Inspired by Lino's modification i started thinking would it be possible to make a really "cheap" E61 espresso maker by just attaching the head to a boiler - running the entire boiler up to the magical 9bar - tweak the handle, open the valves & out comes glorious espresso under 9bars?

Of course it would not be a heat exchanger cuz no water would be circulating unless you are brewing.

But would it work? (E61heads are sometimes very cheap, used..)

Yes that works (with one notable exception).

It is just what I did.
and it makes quite good coffee too. A little finicky, since it's different than a thermosyphon E-61, but yes it works.

Only thing is...

Wasn't cheap...

As I recall, I added up what I spent to make mine (which I tracked carefully), and the total came to about $750. HOWEVER, that didn't include any machining or raw materials, as I scrounged those and did the machining myself...

Add in those costs and it's clearly cheaper to buy an entry level E-61 machine...

But if you are doing it just to do it, that that's a whole different matter...

ciao

lino

j7on wrote:Inspired by Lino's modification i started thinking would it be possible to make a really "cheap" E61 espresso maker by just attaching the head to a boiler - running the entire boiler up to the magical 9bar...

I'd have to check, but I believe most espresso (steam) boilers are tested at the factory at 2 or 3 bar. Lino used a thick-walled stainless steel boiler that he machined for this purpose. Really, really bad things are sure to occur if you pressurize a stock steam boiler beyond its factory-tested limits. An explosion of hot water, steam, and flying debris is certain to ruin your day, if not your life.

Surely you would have better temperature control if you just got a single boiler machine where the group is basically the base of the boiler, then added a second boiler for steam. This would give you a LM-style saturated group, of sorts. Of course, you wouldn't have the PI.

Cheers,

Luca

Yeah, ofcourse i would make the boiler out of something like, old diving bottle(small), fire extinguisher bottle = anything you can set your hands on for free:)

Ofcourse i would have to chrome it or similar from the inside for the water...

Lets see if i have some spare time during the winter.

luca wrote:Surely you would have better temperature control if you just got a single boiler machine where the group is basically the base of the boiler, then added a second boiler for steam.

In other words, Silvia with the addition of a steam boiler?

(Enter La Spaziale S1, stage left) . . .

Richard wrote:In other words, Silvia with the addition of a steam boiler?

Not really. Silvia's group passively heated versus saturated as being proposed.

I decided to swap the vibe pump in my Faema with a rotary pump and delay relay.

I bought a used carbonator (without the tank), because it came out quite a bit cheaper that way.

BUT, if you were to build a single-boiler, a used carbonator with tank would be a great start (and probably under $100). The tanks are stainless, and the pumps are usually set to 250 psi, so 130 would be no problem. You'd just need a solenoid valve, an element, and a group.