Gaskets for Zacconi Riviera - Page 2

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kalo925
Posts: 123
Joined: 3 years ago

#11: Post by kalo925 »

nirdvorai.. I've just been working on this same machine. Have been taking videos and hope to post to youtube sometime soon. Mine was labeled La Rivera 20888. I have the three piston seals (24 x 40 x 6), the steam valve stem seal & seat, and maybe the pressure gauge gasket (if yours is 15mm), the level glass (145 x 9mm) and two seals for it. These are all extras I have here in California. When I removed my pressure gauge it came out below the round part and that on my machine is only 12mm. I didn't try to remove just the gauge from that round base part yet. Do you think you could restore your gauge? Seems the printed faceplate is toast though.. Do you have a 45 mm portafilter? I got a chrome plated one, but hoping to find a brass one. I did a post on facebook with some of my work on it. Not sure if can post FB links here. - /groups/LeverFever/permalink/1034793780298457 - is the back part of the link if you add facebook.com in front. I didn't disassemble the boiler, but I saw one post of a guy who bought 5 boiler gaskets from newegg.. ??? Maybe you could get one from him...? :) I'm in operation and pulling shots, but have so little experience, I'm learning as I go. I have the double filter and making 16 oz lattes with about 15-16 gm dose, but thinking now I might rather just have a single filter and use less dose and a small shot and make 7 oz cappuccinos. With the double filter I'm doing two pulls as a single only gives about 18 gm of volume give or take. As I tasted the espresso, I thought it's not really that great, but I don't have any experience with espresso really. In Europe I've had a few that I remember as delicious, so hope I can get the puzzle figured out. Today I went to a local coffee shop to try and buy some "better" ground espresso, but I tasted the shot prior to paying and it was terrible, so didn't buy it. I'm using Peets dark Italian roast regular grind that I ground more with a mill and sifted. Compared to the shot I tasted today, it's better! I need to get a grinder of some sort. Likely a hand grinder might be the best first option, not sure how far down this rabbit hole I want to go, trying to resist! Roasting beans is now on my mind.. Yikes!! ;) So many factors one needs to look at and resolve to get the delicious perfect shot. Have you placed a parts order yet from Italy? You seem to have a lot of posts here, so hope you can give me some good ideas how we can get the best shot. Contact me on facebook or ?? if you might want some of these parts or just want to be in contact. Thanks and best to you. R

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doubleOsoul
Posts: 1627
Joined: 16 years ago

#12: Post by doubleOsoul »

Cuppajoe will hopefully chime in here as he just finished refurbishing my Riviera but he was able to get all the parts he needed (I think I'm correct on that) with exception to the gasket for the intake valve. Not surprising as we both asked the rhetorical question many times, "why would anyone have a plumbed in feature on a home lever?" Duh...

Okay, whew!! First post since spring. Coffee and aromatics have been keeping me busy. :D

kalo925
Posts: 123
Joined: 3 years ago

#13: Post by kalo925 replying to doubleOsoul »

I'm confused.. (not hard to happen.. :) ) Are you and nirdvorai the same person?

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drgary
Team HB
Posts: 14345
Joined: 14 years ago

#14: Post by drgary »

No, they're not. Cher's a long-time member with an amazing collection of vintage espresso machines and gear.
Gary
LMWDP#308

What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

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doubleOsoul
Posts: 1627
Joined: 16 years ago

#15: Post by doubleOsoul replying to drgary »

Thank you and yes, that's me :D

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nirdvorai (original poster)
Posts: 507
Joined: 5 years ago

#16: Post by nirdvorai (original poster) »

I'm corresponding with "la macchina del caffe" and they put tougher a list of parts for my Riviera. Once I will receive it I will share it with you.
I know that the PF and the pistons shared with Ponte Vecchio. All the rest is Zacconi, include the heating element. Their service is superb.
They even contact Zacconi work shop for a part I need, which probably save me anther shipping from Italy.

They will send me this gauge- https://www.lamacchinadelcaffe.com/en/m ... cconi.html code- 1 chromo. which seems like the original one.

meanwhile I descale the machine and soak all the parts in PBW. The chrome parts came out shiny almost mirror like. I also remove lime scale from underneath the base.

