Restoration of a 1963 Faema Lambro [Finished] - Page 6

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IamOiman (original poster)
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#51: Post by IamOiman (original poster) »

I tried polishing the new lid with the buffing kit, I ended up with a dull clearcoat look? I think I am simply not pushing on the wheel very hard so I'll keep going at it. I will try out the sisal wheel as well to see if the lid smooths out better.



Here is a comparison to show why I got the new lid. The little nipples I was referring two housing the threaded M8x1.25 hole for each heating element stud. My original did not have this but rather a mild steel hex bolt that rusted away (you can see the hex shape on the back). I have no idea this 'alternative' method was even considered!

-Ryan
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IamOiman (original poster)
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#52: Post by IamOiman (original poster) »

The chrome pieces and pieces getting a powdercoat are still in the works.

The gas assembly came apart without much issue. The gas burners are all pretty similar to each other from this time and the modern ones probably are not too different.


I worked on the bakelite handles. It is cleaned and polished pretty similarly to metal, where it is washed and sanded to a fine grit (3000 mesh) followed by a final buff. I saw I can check if a piece is bakelite by sanding it a little in a spot and noting a chemical smell from the formaldehyde that composes it. The very top piece for a portafilter is a plastic replica for comparison. I had to have absolute focus while doing the little caps so they did not fly away and shatter.




I am trying to figure out what the thread size this rod uses for the aluminum feet. The closest approximation I got that is common is 1/2" x 20 (fine SAE). My metal guy almost suggested it is an M13 thread but we are still baffled. Does anyone out there have an answer?


One thing I am excited to try is this fitting used on the E61 Legend. It allows me to place a 1/4" BSP vacuum valve and 3/8" BSP safety valve on a single 3/8" BSP boiler thread.

-Ryan
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XS750AU
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#53: Post by XS750AU »

IamOiman wrote:I tried polishing the new lid with the buffing kit, I ended up with a dull clearcoat look? I think I am simply not pushing on the wheel very hard so I'll keep going at it. I will try out the sisal wheel as well to see if the lid smooths out better.
Metal polishing is a multistep process starting with a relatively coarse gritt and finishing with the polishing wheel. Looks like you have jumped to the last process. Suggest you start with wet& dry abrasive paper. Start with 240grit and get it to the bright metal surface. It will have scratches from the grit and that is why you step down to 400grit next then 800grit and then finish it off with the polishing mop to get the mirror finish.
Good polishing is expensive due to the amount of labor required,

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Paul_Pratt
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#54: Post by Paul_Pratt »

The feet on Lambro and Uranias will use a 1/4 BSP thread :D A little quirk of Faema there.

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IamOiman (original poster)
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#55: Post by IamOiman (original poster) »

Great info!

My example stud for the feet was too rusty to screw into a fitting but comparing the two does show they are identical after scrutiny.

Now I need to find a source for BSP threaded rod :shock:
-Ryan
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IamOiman (original poster)
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#56: Post by IamOiman (original poster) »

Powdercoating stuff are starting to come back but I will wait for all the pieces to be in my possesion before posting pics of those. Very exciting times!

In the meanwhile I was irked with the little brass fittings that I could not wire brush on my bench grinder easily due to their small size. I vaguely recall in Paul Pratt's Supervat restoration thread he used something called a magnetic tumbler, and I decided to buy a budget one (a Vevor KT185). It is basically a magnet that spins around in the base, and an acrylic bowl above that holds little stainless steel pins. These pins will spin with the magnet and essentially act like a polisher similar to my wire wheel while the non-magnetic fittings are in the bowl. Water and a cleaning compound are added to aid in this process, and so far I am extremelly pleased with the results.

I tried it out with my Pavoni P67 first and realized I did not leave the tumbler on long enough, so I will do another cycle with those pieces and applied what I learned to the Lambro bits shown below. My specific tumbler has a timer and will automatically flip spin direction every 20 minutes. Some of the old gasket residue came off (not all) but I think this is a learning process and hope to do better down the road.









-Ryan
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drgary
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#57: Post by drgary »

Ryan, if I'd only had a magnetic tumbler instead of polishing brass by hand using a Dremel-like rotary tool .... Even a budget one can't be that inexpensive, or can it? Edit: That really is affordable, a little over $100.
Gary
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IamOiman (original poster)
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#58: Post by IamOiman (original poster) »

I paid $156 with shipping but often I see them for $144 on the bay and they are under many different names/companies but are all essentially the same device. The 2lbs of pins were $16 and it included a trial bag of detergent normally used for brass bullet casings. Now that I see how well it cleans I will probably get a bag of that detergent as well.
-Ryan
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Marcelnl
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#59: Post by Marcelnl »

would someone care to place a URL, as I only seem able to find aquarium window cleaners on fleabay :oops: and the machine looks like a great gadget!

BTW , would those balls be stainless? Most stainless is non magnetic, just got me wondering...
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drgary
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#60: Post by drgary »

I just looked at the name of the machine in the photo and searched it on the internet. It's sold in many places.
Gary
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