OK, finally got round to reassembling the unit after allowing it to sit stripped to loose parts for two months on the kitchen table. Had to make some mods along the way, still not completely sure I'm done. Angle iron frame has rust on it, and the bottom plate and side enclosure has rust. Bottom plate might need replacement as the neglected leaks caused some very impressive rust. I'm going to have them blasted and powdercoated but for now the machine is working better than I have ever known it to.

My girlfriend has had this thing since it was new, and I've been drinking coffee from it for years now. It made a watery cup, and it always leaked from here or there. I actually recommended she throw the damned thing out. This was before I looked online and saw what the new ones cost. She's from NYC and used to have to send it to the Bronx every couple of years to get the gaskets replaced. Of course they fleeced her every time. As it turns out, the monkeys up there were not gentle when they serviced it. It bears the hallmarks of hamfisted handling. And some of the gaskets were original, which meant that these repairs were never completely thorough. But I did my best with the rebuild, used a little common sense from my years of DIY and self-reliance, and I think I might have improved the unit. I replaced the power cord with a I think 14 or 16 gauge piece, not sure which. Home Depot Husky something or other. I had to mod the original plastic retainer piece with a Dremel to get it to fit back into the frame with the new cord it was so thick. Yes. Did not replace the internal wiring, which is one of the reasons I'm not sure I'm done with it yet. I did of course replace the connectors. Looks like it has 16 ga inside it now. I might go to 14 when I replace the wiring, and contrary to the factory condition I'm going to make it what they call sanitary. Replaced the puny stock grounding block with a hefty solid copper one from Home Depot, and replaced the wiring block that had begun to warp from the heat of resistance with a beefy ceramic part. The heater checked out fine though it had extreme scale on it, and had been beaten to death with what appears to be chisel marks from previous 'maintenance'. Pressure switch is fine, it's the old electromechanical type with the brass bellows. It did have some kind of very thin bakelite-fibered card type heat shield thingy on one side of the switch that crumbled away by merely touching it. What is it?? I need a new one apparently.

The tank had one sixteenth of an inch of scale lining it. After soaking it a few in some descaler it began to flake off, revealing flaking internal plating. I'm guessing nickel because chrome would be more appropriate for harder metals like steel and this tank is made of brass. But I'm not sure. So I soaked it for longer to help remove the rest of the plating, polished the inside, and cleaned it.

The switch of course, was a ten amp with the round rocker button. Not original. All the connectors on the inside of the machine were melted indicating resistance buildup from dirty connections. Cleaned those up and crimped on new connectors. The spades pulled out of the switch when attempting to remove the female wiring connectors so I had to replace the switch. This time I wanted a switch rated for higher amperage. Why? I just did. I know the machine is supposed to pull 9A but I wanted a switch rated for more than 10 so I got 16. A green one. Didn't fit the faceplate so I had to mod it. Looks totally natural, and I'm pleased. A gasket set and some other goodies from OE installed. The lever linkage is sloppy and worn though, and to tell the truth this thing is used to being left on all day, used and never cleaned. How much life is left in it I wonder.

I knew next to nothing about espresso, or barista-craft, until I found out how cool and sought-after these things are. I always loved a good espresso of course. I guess I always saw this machine as a piece of junk. I am shocked by my own ignorance. This thing is badass, crema so thick it just won't go away. A persistent, thick head. Looks like Guiness almost, but with a thick, rich brown head. Lights me up like a Christmas tree. I'm happy with the results. This was a hell of a lot more fun and satisfying than I thought it was going to be.

Great to see a cremina saved from the rubbish heap! Would love to see pictures

I was going to say "hear about" not "see" congratulations, hopefully I will eventually find one someone's boyfriend said to throw away;)

Thanks for the save!!
~Richard