I wanted to share some accessories I have added to my EspressoForge. One of the advantages of the EspressoForge open source architecture is how easy it is to add accessories to the design. Some of the accessories are off-the-shelf items I found at Amazon and some are my own design to improve on the ergonomics or workflow of the EspressoForge.

This is a photo of the entire setup. You can see the new handle, the overfill catcher, two drip trays, shot mirror, shot clock and a jar cap used as rest base.


The handle and overfill catcher are my own designs. They are 3D-printed in PLA using a MakerBot Replicator 2 (4th Generation) with infill at 90% and layer height at 0.2mm. Usually, any overfill water will rest on top of the base, but sometimes it spills on the counter. The overfill catcher also makes filling up the chamber faster since I don't have to be too careful about overfilling it.

The larger handle makes it much more comfortable to push down on the piston. The overfill catcher helps me with my overfill anxiety .


This photo shows one of the drip trays. The drip tray is actually a small food preparation bowl with a 9cm cooling fan grill on top. The end mounting arms of the grill were cut off. I then 3D modeled and 3D printed end plugs with a groove to sit on the bowl's edge so that the grill does not slide off.

You can also see the Joe Frex shot clock and the jar cap I'm using as a stand for when the filter basket is not attached to the Forge. The Forge and tripod stand do not fit under my counter, so I improvised this base with he jar cap. The open jar cap helps with ventilation so that the Forge drys faster after cleaning.

The shot mirror is a small folding makeup mirror I got from Amazon. Both sides have a mirror. The base side has useless LED lights.



A close-up of the small drip tray.


This is the other drip tray. This one holds 8oz of fluid. It is actually a cat bowl with a 9mm cooling fan grill on top I got from Amazon. In this case, screws were glued to the end mounting arms so that the grill can't slide off the bowl. This drip tray is very handy when preparing several shots in succession.


The EspressoForge sitting on the rest base.


Some users have expressed concerns about the tripod base being too tall. If you use any small bowl as a drip tray, then the heigh it's just right.

Even though these accessories are made, or improvised, for the EspressoForge, some of these add-ons can be used with the ROK and the Portaspresso Rossa.

The overfill catcher is a sweet idea. I'm jealous I didn't think of it myself

Thanks!

Below are the links for the off-the-shelf accessories. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I got the small food preparation bowl from since I've had it for a number of years now.

Cooling fan grill:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007PP ... ge_o04_s00

Cat food bowl:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EH ... ge_o07_s00

Shot mirror:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MQ5 ... ge_o00_s01

The cooling fan grills I got have a small bent at toward the end of the mounting hole, so I carefully straightened them with a set of pliers. The diameter specified is for the circular rings, so the grill is actually larger when measuring the distance between the opposite mounting holes.

Nice work/ideas kofi!

I've ante-upped for the next production run...and appreciate you early adopters

Nice, love the drip tray solution especially!

Just wondering if you have any idea to aid the positioning of the Forge on the slightly over-sized ring? (ie if it's off-centered I find that the Forge will tilt during the press)

Thanks for the comments!

I also ordered a V2 EspressoForge. Based on their website description, finish will be improved, a new, larger handle will replace the older, smaller one, and the Forge will hold a bit more water.

I have also experienced minor tilting of the Forge during the press. I designed a centering ring to sit on the top plate of the tripod, but I haven't done the modeling yet. I also envisioned a support for the tripod legs that will add more stability and will also center the drip tray. The idea is to have a perfectly centered Forge on the tripod, as well as the drip tray.

In case anybody wants to improvise a larger handle, here is a photo of my handle, the coupling nut I used and the small Forge handle for reference.


The handle is designed to have the load distributed between the bottom of the handle and the threads, which is similar to the load distribution of the smaller handle. The locking nut was glued to the handle using Crazy Glue.

I went with a coupling nut instead of modeling the thread directly to the handle. In this way, the threads, which would have been plastic, won't get much of the pushing load.

You can use a similar 1/4"-20 coupling nut and insert it into whatever you want to use as a handle. You can even use a round (instead of hex) 1/4"-20 coupling nut for the job. You'll just need to drill a hole and glue the round coupling nut to the handle.

Here is a link to the coupling nut I used:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#90104a005/=xqiif2

Hi, I love that drip tray too, still having an additional idea on it.
If it does not only sit on the tube, but has additional a short piece of pipe to be inserted in the EspressoForge,
e.g. 2 or 3 inch long, 0.1 inch wall thickness, this would reserve the space in the tube needed for the piston until the sealing closes the opening. As I understand the procedure yet, there would be no drips at all, even after filling up to the top opening.
Peter