# Restoration of a 1964 2nd Series Faema President



## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

It is time for another restoration as my Gaggia is languishing for its replacement heating element and I want to keep my hands busy. With the recent purchase of the Faema Zodiaco I originally thought I would use it as parts for the President, but now I am going to use it a practice machine before doing the same thing to the President. The reason I am able to do this is because the two machines are very similar in layout and design with the body panels off. The biggest difference is the design of the boiler. The President has two large gaskets holding the boiler ends with 12 bolts each, while the Zodiaco boiler is one piece. Stuff like the water level, pressure gauge, water fill valve, etc are identical.

What will happen is as I go through steps to get the Zodiaco running I will emulate similarly to the President, and if it goes well, both machines will be running within a short span of each other. It also saves on shipping costs since I will be ordering parts for both at the same time.

Initially I was hesitant in buying another machine last year after already purchasing my Bosco, Gaggia Tell, and home lever machines, but I have decided to fall fully into Lever Espresso Machine Acquisition Syndrome (aka LEMAS). In the process I hope to learn useful things I can use beyond espresso, specifically in the handyman trade.

Some before pictures. The seller was literally five minutes from where I lived in Italy and he delivered it to me at a Gas Station/Hangout that is managed by a friend. A few things were missing, notably a portafilter (the other one damaged as well), the manometer, and most of the gas flap on the front panel. He did provide a replacement portafilter and manometer. For the price I paid I thought it was fair enough.
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The pipe layout on the President is nearly identical to the Zodiaco so far. Loosening them has been simple and no extraordinary efforts were required outside of a wrench and mallet. I can already see the real issues will crop up with the loosening of the boiler cap bolts, 24 of them to be exact. I know there is a method of taking these out even if they are fused to the aluminum shims but I need to remember where I keep the link on doing this. The heating element was already removed and eventually I will also take out the two rusty flange bolts. Since this was a gas machine the element has never been used, albeit there is scale on it. It is a 2kW element 220V. Looking in the element hole there is still water held in the boiler!!! I am surprised it has never evaporated completely but I guess it could be worse...It does not smell grungy.

































I already took off the upper part of the groups to compare to the Zodiaco groups. The springs will definitely be replaced and some cleanup is required. The flow valve and shut off valve are completely fused on both groups and some heat will be required to take them off.
























The body panels are in very good condition. I will disassemble the lower parts as they have corrosion on them and need to be cleaned off. I will likely keep the glass back in original condition, but if I have enough funds laying around I may purchase a replica of a different colour eventually. In terms of chrome items the only parts I consider need rechroming are the levers, but I may purchase replica stainless steel ones if the price is right. For now I will leave them be.
















I sometimes consider myself a little overzealous in documenting everything I do, but I realize that this may prove useful down the road so I will continue nonetheless being this comprehensive in my process, whether you like it or not ?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

The water is removed from the boiler after some tipping and a bucket. The water was really not that bad looking but would not recommend drinking it.








I found the thread discussing the boiler bolt removal process, kindly provided by a Home Barista user named macgaggia and his blog on a 1 group President he did a while back, shown here https://macernst.zenfolio.com/p506780238/h435220f7#h435227d5. I had a small drill vice laying around so I tried that. I used two large nuts to lay against the aluminum shim and started cranking away. It worked for the first one but involved some heat and extra leverage to remove. 
































I thought I was on a roll! But then the second bolt I tried erased any preconceived notion I might have been able to take off a lid today. First the hinge on the vice snapped off from excessive force, but I had a pipe wrench to continue trying. I probably should have stopped and thought about it but I still went on. Nothing I tried was able to force the bolt to yield, so I stopped only after some labor to assess what to do from here. The vice I paid maybe 15 bucks for it at Harbor Freight so that just means I need something of higher quality in the future. 
















If most of the bolts are like this then I will need to take a hack saw and start sawing the gasket then try the process again. If the bolts are still stuck then I will need to cut through the bolts as well and see if I can still salvage the shims after this. This is a rude awakening compared to what I needed to do with the Zodiaco ?

This may also encourage me enough to purchase a MAPP torch for high heat application.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

These restoration threads are everywhere!


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

This is ridiculous! Now there are two of them!

Ok here is my first actual question. I went out and took my 6" bench vice to replace the smaller vice in removing the boiler bolts. I was able to take out the bolt that stumped the smaller one but the amount of force required to do it just seems so excessively high. I had to take a mallet and put a piece of pipe over the vice lock handle to loosen the bolt from the shims. I think I will actually be sore tomorrow, and I am not going to continue doing this without a proper plan. In the process I have taken off more hex nuts, and out of 12 nuts two have snapped off on the heating element side. The remaining ones are too awkward to reach while the boiler is still on the frame.

I noticed that on the heating element side the bolts are the regular M8 bolts, but the bolts on the other side are a smaller size. I realized this at first when I realized my 14mm socket wrench was to big to fit on the hex nuts, rather it uses 13mm.