The boiler gasket seems like something I will be able to cut from teflon.

Regarding espresso taste and extraction there are a lot of friends here with long milage on that. I recommend you open a new topic on that issue.

Good Luck!



kalo925
Posts: 123
Joined: 3 years ago

#17: Post by kalo925 »

"la macchina del caffe".. Yeah, I got my parts here too. All seems very good with them. Only wish I had thought to get the single filters too. I'm thinking now I might prefer it over the double as with the double basket size it seems we need to do some sort of double pull. 25 euro shipping is ok for a large order as the prices are much better than anything we can find in USA, but small order is not cost effective.

"1 chromo. which seems like the original one." - Its interesting your gauge/level glass block is one machined piece, where as mine (perhaps 1st version?) has the round cylinder block separate. (See photo) Is your gauge completely bent over some? Dropped maybe? Something really doesn't look right. Could you upload a photo of the back side? Curious that the faceplate just sort of crumbled..? Plastic?

"soak all the parts in PBW." - wow.. First time to hear about this cleaning solution.. Impressive!

"The boiler gasket seems like something I will be able to cut from teflon." - I'm pretty sure there is a post somewhere about doing this.. Lost it for now. Will post link if I find it.

Are you thinking to do the spring upgrade? I bought one, but didn't put it in yet. Thinking it's not needed for now, but I don't understand it all yet really.

Which part was needed from Zacconi Workshop? Seems like they used to sell some parts directly not too long ago, but now referring to lamacchinadelcaffe only. He has the chrome grid for you which is good, but not the one from brass, which I'd like. He did mention it's procured from Zacconi Workshop.

Before and in progress photo. Decided to just paint it for time being as some degraded plating came right off, other firmly attached. Needed more grinding to get it all off. Too much trouble to send it for copper plating for now. Maybe another day.




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nirdvorai (original poster)
Posts: 507
Joined: 5 years ago

#18: Post by nirdvorai (original poster) »

See the photos of my pressure gauge. Yours seems very big, maybe someone score it from anther machine? like the MCaL maybe?
I got it like that, no questions ask by my side. Now that I looked at that again, I see the the thread on the boiler is very big compare to the new pressure gauges. It looks like your has some sort of adapter between the pressure gauge and the boiler.
I will double check it with La Machinna.

La Machinna getting me the black Bakelite cover that Zacconi makes for their special edition machine (and maybe other models) I'm not a big fan of the dome, remind me too much the MCaL. I with Zacconi had the ram top, but it is out of production.

The spring I took out is not the strongest I had from spring lever machine, but I don't know if I will replace it. Maybe I will just order it and see how the old one function.
The copper on your boiler looks pretty good after the cleaning. I like some patina to be left in order to show the age of the machine.



kalo925
Posts: 123
Joined: 3 years ago

#19: Post by kalo925 »

#18: Post by nirdvorai » Today, 8:11 pm - See the photos of my pressure gauge. Our pressure gauges are the same size. Mine is original I'm sure, as it says La Riviera on the face. It seems on yours the Big Bushing Nut with threads under your pressure gauge should screw off from the smaller threads on standard pressure gauge? Look up in from the bottom of that bushing nut, can you see the gauge threads in there? Not 100% sure it's a bushing nut, but seems should be that way. But it looks like the metal block/threads on the gauge has gouged into that bushing nut a bit? :)

Is it something like this?

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/wcsst ... i_larg.jpg

Wish they had the 45mm Tampers in stock on that website. I like this one!



https://www.lamacchinadelcaffe.com/imag ... o-45mm.jpg

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nirdvorai (original poster)
Posts: 507
Joined: 5 years ago

#20: Post by nirdvorai (original poster) »

Yes you right, I mange to take out the bushing from the pressure gauge. This was also confirm by La Machinna. All pressure gauges are 1/8 bsp.

I use Joe Frex 45mm tamper. They have a wide verity of handles that you can match to the base. Fair prices and overall nice tamper.