So yesterday I got to the post office to pick this baby up.


This is the contents in the package.
Gabor also included a bag of Guatemalan beans, which was excellent as per usual!

Since I bought my machine second hand and restored it myself, so I have never seen what a new piston looks like.
This was a first for me.
When I bought my machine it was not in great condition, and the piston has been dull despite my best efforts at scrubbing it.
It was cool seeing a brand new shiny bling bling piston!



This is after I have put it together.
The process was not difficult after following the video Gabor uploaded.
I admit I was not as quick as he demonstrated, doing it in under 10 minutes.
It took me more like 25 minutes, though much time was spent running round the house looking for the right tools.

I was going to replace the piston seals with new ones, but after removing the old ones from the original piston.
They still felt soft and still had some life in them, so I decided to put them on the new piston.
This is the first shot I pulled with the machine.
The video was taken by my sister, I asked her to do close up of the gauge, but I don't think she understood what I meant.
So please do not be alarmed by me tapping the dial, I was just trying to show her where to film.

I had a great time trying to read what my muscle memory pressure profile was.
It seems like I do a ~3 bar PI until ~2g is in the cup,
then slowly ramp up to ~7-8 bars over 5-7 secs, which I hold until I feel the flow accelerate.
At that point I slowly ramp down from the extraction pressure of ~8 bar to ~3bar towards the end of the shot.
This is somewhat similar to what the synesso in the cafe I worked in was producing.

Pulling the shot felt mostly the same after the modification.
I did notice a slight decrease in shot volume (~1.5g) after the modification when I pull the lever all the way down
Even after installing the spacer between the piston rod and the piston
However I think that is because I had the screws done up too tight, so the piston does not extend as far down as it had done.
I can try to remedy that when I have the time, I sure like a proper double from the large elektra basket.


Some close ups.
Excuse me for the picture quality, the phone camera is not very good when shooting in demanding light conditions.

Thanks for sharing! I was interested in modding the current piston rod and piston to do exactly this, but that was before I realized this ready to use setup existed. Now upon close inspection, it looks like the rod they provide is a custom fabrication and not just the original part with a hole drilled down the center. This makes the asking price a bit more palatable.

In your opinion, is the mod worth it?

Could you also do the bathroom scale test?
Put it on a bathroom scale and see how much extra weight (force) it displays, and compare it to the piston pressure gauge.

wow, nice travel kit!

[anonymized], no offence but your version of travel simplicity cracks me up and would involve a separate hardcased suitcase just for your "travel gear".
Edit: ...and a mule.
I do appreciate the sharing and insight. Very entertaining just the same.

[anonymized] wrote: Nice picture

[anonymized], do you take a Tonino with you when you travel?

Hi,

Could you please message me regarding the gauges and the heat sink? Where did you get them?
I know about the piston pressure kit. You have bought them from Hungary. What about the others?

Thanks.
Tamas