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

what was the question?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

It just seems like I need an extreme amount of force to loosen the bolts. Is this supposed to be like that?


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

seems odd, however, it looks like bolts are pretty rusty. You could try eat that rust up as far as possible before putting vice on again. 

also, are they actually loose in boiler side? or does thread continue all the way through and they're actually screwed in?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

No, the thread is only there for the nut on the other side of the bolt. The holes are not threaded and not the cause of the stuck bolts but rather the result of the gasket, boiler flanges, and bolt fusing together over time from heat and moisture.


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## Mr Binks (Mar 21, 2019)

IamOiman said:


> No, the thread is only there for the nut on the other side of the bolt. The holes are not threaded and not the cause of the stuck bolts but rather the result of the gasket, boiler flanges, and bolt fusing together over time from heat and moisture.


 If there's no threading or anything it sounds like the path of least resistance would be to drill them out as you'll be replacing them anyway.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Whatever I will be doing it will be done with the boiler off the frame. I was told that drilling them out could damage the aluminum shims, which I am aiming to preserve and do not care as much for the bolts.

At this point the only things needed to be taken off the frame is the right steam wand and the water sight. Both are pretty stuck so I am letting them soak in some penetrating oil and some heat afterwards at some point.

















I also got the bottom group sections apart including the shutoff valve and flow valves with some more heat. What is interesting to note is the hex nuts holding the groups to the frame could be nearly undone by hand and in the process I actually unscrewed the flange bolts themselves, which appear to be in good condition (better than the flange bolts on my Gaggia I can tell you that!). The gaskets were not stuck at all to the groups either. Perhaps they were serviced pretty close to when this machine ended its initial use?









Besides the boiler ends and the mentioned parts on the frame I am just about ready to move into the cleaning phase of this restoration. I will also be taking account what parts I will need to rebuild the machine. It is pretty strange that some parts like the pipes and groups were able to come off so easily if not easier than the Zodiaco. This positive is bashed by the stuck boiler ends and their 22 remaining bolts to remove. I think a MAPP torch will help me well.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

bolts Impact driver, cordless Bosch- penetrating oil, job done &#8230;&#8230;..probably

Edit the Bosch ones have a 1/2" drive on the end so can even undo wheel nuts


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## iroko (Nov 9, 2012)

Hopefully the penetrating oil will do the trick for the bolts.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I sprayed some on one boiler end and I'll wait a bit before trying again. No use in being fast if I have nothing to do while waiting for the parts to arrive!


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I tried a different method for the boiler bolts using c-clamps and a hammer. The clamps hold the aluminum rings when I string the bolt with the hammer. I was able to remove two more bolts this way but the others are stuck fast. I am now letting the boiler sit vertically and spraying penetrating oil into one side every few days for the bolts. At this point all of the nuts are taken off or snapped off. I have a total of four snapped bolts on the heating element side.
















The frame is stripped except for the drain box and the lower water sight nut. The machine feet came off without issue using a 10mm deep socket wrench, but one of the feet is still attached due to the drain box blocking access. There is a cap covering the drain box thread, and it is quite stuck right now. Just to confirm this unscrews normally counter clockwise correct? I was able to move it a little bit initially but then it became stuck. The stuck nuts are soaking in penetrating oil as well right now.
















The front panel is in nice condition. I hopefully can wash off the rust from the frame on the back and then use autosol to polish it up. I hope to keep the original stickers on it. It is recommended to give the panels a soap and water rinse first right (chromed or Stainless Steel)?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Patience won out in the end for the boiler lid. I used pentrating oil for the bolts and trying again I was able to take off one of two lids. 10 bolts were taken out but I had to cut the bottom two bolts since the vice could not be positioned properly. I can hopefully clean up the scratches on the flange bolts and the aluminum rings were not damaged. I still need to take out the bolt bits sawed in half.
































The other side is soaking now. 








The amount of effort to do this was quite insane, using a 3 foot pipe over the vise clamp rod. Once again I'll be sore in the morning ?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Investing $15 in another workshop light was totally worth it. I can actually see what I am doing now! As you can see I am quite organized. ?








I got the stubborn drain nut off, but it required a second person (aka Dad) to hold the frame while I used a 26mm wrench to unscrew it along with a 2 x 4 to hold the drain box. I do not know what happened to the threads but they were quite gunked up.








The frame is completely stripped and I am debating what to do in terms of cleaning it up. If I wanted to powder coat and media blast the reputable shop near me charges $400 per frame, which I consider quite a lot. If I do the wire brush and anti rust aerosol spray I would save a lot more. I think a good medium is having the shop media blast only the frame and the boiler (the nickel [?] coating is starting to come off and does not look good) and then I apply POR-15 to the cleaned frame.
















