# La Pavoni Pro refurbishment project



## calculon

I joined the forum a couple of weeks ago and asked if I should start a thread chronicling my attempts at rebuiding a 30-year old La Pavoni Professional. Several people said yes (and no-one said no!) so here goes...

Here she is as purchased -

  

Having ascertained that a new element was needed I started by removing the wiring

  

The badge was only glued in place and I removed it by sliding dental floss behind it. Three pieces snapped before I succeeded but at least the room had a minty scent...

  

I removed the three Allen bolts and the element dropped out

  

I thought I would check the replacement element fitted - no problem, just needs shorter bolts as it is thinner than the old brass one

  

The pressure pipe broke as soon as I took a spanner to the nut - I was going to replace it anyway

  

Now to remove the group

  

It looks like the end of the siphon pipe has been broken off at some point - fortunately there was none of it left inside the group so someone must have been here before me! Something else to add to the spare parts order.

  

The steam wand mechanism comes out if you keep turning beyond the point where you feel you should stop

  

A ring spanner removed the safety valve. The ball bearing made a bid for freedom but I was expecting that and watched where it went!

  

End of part one - continued in next post.


----------



## calculon

Part two -

Next I removed the nuts and circlips so the lever mechanism came apart (note circlip removal tool - patent applied for)

  

A tap on the top of the piston rod with a wooden mallet released the shower screen. The piston was very silted up and this has caused a couple of scratches inside the group head which concern me a little. But I'll wait to see if there is an obvious problem before panicking.

  

The hard bit, removing the sight glass. I thought I was going to have to resort to breaking it until I read a tip on Home Barista. Force one piece of tape round one side of the glass and a second piece around the other side. Stick them to the glass and to each other. Briskly pull and push the tape up and down. Eureka! (After a minute or so.) When the tube has moved away from the bottom seal use your patent circlip removal tool (see earlier) to push the tube up and out.

  

Then I went to a mechanic friend to complete the job. We tested the pressure stat as well as we could (it operated when connected to an airline, good enough for me) and the pressure gauge, which was not reading zero (ditto.) Removing the boiler from the base involved soaking the brass flange overnight in penetrating oil, then putting the boiler VERY gently in a wooden vice and holding it tightly in gauntletted hands while a second person heats the flange with a blowtorch and then hits it with a punch and hammer. Then the circlip and seal were taken out of the group, the nut taken off the broken pressure tube and the front taken off the pressure gauge (screwdriver, hammer and gentle blows) so the needle could be taken off and replaced at zero.

  

The next stage is powder coating the base. Favourite colour at the moment is the darker grey hammered effect on the left. That'll take around a fortnight - I'll update then.


----------



## jtldurnall

Great project, I look forward to the updates in the future.

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk


----------



## Rob1

Leave that base alone. This thread really makes me want to do mine.

Did you have a little pad of insulation on the metal base plate over the heating element?


----------



## GCGlasgow

Excellent, great pics and quite informative, would love to pick up an old one and refurbish. Look forward to see the ongoing project.


----------



## h1udd

Fantastic write up ... Very useful and good to have logged in the forum

I quite like the orange base ... Think I would respray the base in s fresh orange .... That said a hammered grey one would also look ace, so I won't hate you for changing the colour ... I am planing on de-oranging my microcimbali and painting it candy apple red


----------



## Rhys

Looking good!


----------



## PeterL

I hate to say for 30 years old that's in quite good nick such that I would presume it was rarely used.

I had one from new used every day for 3 years and it looked worse inside than that before I discovered bottled water!


----------



## calculon

@Rob1 @h1udd - I appreciate your concerns about the colour! I thought about this - am still thinking - for a long time. My reasons for changing it from the original would be:

1. I'd never match it exactly

2. Hammered grey does have a place in La Pavoni history

3. Orange is probably my least favourite colour on the planet...

There were two gaskets on the base plate, one above, one below. The one below crumbled and I'll replace it. The one above came away with the boiler. It is stuck fast and looks to be complete and in good condition, so I am going to leave well alone.


