Olimpica Lever and History - Page 6

#51: Post by **OldNuc** » January 3rd, 2018, 10:54 am

That would be a pressure switch and heater on/off switches. A machine equipped with that rig would have been built with a plug it in to heat up and pull plug to turn off. From what several of my acquaintances who have experience with the first ~20 post war years in Europe things like this would have been common upgrades as many consumer products did not have on/off switches as built.

Interesting artifact there.

January 3rd, 2018, 11:05 am

I am still not convinced that this Olimpica would have such a device outside the machine but maybe it did.

#53: Post by **OldNuc** » January 3rd, 2018, 4:18 pm

I think those outboard controls were constructed by the local DIY repair-fabrication tech, not a factory option.

January 3rd, 2018, 7:35 pm

I would imagine when a machine is new the owner is keen to keep it that way. After a while any faults may be patch up jobs on a machine that is not new and not vintage so less drive to keep it pristine and more drive just to keep it making coffee.

#55: Post by **OldNuc** » January 4th, 2018, 10:01 am

That would be the normal consumer response to advancing technology and user convenience in newer equipment providing the same end product.

January 4th, 2018, 10:06 am

Yes, and it can make things challenging to understand the original configuration of a vintage machine.

#57: Post by **OldNuc** » January 4th, 2018, 12:47 pm

Sometimes you can find a contemporaneous advertisement or catalog page, other than those items it becomes a matter of forensics on the actual machine.

January 4th, 2018, 6:46 pm

I wonder what the cost of electricity was n the day. I expect homes could not afford a coffee machine on all day. I am suggesting that the machine is turned on and off for use much like I do now with my two switch pavoni Europiccola

#59: Post by **OldNuc** » January 4th, 2018, 9:32 pm

Seacoffee wrote:I wonder what the cost of electricity was n the day. I expect homes could not afford a coffee machine on all day. I am suggesting that the machine is turned on and off for use much like I do now with my two switch pavoni Europiccola

I think that is correct. In the early post war period there were built-in outlet strips with individual on/off switches for use in kitchens etc so many appliances did not have built in switches. This idea was not in use for very long in the US.

January 5th, 2018, 9:15 am

There is evidence on top of the boiler of some water ejection which appears to can only come from the pressure relief valve. So possibly the valve may have been set to release at normal boiler pressure much like the europiccola.