SAMA Club dispersion screen - wanted

This is a link for a discussion that never came to a conclusion with a source or an equivalent shower screen. I am in need of a shower screen for a 70's Sama club machine with mcal type group. I've attached a picture of the one I need next to a Europiccola/elektra mcal one. It is shallower. 7.5mm compared to 14mm. If I don't find one is it possible (and how) to recreate the rolled lip if I cut one of the pavoni/elektra units? Alternatively I could try to have a section cut out of one and rewelded together to right depth.

Walt, Rich (or anyone else) any ideas?

Did you try to contact the Good Coffee Company as someone suggested in the 2011 thread? Joe is still around - I have spoken to him in the past couple of months. He does have an impressive backstock of NOS Sama parts.

818 Post Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-1419
(206) 622-5602

Yes I tried. Either they keep minimal hrs or because my long distance provider shows unknown or private caller, they don't pick up. I will keep trying.

You could write to them and see if they have the part to sell you.

If unable to find a shower screen of the right depth, I would carefully cut off the excess on the larger one and find a way to attach a lip to it that doesn't slip. That could be a stainless steel wire attached by soldering or JB weld.

Thanks Gary, if I understand you correctly, cut off the excess where the lip is and solder a wire around the edge to create a makeshift lip so gasket can seat it. If so, great idea. Round rubber gasket wouldn't mind the thickness of the wire I think. Less so than a square profile gasket.

You could just solder on 4 tabs and then use either a round or square o-ring to hold it in place. If it is like the La Pavoni the group gasket holds it all in and 3 tabs would do it. If to leave the narrow material for the tabs and remove the excess bet ween them using the ubiquitous Dremel tool with cutoff wheel all that would be required would be the cutting and bending. Tabs 3-5mm wide should hold it in place fine and 3 tabs total as a minimum.

Any way you go it will require modifying the La Pavoni screen. The trick will to be finding the easy way that actually works.

Thanks Rich, you come through again! Just a quick question. Does the water under pressure from the piston move up the sides of the shower screen and then creep on the outside of the group lip to try to go over the portafilter gasket? A nice even shower screen full lip kind of seals itself under the gasket when the portafilter is locked in. If I leave a bunch of tabs instead of having this full lip do you think water will get out?

Yes I do believe the original group to portafilter gasket is round o-ring type.

I got a hold of Joe at the Good Coffee Company. Very nice man. A bit difficult to communicate with but we managed. After being assured that he would have what I needed I reiterated that it was the sama club with the mcal type group (49mm basket) that I had. He got a little confused. I think he has seen mostly the Sama's with the group that looks like the modern ponte vecchio group (45mm basket). I sent some pictures to him and will see how it goes but even if he finds one he was hesitant to ship to Canada and payment will be complicated.

I wonder if there is anyone on this board in Seattle that is heading his way in the next little while and wouldn't mind being a middle man

This is another board members photo

miab wrote:Thanks Rich, you come through again! Just a quick question. Does the water under pressure from the piston move up the sides of the shower screen and then creep on the outside of the group lip to try to go over the portafilter gasket? A nice even shower screen full lip kind of seals itself under the gasket when the portafilter is locked in. If I leave a bunch of tabs instead of having this full lip do you think water will get out?

Yes I do believe the original group to portafilter gasket is round o-ring type.

A A50 durometer o-ring being used as a portafilter gasket will effectively seal all of it up. There is not much differential pressure across the screen any way so leakage is not an issue. Normal EPDM o-rings tend to be A70 but ther are also soft ones.

Thanks Rich

It looks like the Good Coffee Company can't help. Joe is not familiar with this group on a Sama. I am starting to believe the Sama's brought to North America were just the Zacconi Riviera groups and Europe had some (maybe for just a short time) of the Mcal type group. Looks like I might have to try modifying a pavoni one.