----------



## Jason1wood

I like the grey, just stripping out a kitchen and redoing it grey, so when you get bored of this, it'd fit perfectly in my kitchen. Haha


----------



## Rob1

You're better off just buying a new base for it. How much is powder coating going to cost? The Pavonis with painted/coloured bases tend to go for about £100 less than chromed or brass ones. You've got an original orange base there in good condition, it's an antique. I'm fairly certain one of these editions is in a museum somewhere...

Also I'd recommend changing the gasket while you've got the boiler off. If it starts leaking after you've put it back together you'll have to strip it down again and possibly have to replace the new gaskets you've fitted for the sake of about £3.


----------



## h1udd

Nothing wrong with the grey its very '63 James Bond ... Would probably look better than print in a kitchen as well ... Well unless you have a retro 1979 kitchen


----------



## calculon

Rob1 said:


> Also I'd recommend changing the gasket while you've got the boiler off. If it starts leaking after you've put it back together you'll have to strip it down again and possibly have to replace the new gaskets you've fitted for the sake of about £3.


I might have misunderstood - I was referring to the heat gaskets above and below the base. If the one on the bottom of the boiler starts leaking the boiler needs to be replaced, not just the gasket!! If you were referring to the seal between the element and the boiler then yes, I'm definitely replacing that.


----------



## Rob1

Why does the boiler have to be replaced?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


----------



## calculon

The only reason I can imagine for water to leak from the gasket above the base would be a cracked boiler.


----------



## Rob1

Ah, I'm with you. Yes I've wondered how water would end up coming out from there given the element seal should stop water from coming out but I've heard stories of leaks from that location. Maybe there were cracks in the boiler in those cases, I can't remember.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## ramanaaa

This is amazing! I was looking at this one, but then decided I wouldn't be up for the task, great to see someone else accepting the challenge. I'll try and do a regular service on my relatively new one today.


----------



## calculon

The base is back from the powdercoaters and looking good -

  

I've used superglue to fix as many of the cracks in the rubber base as I could. Before...

  

...and after...

  

Now I'm just waiting for a couple of small electrical bits and then the rebuild can begin.


----------



## El carajillo

What a transformation!!


----------



## Milanski

This is a great read...

Thanks for sharing.

That base looks ace!


----------



## jtldurnall

Loving every step of this. Might have a go myself as a bit of a summer project. Keep the updates coming.


----------



## calculon

Parts have arrived and holidays have been completed, so here is a brief update.

I had forgotten that the steam wand seals could not be replaced without removing the bakelite knob, which meant knocking out the split pin. I couldn't manage it (nor could a previous owner, judging by the slight chips around the hole!) Back to my mechanic friend, who did it in 10 seconds.

  

One final thing to do before rebuilding - scrape away the new coating around the inside of the cable entry. This is going to be be where the base is clamped to mains earth. I used a Dremel grinding wheel first, then a sanding wheel, and finally cleaned it up with several grades of wet and dry sandpaper (used wet.)

  

And unless I have forgotten something else, reassembly can commence - this week I hope.


----------



## calculon

With acknowledgements to Doug at Orphan Espresso for his assembly video on YouTube - a valuable source of help.

I started by putting in the new piston rod seal (flared side points downwards) with washer and circlip

  

Then the piston seals (lubricate lightly first - flared sides point away from each other.) They both twisted as I put them on...

  

But I straightened them easily by pushing a blunt screwdriver underneath and sliding it round, a little like using a tyre iron.

  

After lubricating inside the group I pushed the piston back in, persuading the first ring to slide in with the screwdriver.

  

Next came the pins, bushing and lever. I double-checked the lever was the right way up(!)

  

After that I put on the circlips and the nut at the top of the rod.

  

Doug says to tighten the nut fully then slacken off slightly so that you can see a little of the bottom seal when the lever is fully depressed. One-sixth of a turn (one flat) gave me this, so I then tightened with the cap nut.

  

I put the gasket on to the screen and pushed both into place, first with a screwdriver

  

...then by twisting the portafilter into place. The portafilter handle could be turned to the correct position, which was good news. But the spouts will need twisting round a little.

  

Put on a nice clean handle and there we are.

