Saturday, July 20, 2019

Service tools

A few tools are required to maintain and service a La Pavoni espresso machine.

One of the best cleaners for the metal surfaces on the espresso machine is the Bar Keepers Friend which is readily available. Autosol is a premium metal polishing compound that works great on chrome.

Bar Keepers Friend Autosol

One of the best cleaners for espresso machine is Joe Glo. It can be used to soak parts during disassembly, clean the portafilter, or to back flush the system.

Citric acid is best for the removal of lime scale or other build-up inside the boiler. It is available in powder form. See my de-scaling instructions here.

A number of tools are required to disassemble the unit for maintenance or repair.

This snap ring tool is required to change the seal in the group head of a La Pavoni. I got mine from Princess Auto.

These dental picks are useful, especially for removing old gaskets and o-rings and for general cleaning.

A tool is needed to remove the nut on the boiler tank when doing a major rebuild or restoration of a La Pavoni. As specialized wrench is available which is quite expensive. I use an off-the-shelf automobile oil filter wrench that I got from Princess Auto.

If the group head cylinder is corroded or severely stained, a hone may be required to polish the surface in order to get an effective seal around the piston. A brake cylinder hone, available from automotive supply shops, should work fine.

A food-grade lubricant is used for lubricating the piston seals and piston shaft, and also helps in the installation of the sight glass. The most popular one is DOW Chemicals Molykote 111. The larger 100gm tube is widely available but is far more than you will ever need; the 6 gram packet (pictured on right below) is plenty and can be bought from most espresso parts suppliers. I bought the 100gm tube at Canadian Bearings.

A few wrenches and sockets are needed for serving a La Pavoni. I have a 10mm, 14mm, 16mm and 7/16" wrench and a 10mm, 14mm and 16mm socket. Also needed are a #2 Philips stubby screwdriver for the screw that holds on the base and a large slot screwdriver for the large screw on the top of the sight glass—see below. Q-tips are useful for general cleaning of small nooks and those hard-to-reach areas.

A very large slot screwdriver is needed to remove the screw on the top of the sight glass; a regular slot screwdriver can cause damage to the screw head. The only one large enough that I've found is the Hazet 980-2X13, on a ½ inch drive socket from Germany. The head is 2mm x 13mm; the slot on the screw is 17mm (~⅝ inch) wide by 1.5mm. From the factory the head is not thin enough, so it has to be reduced from 2mm to 1.5mm by machining or filing. It will then fit correctly into the screw slot.

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