hold of some Metal Epoxy, and used this to fill the pitting. My advice to those who want to try this is to make bloody sure it is as near as damn it to the shape you want, because it's awful to sand down afterwards.
At this stage I decided that the existing switch was rather ugly. I rather liked the look of the toggle switch on the old machines, so I used a bit of scrap metal and epoxy to fill the hole in the base for the switch. In a similar vein, I thought the plastic base rather naff. Much preferring the rubber base of the early models, I filled the screw hole too. Not only a necessary repair, but a cosmetic improvement. Inspired by other examples I had seen online, I then decided to install pilots lamps. As per the writing diagram further down, one light indicates power and the other the working of the element. Not really necessary, but that said, the parts and materials, paint included, are less than the cost of a new base anyway.The epoxy was left to cure, then sanded down. I drilled the necessary holes, then it got a coat of Zinc 182 anti-rust primer.




On the subject of paint, I decided to go for something a little unusual. Being British but with some Italian blood, I thought British Racing Green would strike the right note against the polished chrome. I also ordered a snazzier power cable just for the sake of it. I think you can see a pattern emerging...A word of advice as this stage - make absolutely sure your portafilter and lever handles do not get soaked along with the metal parts in Pulycaff. It messes up the Bakelite. I've been polishing the hell out of them, and they are only just coming right.

Alongside the descaling (I went for vinegar) and polishing work that comes as standard with these machines, I had a slightly trickier problem. The pressure gauge was missing its glass and retaining ring.



Modern versions have a black plastic body, much less attractive than the older metal ones. I thought it would simply be a case of removing the ring and glass from the new one and fitting it onto the old one. Not so. With the judicious application of penetrating oil I got the new ring off. But it was too small to fit the old metal body. No amount of fiddling and levering seemed to work. In the end I used pair of taped pliers to bend the lip out a little so it just fit over the body. I then used a well padded vice to force the two halves together. Hey presto, a new-old gauge. With no unpleasant surprises anywhere else, and all the necessary parts from esspressoservices in Glasgow, I started the rebuild. As before, the sight glass and boiler ring were a bit tricky, but everything else went together alright.



The final stage was the rewiring, installation of a new pstat pipe and testing. Having bent one pipe out of shape, I was more careful with the new one. A pipe bender wouldn't have delivered the bends I wanted, so I a bit of wire inside to prevent any deformation. Given the previous problem with the terminals, the pipe was fitted and then bent. For reference, here is the wiring diagram I drew up:



I sealed the threads with Loxeal 55-03, care of Reiss at Londinium. Incidentally, I also got some of their lubricant designed for levers - looks to be good stuff although I've really no idea about lubricants. I also got an amazing shot from the first ever L1 and a chat with the man himself into the bargain, so I felt a double winner.
On the machine's inaugural run I found a few little leaks, but for the most part it all looks dry. I've buffed, tightened and tuned the pstat, and now 'La Bomba' as my house (probably in fear of an explosion) have named it, is working like a dream. The LP badge is a present not attached to the machine, as I am hoping to made a mould from it to be able to fabricate a couple, as I find the metal badges much nicer than the present plastic iteration.

It has been an interesting project, although I have to admit that the painting of the base was a huge pain. Since these photos were taken, I've already managed to chip it in one spot, so I think it has to go for powder-coating. I have also replaced the toggle switch which failed, being a Cheapo Depot one I bought online, with something a little more sturdy. Without wishing to open a can of worms in saying this, I'm grinding with a modified Porlex (as i'm poor), and am getting results as least as good as those of the present minder of the rebuilt 1973 Europiccola, who has a Vario. Of course, that's rather subjective, and doubtless influenced by the fact I enjoy the manual element to the process. I wouldn't have a Pavoni otherwise.

All the best,
-jfh
LMWDP #452.

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TomC
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Joined: 13 years ago

#2: Post by TomC »

The green is quite a nice choice.
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[creative nickname]
Posts: 1832
Joined: 11 years ago

#3: Post by [creative nickname] »

The color is gorgeous, and the older style switch adds a touch of elegance. Lovely work!
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jacferhog (original poster)
Posts: 26
Joined: 11 years ago

#4: Post by jacferhog (original poster) »

Thanks for the compliments - I was quite please with how it worked out in the end. Next job is a group to boiler gasket, although in view of the recent thread on the subject I may reconsider using PTFE.
LMWDP #452.

vze26m98
Posts: 264
Joined: 10 years ago

#5: Post by vze26m98 »

Very nice, especially the green.

Did you have any issues with a bent steam wand? It looks pretty close to the boiler body in the "before" pictures.

jacferhog (original poster)
Posts: 26
Joined: 11 years ago

#6: Post by jacferhog (original poster) »

Once the machine was up and running, I got it up to temperature then wearing a pair of thick work gloves reshaped the wand. Essentially, I ran steam through it to hear the wand up and make it a little more malleable then slowly and carefully bent the thing out to the position I wanted it in. 5 minute job, and an excellent outcome - no tool marks, no cracking the chrome.
LMWDP #452.