Greetings! New to this forum.

I have run into a problem noted in other threads on this forum. My 1984 Cremina 67 has what appears to be nickel plating inside the top of the boiler which is flaking off into the coffee. I am wondering whether having a sodablasting company clean off the plating at the top (and clean the sides) is a viable solution? I don't know how much surface area would be removed, but does anyone know if it would weaken the boiler such that it would start to leak? Has anyone done this before? Any other solutions?

Thanks in advance for any feedback given.

hm, is it a copper or steel boiler? guess its copper, but i'm not sure.

citric acid will eat away the nickel plating, at least it did on my olympia club boiler, after i removed the asbestos. so toss the whole boiler in citric acid, and wait for a couple of days, then scrub it with steel wool. unless you want to preserve the outer nickel.

i would try to avoid blasting. i guess soda is too weak, maybe better luck with nutshells, or glass. sand will be strong enough, but it leaves a very rough surface, any scale will be hard to remove afterwards.

the copper is very soft, maybe you have better luck with bead blasting, but this might blow your boiler to smithereens, depending on the bead size...

i'd try with very strong citric acid, and lots of scrubbing with steel wool pads. if it doesnt help, you can still try with blasting afterwards...

It seems like chemical stripping would be preferable. If you decide to use mechanical stripping, then I would use glass beads at a reduced pressure, although you may not be able to get the nozzle on a standard blast cabinet close enough. Be sure to protect the threads with a plug, rubber stopper, or something.

Rocky

I had that problem too after descaling for the first time on my '87. I noticed the flakes floating in the water ugh. After seeing a fellow HBer's older post, I went to work. I got a brass circular brush and brushed off the plating layer within the boiler. It came off rather easily. After the brass brush, I washed and brushed it with the green part of my sponge. I cycled the machine a few times to see if any brass filings or particles were in the water. None were present, and I've been using my machine ever since. That being said, I do kinda wish we had SS boilers like the newer ones have. Might upgrade down the line if my pockets feel like it.