67 Cremina - Asbestos Insulation Removal

I'm not sure what this stuff is on the outside of the boiler. It looks like cement, but from what I read, I'm pretty sure there is some asbestos relative buried inside. Whatever it is, I'm not taking any chances and decided to remove it. The insulation is in good condition (no flaking), so it might be better simply to leave it in place. Still, for the sake of  my family, I figure it's best to simply get it off and out of my house. Besides, it's just plain UGLY !

I brought it outside and soaked it for 30 minutes in hot water.

Meanwhile, inside the house I put on a apron, mask, glasses and rubber gloves. In the end, this turn out to be  totally unnecessary since the insulation  simply peels off if long strips like thick, wet wallpaper and sinks harmlessly to the bottom of the pail.

(IMPORTANT !) I used a wooden paint stripper to prevent scratching the soft brass, since I am planning to shine it up like new and don't want any scratches from a metal scraper or wire brush.

Here's what it looked like after about 10 minutes of underwater peeling.

Apart from the chunks that fell to the bottom, the water was surprisingly clear. Still, I got out my funnel and a coffee filter and did a "pourover" to filter the water into another bucket which I dumped.

The chucks that were left (and the filter) were then stored in an airtight plastic container, which I will bring to my city for proper disposal.

So here's what's left after removing the insulation. (On the right is a spent Howitser shell for comparison......double boiler Cremina anyone? Hee Hee).

I liked the nice patina finish on the boiler after the insulation was removed. Still, my plan is to shine it up. But that's tomorrow's job.

67 Cremina - The Strip Begins

After a few fun tests to see if the machine worked (it does), it's off to the workshop to start the strip.

I started by removing the back cover to have a look at the internals. (Ahhh...lovely asbestos. I saw this coming).

I was happy to see that except for a few spiderwebs, the insides looked as good as the outside. The machine seems to have been used very little and was stored in a dry environment (no rust). Obviously well cared for, but not maintained.

I flipped over the machine, removed the bottom panel and got a picture of the wiring on the bottom of the boiler before continuing with the wiring removal (I know I'll screw up the wiring on re-assembly if I don't get a picture of this first).

And while I'm at it, a shot of the switch area wiring (looks in good shape!).

Next the pressure stat. Good condition as well. It turned freely but was set fairly high it seems (near the upper end of its range).

Time to stop snapping pictures and get down to removing stuff. First off, the steam arm. Everything came off easily but there were a few o-ring bits. No worries, I'll be replacing all these anyway. I heard horror stories about removing the small bib valve screw, but even this came out without too much trouble....I'm rockin" now!

Time to get down to some more serious removal now. The grouphead comes off next. You need to take great care with this part since it constitutes the majority of the cost of the machine. I've seen many "scuffed" up heads that needed to be replated. This one looked like brand new!

The rubber gasket between the boiler and group head was a mess (as I suspected). The stock o-ring is not rated high enough for this area and melts flat. I'll be replacing it with a silcone o-ring rated to 600F.

Next, offf comes the bottom of the boiler. Only 6 hex head SS screws hold it on. They all came off with a simple 5mm allan wrench (as do most external bolts on the machine).

The holes in the boiler end plate are drilled right up to the edge. The first sign of non-perfect craftsmanship. (The kind I'm used to on Italian machines). Well, it works, I guess.

The heater coils looked a bit grungy (stagnant water?). No sign of scale though.

The inside of the boiler looks great. Hardly any sign of scale. I saw a small bump of raised material on the inside of the boiler. I suspect this is where the heater coil is the closest to the boiler wall and some arching may have developed. I filed it down, but I'll need to keep an eye on this to make sure I don't develop a pin-hole.  Just to be safe, I'll avoid "hot descaling" where arching most often occurs and stick with manual descales.

So here's what it looks like so far (I'm getting somewhere!)

Well, that's enough for today. I'll finish up the disassembly tomorrow. Time to head to bed and lay out the "Hazmat" suit for tomorrow since the dreaded "asbestos removal" is on the agenda. (Not looking foward to that).

67 Olympia Cremina Restoration

The 67 Olympia Cremina is a classic vintage lever espresso machine made in Switzerland. I always wanted one, but was never lucky enough to find one in good condition in my price range. Finally my patience paid off and I got my hands on a machine from 1977 that seemed in near mint stock condition (except for a missing handle).

Here's what she looked like before I got started:

Obviously the machine is in great extermal condition. But still, after 34 years, it was time for an overhaul.

All that I'll be looking to do here is to replace the age hardened gaskets, remove the asbestos insulation and make sure every bolt turns freely so it will be easier to take apart at the next overhaul....at 50 years.

It don't expect it will be terribly exciting for those entertained by rusty 2 group commercial restorations, but if you ever wondered what was inside this wonderful little classic, here you go.

(Tomorrow will be the full dis-assembly and asbestos removal. Woo hoo!)