Lever project - Urania 1 group

Ronin

Really looking great there Borat. Inspires me to keep going, makes me wish I polished everything like you did. So shinny

borat123

Learnt a few more interesting things today. What I thought was the pre-infusion adjustment rod actually controls all the flow into the group head. It needed to be set about 1/2 turn out, to bring the flow back to something that looks a bit more normal (it was gushing out too fast before adjusting it back). Also, the group was running too hot with the pstat setting I had before, so it's now brought back to 0.65-0.85 and we'll see how it goes. And lastly I found the replacement shower screen I'd ordered a while back doesn't fit properly.... So another one, hopefully correct this time, is on the way. So that's it for me as I'm back to work now for 4 or 5 days.

aaronmaestri

Awesome rebuild, I am so envious. I am currently working on a La Dorio project and have been trying to source the metal flexible conduit you used for the power cord. Would you be able to tell me where you got yours from?

borat123

Hi aaronmaestri, I don't remember the company name, but I did put it in a post a page or two back in this thread. Let me know if you still can't find it. The company was quite helpful and shipped quickly. The only thing is that you will need to soak it in turpentine to remove the light coating of protective oil from the outside. cheers.

borat123

With all the lever action going on while I've been away, I thought I'd better do a quick update on where the Urania's at. It's finally moved out of the crate and inside the house, after I found a decent cabinet to put it on. I've drilled 2x 25mm holes through the 20cm thick concrete wall to run the inlet and outlet pipes. Next on the list is to buy a water filter. The water here is desal, which is soft enough but I think will taste better through a filter. Still need to get a grinder too. The cheap Kony I was quoted locally has a 2-3 month delivery time so I might pay the higher price and just get one from Europe. The aero press will have to do for now until I get back home. Will update with some more pics soon.

borat123

Here's another pic. Personal home shrine for coffee worship...... :thumb: Just sitting pretty at the moment with the cover off. Plenty of room for the grinder to sit beside. The water inlet and outlet piping runs through two holes in the wall behind..

Kelsey

A shrine worthy of the name!! That's fantastic.

UNM

Only problem with that coffee station is that the glass panel is not visible. Otherwise, very nice. Perhaps set it up on a pedestal in the centre of a large room with power/plumbing from under floor so worshippers can gather around?

Seeya_Latte

Borat Looks great "I like - a very much"

borat123

UNM wrote:

Perhaps set it up on a pedestal in the centre of a large room with power/plumbing from under floor so worshippers can gather around?

Thought about that but no plumbing under the floor.. :laugh: I'm a bit limited re structural changes in a rental property.

Koffee_Kosmo

The only thing that matters is - that the coffee tastes great And I am sure it does :thumb: How's life treating you in a far away land

borat123

Hi KK, everything good so far. I'm still in NZ at the moment but back in a few weeks. I've ordered a Kony E from here and will take it back as baggage. Will also pick up a couple of spare group seals and need to get a box of coffee bags too. The KKTO roasted Yemen and an Aeropress are keeping me well caffeinated while travelling! I'm going to buy some more beans and put both roasters to work when I get home. cheers.

borat123

The Kony arrived today. It's now sitting on the desk in the hotel room, waiting for some beans to grind tomorrow. If everything works ok I'll box it up again ready for the flight back home in a couple of weeks. Kind of chunky looking but well made. It's quite similar in size to the old commercial I had before (Anfim Lusso). Now to read the Italenglish manual. It says, " the appliance must be installed by skilled technical personnel in conformity with the safety rules in force." Geez, I hope I can manage to put the plug it into the outlet correctly... 😉 I picked up some group seals, and have to also get a gram scale too. It's so much easier to pick up all this stuff here than searching for it when I get back.

Brett_H

borat123 wrote:

Now to read the Italenglish manual. It says, " the appliance must be installed by skilled technical personnel in conformity with the safety rules in force."

Ya should have plugged it in yesterday.. "May the 4th be with you!"

borat123

Just got back home from a couple of weeks away with work. Only been using the Urania properly for a couple of weeks now, but I've noticed a strong metallic odor in the steam, and there's also quite a noticeable taste in the water. The water here is desal, which is quite soft anyway, and the boiler is fed through a good commercial filter. Anyway, in the process now of a weak citric acid 'detox', followed by a a heap of flushing and we'll see how it cleans up the taint in the water. Will report back soon...

borat123

Finished the descale / 'clean', flushed 3 or 4 complete boiler fills and........ it still smells! :head: So I went back to square one (which is where I should have started in the first place...) and tested the water coming out of the tap on the wall - no smell. Then from the outltet pipe after the filter and yes it stank... I think I found the culprit - the water is being tainted by the fittings on the end of the braided flex tube running from the filter to the machine.... :doh: There is a rubber washer moulded into the 1/2 inch fitting on each end of the pipe which on some ends was perished and causing quite a strong smell, which matched exactly the smell of the water coming out of the coffee machine. Damn 'made in China' braided tubing - I guess it wouldn't matter if the water was feeding a washing machine. Just goes to show how sophisticated my nose is when I confused rubber / chemical smell with metallic :🙂 I already removed the washer and cleaned the fitting but it still stinks, so I'll just replace it. Now to see if I can find another source of flex tubing here in Dubai.

derrilex

You might be flat out sourcing some braid that isn't made in China. Just search the plumbing suppliers I guess

Koffee_Kosmo

Look for braded tube with neoprene or silicone seals However you can use fittings without seals if one uses hydraulic fittings KK

Muscles

Neoprene can be nasty stuff, ever smelt a mouse pad? Jus make sure it's food grade.... Wether silicone or rubber.

Lwowiak

Hi Borat, When I got my Bosco it came with braided hoses which were actually for gas, but could be used for water. Mark from CRA supplied it, like he does with a lot of the commercial machines he sells. I don't like it, and know of many instances where braided hose has failed, causing a lot of water damage. I prefer (and installed) Quick connect fittings, using 1/4" tubing like this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-4-Water-Filter-Tubing-x-6mtrs-Suit-indoor-Water-Filter-Systems-20-16GW-/250997826885?pt=AU_SmallKitchenAppliances&hash=item3a70a2e545 You can buy a whole heap of fittings and adapters from them as well. They ship overseas. They are easy to use and you can chop and change as needed. You can also install inline taps which are handy when you want to move the machine. No problems with smell or degradation using this system.

« Previous Page Next Page »