I did some more testing today, leaving the machine on almost all day. I was confident enough of it not leaking I left it on while at work for a few hours. I attached the cap for the group as I did not know if it contributes towards the thermal characteristics of the machine. I do prefer the exposed look. I tightened the grind for the coffee too, and this seemed to heavily improve the shot.




One odd thing I've noticed is I've needed to tighten the three group nuts quite more than I expected. The boiler and heating element nuts also needed some tightening but the group nuts are quite looser after the machine cools off. I've done this three times now, but they are requiring less tightening each time so I suppose the gasket is finally settling. Nonetheless nothing appears to be leaking during operation or when the machine is off and cooled.

Yes, the double spring on these groups requires a pretty fine grind. I pair mine with a Kafatek Flat and I'm usually at the very finest setting for light roasts.

I experimented with removing the inner spring a couple of years ago and the results were...not good.

Yes
I thought my conical group bolts were stripped because they never quite bottomed out

I'm referring to the three M10 tall nuts that attach the group to the boiler lid, but those conical bolts that secure the pf gasket holder have not threaded all the way in for me.

I think I'm pretty happy with where the Eleva is at. No major issues have cropped up in the week of testing, and I've tightened down all of the nuts and bolts a few times between each heat/cool cycle. This guy is pretty sealed up I think. I brought the machine upstairs two days ago for better access to my grinder and accessories.


To attach the panels you need to slightly open up the side panels so they can get around the bottom of the frame. The panels are supported in the rear by the lower panel that rests on the frame. 10 #6 screws secure the backsplash to the panels via the well preserved speed nuts.



Here are a few glamor pics as I am at the finish line for this project. It's a fun little machine that I hope continues to behave well with use.








The cup tray can hold a few cups, and it does not feel cramped at all. The Eleva will remain in the kitchen for a little more testing but I am just about ready to mark this project as finished.

I forgot to show the water inlet, but it's different from the inlet on more modern Cimbalis where there is no rear casting, instead just a simple straight fitting. I used an adaptor from 1/2 to 3/8 BSP so I can hook up my water line to it. Not pictured in the 2nd photo is the teflon packing cord I used with the o ring on the front pin.

Fantastic work! Espressos tastes good? Btw, do you know how strong the spring is?

pretty good, I'd drink it everyday. The spring from a guestimate is 10 bar give or take when comparing my 8-9 bar springs on my other machines

Congradulations, it looks awsome.... You need to celebrate with Il Caffé alla Nocciola.

I was wondering if you could share a little more about this switch? Even though the switch has 4 positions, is the Eleva only using 2 of these 4? In other words its just High and Low, similar to an old 2 switch Pavoni?

Thank You