# Rancilio Silvia 0.8mm Portafilter spring (20112031) in UK ?



## jpaul__ (Feb 19, 2016)

Hi,

(most banal thread ever ?) My 10year old Rancilio Silvia portafilter has a 0.8 mm diameter spring that works fine with the original 40-100-102 14g basket and also a new 17g LM basket

The part number from Silvia (V1 ?) parts pdf at

http://www.partsguru.com/RancilioEspressoMachines.html is 20112031

This same spring enables me to install these baskets in a Bezzera portafilter - so where can I get such a spring ? (UK)

Bezzera springs (for pods) I have are 1.1 and 1.4 mm neither of which works.(too tight)

Coffeehit have been unable to provide the size of their springs and cafeparts cannot supply one, and no one seems to list wire diameter (I have a number of questions to ebay sellers pending)

[is there a stainless spring wire source so I can diy ?







]

Cheers, Paul


----------



## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

The standard one in my E 61 P/F is 1.2 mm The one for my Classic is 1.5 mm:confused:

Unless it is high tensile wire it will not work .


----------



## Norvin (Sep 10, 2014)

For what its worth, I've measured some of the springs on my machines.

Bezzera (coffee version) = 1.36mm

Gaggia = 1.47mm

Fracino and Iberital = 1.17mm.

Hope this helps.


----------



## jpaul__ (Feb 19, 2016)

Ok,

thanks for both your replies,

maybe the coffee pod springs I have with the Bezerra of 1.1/1.4 mm (sounds as though Norvin

has a digital gauge ?) are less flexible maybe to accommodate less well engineered pod carriers,

so maybe the 1.1mm I had ordered speculatively with my cafeparts order will fit (I will see Monday with the post)

Cheers.


----------



## oursus (Jun 5, 2015)

Are the originals not 1.1, with the commercials at 1.2?


----------



## oursus (Jun 5, 2015)

Apologies, 10 yr old machine... Can you not just soften it up a little?


----------



## jpaul__ (Feb 19, 2016)

... gratuitous picture of the 0.8 silvia , 1.1 & 1.4 mm Bezerra springs


----------



## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

I do not think the diameter makes a great deal to difference to the grip, providing the ends do not touch / meet. The gauge of the wire , the acuteness of the bends and the degree of hardening / tempering will be main factors.


----------



## Norvin (Sep 10, 2014)

The standard Bezzera double basket takes about 14g. If I try to put a larger 18g Gaggia basket in the portafilter it will not fit due to lack of clearance.

However, if I put in a thinner Iberital wire in the portafilter, there is enough clearance and the basket will fit.

So its not just about grip, its about clearance.


----------



## jpaul__ (Feb 19, 2016)

So I had a 1.1mm spring from caterparts delivered today (Ok only 35p - part of a larger order) this did not

allow either the rancilio 14g or LM 17g basket to fit in either Rancilio or Bezzera portafilters,

so I think it qualifies as not fit for purpose ... and will complain

I think the Spring Norvin has of 1.17 and the larger working E61 spring of 1.2mm

must be more 'springy' / less bent to allow them to work.

The Bezerra and Caterparts springs do look slightly duller than my working Rancilio 0.8

so I could believe the latter is stainless versus the others (need a metallurgist) who knows.

Paul


----------



## jpaul__ (Feb 19, 2016)

The 1.1mm spring from caterparts did not work initially and they refunded,

subsequently partly following advice from http://s1cafe.com/viewtopic.php?t=51, I have bent

some of the more acute angles out of it and although stiff is is ok , but scratches the

portafilter somewhat.

this article was also interesting

http://www.home-barista.com/levers/fyi-better-spring-retention-clip-for-richard-penney-bottomless-portafilter-olympia-cremina-t30821.html

and I may yet get some of the stainless wire it recommends and make my own (6 metres would

be a lifetimes supply)


----------

