50s La Pavoni?

#1: Post by **Bernd** » October 3rd, 2023, 4:09 am

Hi Guys,

First post, so please forgive me if this the wrong sub to ask. A friend of mine in southern Italy just gifted me this machine. It is in Vienna now. I'm looking to restore it, but I'm having trouble figuring out what model it is and how viable it would be to restore, even.

Thank you.

#2: Post by **kitt** » October 3rd, 2023, 4:41 am

Very nice, Pavoni Brasilia, 1st Gen;

La Pavoni Brasilia restoration

October 3rd, 2023, 4:57 am

Wow, thanks for the link. That clear up a lot of questions.
I'm still doubtful, that with my crafty skills I would be able to pull it off to actually restore this baby.
I guess a sanity check would be to connect it to water and "expel" as well as electricity and see what happens?

I guess what I'm saying is. I have no idea where to start.

#4: Post by **IamOiman** » October 3rd, 2023, 8:36 am

It is not a machine that is easy for first projects. There are seals that are no longer made that will need to be manufactured custom (the boiler gasket and piston seals primarily). Certain gaskets from other brands and a few modern Pavoni gaskets can be used to fit various fittings, valves, and heating elements.

It's a cool machine so if you don't decide to fix it immediately I would keep it for the meanwhile.

October 3rd, 2023, 9:31 am

Thank you. I will put it in my cellar for now and see if I can figure out where to start. There are also Pavoni repair shops in Vienna, so I think I will try to get a reasonable estimate on a service for it.

#6: Post by **austinado16** » October 3rd, 2023, 12:03 pm

Welcome Bernd!
Beautiful lever machine! I'm looking forward to hearing more about what you decide to do.

Why not just connect it to water, turn it on, and see what it does? At least then you'd have an idea of how functional it currently is. Great idea to talk with your local Pavoni repair shops about it.

October 3rd, 2023, 12:14 pm

Thanks

Yes I will try that next. It has an old Italian power plug (3 poles in a row), so I will have to recrimp that first. Unfortunately my electrical skills are on par with a plastic bag. But I will give it a shot xD

#8: Post by **Ben Z.** » October 3rd, 2023, 12:57 pm

It seems to be in very nice condition. There are many people who would absolutely love to restore and use a machine like this. But maybe not a good candidate for a first restoration unless you were very confident in your abilities.

October 3rd, 2023, 1:02 pm

Yeah I don't really wonna make it worse with my obvious incompetence (even though I would appreciate the challenge and outcome). So realistically I think I have 3 choices here:

* Sell it to someone who knows what he is doing.
* Have it serviced and keep it.
* Go to community college and learn about electrics 'n' stuff.

2 choices

#10: Post by **IamOiman** » October 3rd, 2023, 3:52 pm

I'm biased with my collection of machines, but keeping it is my recommended first priority unless you really need some funds

Otherwise, I know someone crazy enough to add another machine to his collection with a Bosco profile pic --------------------------------->