If the price is good, I may be in the market for a Peppina again!

Is there any reason to worry about corrosion due to dissimilar metals using a stainless steel or aluminum kettle and the Zamak base? This might be a factor in deciding on the material used or in adding a sacrificial zinc anode in your base (if you don't already have one on the heating element).

I also would be interested in a kettle. Mine is not to bad just yet but a Pyrex "see through" would be interesting. I do not steam with mine so pressure is not a concern.

It would be interesting to steal the see-through design of the Comocafe back since they stole the La Peppina design to start with.





*Pictures of danno's Comocafe from the H-B thread Como? Café!.

I'm interested.
Thanks!

I'm definitely interested! I just got my first La Peppina (and first lever) just last week, and while the kettle is in relatively good shape I would really prefer it in a more durable material.

Red please

It's great to hear that there is a demand for a replacement kettle! I thought for a second that I was alone on this one. I know the glass artist will be surprised to hear it and it should help bring the price down a bit if glass ends up being the way to go. Now for the metal kettle option: The issue I am having right now is out of the 8 metal spinning shops I've contacted, I have only heard back from ONE! I sent some technical drawings to them and while optimistic at first, they now *claim* to not have the ability to pull off the kettle in one piece. It seems like they just don't want to deal with it to me. So I'll look around locally in the SF Bay area for some fabrication shops and see if they are game. Anyone heard of any good shops I should try?

Lane,

I've done a bit (not much) metal spinning and i can tell you it is a very difficult job for the La Peppina kettle. A form has to be made. If you are spinning stainless, it will have to be made of steel. That form can't be one piece or you can't take the kettle off -- it will be trapped. So it has to be made like a puzzle and has to be taken apart while it is surrounded by the newly spun kettle. It could take easily 30 hours to make such a form, probably a lot more.

Then, spinning stainless is very difficult. It work hardens, so you need really heavy duty equipment and extra talent.

All this boils down, so to speak, to the quantity. You have to amortize over the number of units, the tooling.

That's why ceramic is the easiest. The mold is plaster. Glass is also easy. The mold is could be a two part wood cavity (the wood is wet). A two part metal boiler is also not too bad. But ceramic is really the easiest way to go.

Interested as well. Thanks

DJR wrote:Lane,

I've done a bit (not much) metal spinning and i can tell you it is a very difficult job for the La Peppina kettle. A form has to be made. If you are spinning stainless, it will have to be made of steel. That form can't be one piece or you can't take the kettle off -- it will be trapped. So it has to be made like a puzzle and has to be taken apart while it is surrounded by the newly spun kettle. It could take easily 30 hours to make such a form, probably a lot more.

Then, spinning stainless is very difficult. It work hardens, so you need really heavy duty equipment and extra talent.

All this boils down, so to speak, to the quantity. You have to amortize over the number of units, the tooling.

That's why ceramic is the easiest. The mold is plaster. Glass is also easy. The mold is could be a two part wood cavity (the wood is wet). A two part metal boiler is also not too bad. But ceramic is really the easiest way to go.

Interesting- I had no idea that it would be that hard to do. I will look in to discussing it in more detail with the spinning shop to see if the shape can be altered enough to make a one piece kettle a reality. Ceramic, by the sounds of it will be another option to add to the list as well!