diente_de_oro wrote:My Gaggia Classic died last week and I've spent the last few days trying to decide what to get as an upgrade. This thread convinced me to get the BDB. I plan on modding it as soon as I get it. Are there any accessories I need aside from the BDB to make this all work? Many thanks for all of the work you guys are doing.

Well, I sent my almost new Gaggia back and purchased the BDB. It's night and day. Day being the BDB.

diente_de_oro wrote: I plan on modding it as soon as I get it. Are there any accessories I need aside from the BDB to make this all work? Many thanks for all of the work you guys are doing.

There is actually nothing you need other than a silicone cupcake cup or oven mitt to cut a small disc to act as a plug. And you don't even have to do that. At least one bloke here, sacrificed his silicone back flush disc that comes with the machine, to do it. A proper metal blind disc should be under $10 delivered anyway.

Anything else you get would just be niceties to treat yourself to, to bring more joy to the experience.

Except maybe a bottomless portafilter. That has some utility beyond "espresso porn". You can buy a 58mm hole saw, preferably carbide grit, and drill out your stocker. Or just buy portafilter for $79. A lot of money. But they are solid stainless steel, not plated brass. So they are a high quality tool.

-Peter

pcrussell50 wrote:......

Except maybe a bottomless portafilter....

That is what I use full time now but I am still thinking about the best (and "elegant") way to raise the level where my espresso cups sit in order to decrease the distance from the basket.

Moka 1 Cup wrote:I am still thinking about the best (and "elegant") way to raise the level where my espresso cups sit in order to decrease the distance from the basket.

While hardly an elegant solution, resting my scale there has the fringe benefit of placing my cups closer to the basket. Although eyeing the acacia mod floating around this thread, I'm starting to get upgraditis

Also a big thanks to everyone involved with coming up with these mods. Playing around with all these new variables has re-ignited my passion for espresso

Not elegant, but I use my scale + the aeropress filter to bring my cup to a good height. (https://www.amazon.com/AeroPress-Replac ... 0155EDXI6/)

Hi there, everyone. Thank you for all the efforts that went into this!
Time then to finally get on board here.

Having been only inches short of buying a Bianca, I was thrilled to read this thread. So, I set forth and acquired a worn but cared for Gastroback 42636 (which in realiter is just a re-labelled BDB sold in Germany). Yet, to my shock and horror, all my attempts to follow the golden path to glory as laid out here before me, were thwarted by one evil and freakish example of those mini brass fittings, namely the one on the spigot end of the connector tube from the needle valve to the hot water spigot. It just would not come loose. I tried citric acid, I tried WD-40, I tried kind words and I tried not so kind words, all to no avail. Throwing all caution aside, I then tried to ply the thing from where it sat.

And now I find myself being stuck with a broken tube and a broken fitting that will not come out of the aluminium block that the hot water/steam wand assembly builds on.



So, to cut a long story short, my question is this: Is there by chance anyone who has these parts lying around and would be willing to help me out?
Of course, I will contact customer service, as well, but I reckon this nice forum seems worth a try.

. Jan

Sorry to see you had to disassemble to the degree that you have. This is normally a ten minute job requiring no disassembly. Yours is a most unusual situation. First I have heard of it.

Here are some options:

1) find a way to get the brass knob out, if you have not yet destroyed the little brass sleeve

2) you need two brass ends. The tubing is PTFE, 4mm OD and is easily available in many places. It is not special Breville tubing. There is a USA based parts supplier that sells spare tubes with the brass fittings on both ends. Also Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Probably others too. If you can get hold of one, and it is long enough, you are good. If not, you can cut it in half and splice in any length PTFE tube you need, 4mm tubing splice connectors. Also, Ascaso, Saeco, and Jura Capresso all use these same kind of tubing and connectors, so if you can find parts for those, you might use them too.

I should add that should you fail to get the brass bit out, it's not the end of the world. You don't need it anyway. The tube that you would have put there only needs to be capped. It does not need to actually be there. Johnny4LSU has done this easily enough.

-Peter

By the way, for you veterans who have done this, anybody been experimenting with profiled (long pre infusion), ristrettos? They seem to be in the birth pangs of becoming the new hotness to replace the super high EY, 18in/40out type things that are all the rage in the shops.

-Peter

I've been playing around with long (ish) preinfusion and ristretto (ish) shots this week.
When I say long, around 35 seconds of slowly ramping from less than 1ml/sec flow rate in free flow, indicating 0 bar, up to 3 bar until I see beading at the bottom of the portafilter, then straight to 6 bar. From there I aim to keep a 1ml/sec flow rate during the pull which inevitably results in a declining pressure prifile.
18 grams in, around 28 grams out in around 70 secs. Not quite ristretto but shorter than my normal pulls.
I've stuck with it this week as this profile is providing noticeably sweeter shots.

Jake, it was interesting to read you GS/3 MP modding ideas. The only potential issue I could see with using a needle valve to control the flow is the significantly reduced flow rate through the HX in the steam boiler.
As you know, the conical valve maintains a relatively high flow rate through the boiler, keeping the temperature of the water entering the brew boiler predictable by dumping the excess into the drip tray. Not brilliantly elegant but it was a simple, effective way of avoiding a plumbing redesign.
I'm guessing that if a needle valve slowed down the water flow through the HX too much, the water entering the brew boiler would be super heated, making accurate temp control very difficult? Or would the flow be so slow that it wouldn't affect the relatively large boiler?

Thanks for all the input - it's always a good read.