Lever project - Urania 1 group

borat123 · January 2012

I ended up doubling the purchase price, plus a bit.... I was a bit obsessive with all the polishing and rechroming, so you could probably do the same for less. The glass screen printing is also bit of a budget killer. I had the sale of the two group to offset the cost a bit, so it wasn't too painful. I just have to get a move on and hurry up and finish it off (and get to try a shot), before it gets crated up and put on the plane to the middle east.

Koffee_Kosmo · January 2012

I love this thread :thumb: Just counting the sleeps for the big day of the first espresso shots KK

borat123 · January 2012

Update.... I still haven't poured the first shot :pan Had some trouble with parts not reassembling due to the chrome thickness stuffing up tight tolerance in the 3-way valve. Anyway, all the chrome related problems are now fixed, everything's back together and the Urania has migrated out of the shed, and into the laundry.

I filled the boiler and watched for leaks.... First up was water leaking out of each end of the sight glass (I had the rubber seals fitted upside down. :doh: Fixed that then found a bunch of fittings leaking that needed slight repositioning to seal properly. The two fittings on the back of the group head, and one on the underside of the boiler were particular trouble makers, so I used a bit of A131 thread seal and we'll check to see if the problem is fixed in the morning. And here's a pic of the LED strip light that's now wired in:

This one show's the transformer mounted under the top of the case:

Brett H · January 2012

This is simply amazing work. Congratulations... I'll keep my fingers crossed the leaky joints are fixed tomorrow and we may see a shot before you relocate! Great stuff mate!

borat123 · February 2012

The thread sealant did the trick and now no more 'cold' leaks. I did a bit of a systems test this morning.... Plugged in the power, switched it on and......... Silence. A bit unnerving as no hum, no lights or anything to let you know it's running. Anyway, it heats up well, the combo safety / anti vac works fine, and I spent a while adjusting the Sirai so it runs from about 0.85 to 1.05. The click from the Siria pstat is also much quieter than the tractor like thunk I used to get out of the Cimbali two group. I found a couple more minor leaks that only showed up when warm, so fixed those and also spray painted the rear of the pressure guage back to it's original cream colour. The heat transfer to the group seems about as slow as the old Cimbali - I think I'll be waiting about 1/2 hr for the 5kgs of brass to warm up which is pretty much the same wait time as I had before. I had the pre-infusion adjuster rod wound way too far out, and water literally gushed out with the lever down, so it's been wound about 90% of the way back in and we'll see how that goes. I also discovered the correct size for the group seal is 9mm, and it needed a couple of spacers as well. (I ordered a range of sizes as I had no idea which one would fit) Just waiting now an hour or two for some sealed joints to dry and then I might finally be able to get a shot out of it.....

Ronin · February 2012

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

borat123 · February 2012

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 · February 2012

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 · March 2012

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 · April 2012

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 · April 2012

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 · April 2012

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

UNM · April 2012

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 · April 2012

Borat Looks great "I like - a very much"

borat123 · May 2012

on 1335776408:

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 · May 2012

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 · May 2012

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 · May 2012

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 · May 2012

on 1336148285:

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 · July 2012

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 · July 2012

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 · July 2012

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

Koffee_Kosmo · July 2012

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

Muscles · July 2012

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

Lwowiak · July 2012

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.

Koffee_Kosmo · July 2012

I was going to suggest LwoWiak's remedy but thought it may not fit or convert well to a plumbed in machine If it can then it would be good KK

borat123 · July 2012

Thanks guys for the tips. I went out this afternoon to a building supplies place and picked up some copper tubing which is crimped so it can be formed and bent into a curve. It comes with 1/2" fittings that accommodate any type of washer you choose. All the shop had was fibre washers, so I'll give it a try with those and see how we go.

borat123 · July 2012

* Update: The small flare on the tube is not sealing properly, regardless of the type of washer I tried it with. It just pushes the washer right inside the the edge of the other fitting its meant to be sealing against.... Eg. =====[ []=[] This is the new tube with a 1/2" female fitting, and it's trying to seal against a 1/2" double ended male joiner I've tried using a fibre washer and a plastic / nylon, and double of both, but each time it still leaks. @#$*! plumbing connections..... Maybe I'll turf the whole lot and re-do it all with plastic... :pan

Brett H · July 2012

What a pain. Are they threaded unions? Sometimes it's easier to cut the pipe and solder on new fittings appropriate to your needs. When you leave, just bung on an end cap over the fitting. Good luck mate!

borat123 · August 2012

Ok, so I was going to replace the entire inlet line with plastic pipe & fittings, but in the process of stuffing around for a few weeks & searching for a local supplier, I found another solution... I came across some stainless braided tubing which has the 'olive' style of fitting, and it doesn't have or need any type of washer at all. It's got 3/8" fittings on it, but at least it will seal properly against the expander. All I have to make leak proof now is where the expander fits into the tee. Three weeks with no decent coffee was driving me crazy. I was back to using a plunger as even the aeropress was MIA because the missus had it packed in her suitcase when she went to visit the family in Europe. I'll fit it up tomorrow and see how it goes.

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