  

The action of the lever is much firmer than before, which is encouraging!

To be continued...


----------



## calculon

While lubing the lower boiler gasket today before installing I managed to tear it!! So much for finishing the job over the bank holiday. Never mind, it's given me an excuse for another spare parts order - so I've decided to wire it up like a Europiccola using an on/off switch with a separate 'element on' indicator. (Apologies to the purists!)


----------



## calculon

The replacement lower gasket arrived from the Espresso Shop, so it was greased and put in place. As mentioned earlier, the upper gasket was still intact and stuck fast to the boiler, so I decided to leave it alone. I bolted the group head on temporarily as the lever made it easier to align the boiler visually. Then the flange was put on and tightened by screwing in bolts and using a bar between them as a lever, then by hitting the flange with a bar and hammer. (Probably one of these methods would have worked on its own.)

  

After removing the group again the pressure valve was put back on (easier to start this off with the boiler held upside down!)

  

The new washers and seal were added to the steam control, the knob and split pin put back on, then the whole thing was screwed into place and the steam wand reattached

  

The new seals and washers were inserted in the top and bottom sight glass portals

  

The protector and compression nuts were put in position and the sight glass was inserted from the top

  

The compression nuts were tightened - not too much, I'll tighten them more if I get leaks!!

  

Then the pressure gauge was put back on (there was a washer in the Espresso Shop kit, so I used it although there hadn't been one in place before)

  

The new seal was put on the boiler cap which was then screwed on

  

The new syphon pipe and group to boiler gasket were put in place and the group put back on (again)

  

And that was it! Just the electrics now (watch this space) - but I couldn't resist a sneak preview


----------



## jtldurnall

Fantastic. It looks great. You've actually inspired me to have a go. I've just won a pro off ebay, the whole thing is in pretty good shape but the base is a mess. In your opinion how hard would it be to remove the boiler from the base at home with limited tools? You mention you used a blowtorch and a mechanic and I don't have either of those... I do have a hammer and bar though.


----------



## calculon

The hammer and bar may be sufficient - try screwing in bolts as seen in the first pic of post#25 and using the bar as a lever between them, or simply hitting the flange as shown (but in the opposite direction of course!) Also soaking the area in penetrating oil the day before will help.


----------



## jtldurnall

I'll give it a go and let you know, appreciate the advice. You'll have a beut when it's all done.


----------



## jtldurnall

Got it off! Hard work though, even after a night of being soaked in penetrative oil. Out of interest, which powder coaters did you use and how much did it cost? May just buy a new base.


----------



## calculon

jtldurnall said:


> Out of interest, which powder coaters did you use and how much did it cost? May just buy a new base.


Will pm you with info.


----------



## jtldurnall

calculon said:


> Will pm you with info.


Very useful thanks!


----------



## calculon

The new pressure pipe was bent to shape - a lot of trial and error involved, space is tight under there. The pipe-to-element joint was sealed with an o-ring and gasket sealant.

  

Then the electrics. Here is the earthing, mains earth connected to both the base and the boiler

  

This is the element circuitry. As I mentioned, I've wired it like a Europiccola so I can have element on/off indication as well as the pressure gauge. The circuit goes mains live >> pressurestat >> element >> thermostat >> switch >> mains neutral. The live wire going to the top terminal of the switch is the feed to the red neon.

  

Now I've added the wiring for the element on/off green neon, just two wires between the switch and the element.

  

And here she is finished! Time to take a deep breath, check the water level, plug in and push the switch...

  

Success! I was so excited I forgot to check the focus!

  

And the pressurestat switched off at the right point.

  

...but it's not here to look pretty (although that's nearly enough) so I'll put in the portafilter and pull my first-ever shot

  

Here's the obligatory exciting in-pull shot. Action! Drama! Coffee!

  

And a second pull for a double. Not bad for a newbie... but now the tweaking begins.

  

Job done. That's all, folks!


----------



## russe11

Great stuff... well done, looks like a pretty good attempt for first shot! I don't expect you were too worried about shot though.... Just the fact that it's working!


----------



## GCGlasgow

Yeh well done, must be satisfying to finally have it making coffee.


----------

