New old stock, as good as it gets!

Lever pins and SKF NK 6/12 TN needle bearing ordered.

My very first espresso machine was manufactured just a few months before the date on yours. It didn't come with a plastic insert tray, either.

If you are indeed searching for that perfect espresso from your machine, and are willing to mod it a bit to attain that state of nirvana, take a look at this series of articles (this is the wrap-up, and you'll find links to the complete series towards the end). A real labor of love, and an incredibly impressive, well-executed project. Here's what the finished super-Pavoni looks like:

John's project is terrific and highlights that different methods get similar results. The one thing I see not adding much control is the PID temperature control since the key to dialing in temp with these is temp at the group. With the boiler pressure idling slightly below brew temp you use half pumps to reach brew temp.

I have an Europiccola of this same vintage. "Build" quality was defnitely better in the early years of second generation La Pavoni machines. This, indeed, is a wonderful machine. It has the screw on element like my 1978 Europiccola. It also has boiler cap with metal (instead of cheap plastic) threads. I noticed too that the group has two inlet holes for water. In later years they changed to just one. It is easy to put a flow restrictor on the bottom of the inlet tube if you want to have it slow slower, I put one with a 1.7mm hole, as I remember. That makes it behave like later second generation machines, more or less.

The base of these machines seems to be thicker than later machines, a good thing!

You might check the threaded rod that attaches the handle to the portafilter. It should have an M10 thread for this vintage. Be sure that it is not rusting, I would suggest replacing it with a brass or stainless one. Rather than buy expensive metre long threaded rods, you can purchase a brass or stainless steel bolt that is long enough and decapitate it. Be sure also to check your water quality. You do not want to use water with much chloride in it at all, nor do you want to use water that fills the boiler with scale.

When I am making only espresso I essentially always use my La Pavonis. A good technique, I think, is to monitor temperature at the base of the group with one or another kind of thermometer, and pull the shot when the base gets to somewhere near 90C.

I hope you have as much enjoyment with this machine as I have had with mine.

Thank you guys. Seal kit order. I also ordered a bottomless portafilter (loved those to see what I am doing wrong as I dial in the shots) and as a newbie, it just looks so cool!

I used some Cafiza to give it a rinse... left it in the machine as per instructions... rinsed with clean water several times... I still want to open it and deep clean it... there is no scale, it is just dirty brass stuff...



While I wait for the new seals, wanted to do a heat cycle and check for any leaks with the exiting original parts. Here are my findings:

1. Vapor knob leaking. Easy fix. I just tighten the adjustment nut. 14 mm wrench


2. As the machine was reaching .5 bar it would start putting out vapor via the pressure relief valve. Another easy fix. Removed the pressure relief assembly... cleaned the metal ball (must have had some dust or something...), cleaned the based where the ball sits. installed everything back. Now it stays closed.
3. Steam wand leaking at the tip when you open the steam. Steam wand has a 3-hole tip. Looks like one of the holes was dirty. Removed tip, cleaned. Now steam comes out of all three holes but I still see a leak on the threads of the tip. Not sure if this is even an issue that I should worry about or how to solve it. Teflon tape should do the trick?
4. Machine does not go beyond .5 bar. Must be setting of pressurestat... need to find the instructions for that. Will search the forum for those.

rpavlis wrote:...you might check the threaded rod that attaches the handle to the portafilter. It should have an M10 thread for this vintage. Be sure that it is not rusting, I would suggest replacing it with a brass or stainless one. Rather than buy expensive metre long threaded rods, you can purchase a brass or stainless steel bolt that is long enough and decapitate it. Be sure also to check your water quality. You do not want to use water with much chloride in it at all, nor do you want to use water that fills the boiler with scale...

I hope you have as much enjoyment with this machine as I have had with mine.

Everything in the machine looks to be in excellent condition. But I am making changes to keep it that way. The suggestion of changing to brass or stainless steel threaded rod is great. I can get those locally (at least the stainless steel one). Thank you!

rpavlis wrote:...It has the screw on element like my 1978 Europiccola. It also has boiler cap with metal (instead of cheap plastic) threads. I noticed too that the group has two inlet holes for water. In later years they changed to just one. It is easy to put a flow restrictor on the bottom of the inlet tube if you want to have it slow slower, I put one with a 1.7mm hole, as I remember. That makes it behave like later second generation machines, more or less....

You know... I took all those photos and in my mind I was seeing the three bolts setup... talk about scotoma... I wanted the element to be the newer setup with the three bolts, that it was that what I saw in my head when I looked at it... crazy

So any precaution that I need to have with this screw in element setup?

Is it possible to change it to the three bolt element setup? Any advantages of doing so? I figure that it would be easier to disassemble/remove the element for cleaning... I wonder how stubborn the screw-in type will be for maintenance.

You have a working element that fits your machine, a non-issue. Also it is in collectible condition. Best to keep the box and all the bits and do only reversible mods.

A non-issue. So I will leave it alone. And yes, box and orher stuff stored. Thank you!

Getting a 49 mm tamper...

On other news. Adjusted pressurestat...tested...now too high. Waiting for cool down to adjust in mid point from last adjustment.

Almost there.