For the panels I am considering a local electropolishing company to clean the stainless steel skirts, aluminum feet, and chromed front panel + drip tray (if they do it or is feasible). I will try to what I can myself but if I do not feel I have the experience I will not mind paying the extra for it to be done properly. I hope to keep the original stickers but some look pretty worn. As I have said before the back chrome panels are in really nice conditon and only the inside of the lower assembly needs some cleaning due to some rust.

If you think I should try something else besides electropolishing I'd like to hear it!
























There was a spider's nest in the front feet! Dead spider included!








The next thing I will be doing is disassembling the groups. I have not done this yet because I do not have a C spanner wrench, and I am going to purchase one very soon. The proper size will be for 1.875" give or take. Lastly is taking off the boiler end and possibly the thermosyphon connections in prep for cleaning.


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

these feet alone... ?

the problem with your front panels is the deep scratches I suppose. Polishing alone might not do the trick. In electropolishing, protruding sections will also erode faster than recesses. So basically you need to take material off the whole face, which will not only require some additional action but likewise result in losing brushed effect. You'd need to brush it again afterwards to keep looks original.

How about simply having all panels (heavily) brushed to see if this can get rid of the scratches? You can manually polish over to reduce the effect, either way you may want to clear coat them in the end for the ease of cleaning (finger prints, dried water drops etc)


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Figures.

What sort of brushing do you mean?


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

IamOiman said:


> Figures.
> What sort of brushing do you mean?





IamOiman said:


> <img alt="19067904_scratchessteelpanel.thumb.jpg.3bd4e136d42e3a32ef6e76b0e08eb163.jpg" data-fileid="35373" data-src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2020_01/19067904_scratchessteelpanel.thumb.jpg.3bd4e136d42e3a32ef6e76b0e08eb163.jpg" src="https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">


this


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Even while I debate what to do for the polishing and frame I am going through the cleaning process and seeing what needs replacement. I also show the tools used to take apart each valve shown below.

The water fill valve is a niftly little valve that is spring loaded. It is pretty easy to unscrew with some heat if you have a vise to hold the big nut. One issue you may have is unscrewing the one way valve, as there is almost nothing to grasp it while taking off the nut. I am leaving it for now but I will try to figure something out later.








The cup warming valve is super simple, just a chromed rod with two gaskets connected to the black knob.








The steam valve is a little more complicated, but Faema's decisions make sense when looking at how it is designed. 








If you have £50 head over to harbor freight (if you have them in the UK!) to get their ultrasonic cleaner. It is so useful for cleaning and descaling. It is large enough to hold most pipes and has a built in heater to keep the citric acid hot. There are better ones out there but this does a great job for a budget. I used a soap solution to get grease and any remaining gasket off first on the parts, followed up with the citric acid bath. Some parts needed to remain over night but now some wire brushing will bring them back to new. The chrome is in very nice condition outside of one part in the water fill valve.
















This is about 20 minutes after putting the parts in. Some of them were black in deposits.
















These are the parts with numbers on them. Not every part has a number but it appears those that are important or not as common have them.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I got the element end off, but it required effort. About 6 hours of sawing to be precise, though I estimate I could do it in 2 now that I know what to do/expect. Initially I used the cheap $2.99 2-pack carbon steel blades for my hacksaw, but switching over to the more expensive $6.99 dual-metal blades (whatever that means) pair is worth the price. I could cut faster for longer. Whatever the blades were I was left pretty sore but satisfied at the work. I got the rings off intact but I am not sure if I can take the fused bolts out. I am going to order a new set of rings for that side just in case.

I did all cutting outside while wearing a mask and dousing the boiler with water occasionally since the gasket was likely asbestos.

































I did scratch the flange in the process but I hope I can simply sand out the scratches.
















Now I can start descaling the boiler parts and big pipes then consider what to do next. I will need to treat the frame and I also want to media blast the boiler to take off the nickel coating. For the groups I am waiting on a tool that will come in my order to disassemble and clean them.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Glad you got there in the end, that was a real PITA. I agree on the Bi-Metal blades so much longer lasting - the bi (dual metal) blades have the hacksaw teeth welded to a more flexible spring steel so they last much longer and don't crap out or shed teeth. key also is the TPI to the thickness of the cut, worth the extra cost every time.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I used 12" 24 TPI blades for reference on the hacksaw. I will need to soak the aluminum rings in derust like Evaporust as I tried to take out the bolts and two of the bolts created cracks out of six in one of the half rings. They were so incredibly stuck I cannot believe how the metals are basically fused.

















The stuck bolts with a smaller intact one from the other flange.









The rings from the other side appear intact but pitted/worn. I can still reuse them right and do not need to replace them after cleaning? How would I approach it for aluminum?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I got a cheap tub to throw the bigger pieces like the boiler and drain pipe into and descale with citric acid. I have a small 1kW element to heat up the water when it cools down to speed the cleaning process. The element is a little sketchy so I stay near the bin when the element is plugged in.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Boiler, large pipes, and flange ends are cleaned up after the citric acid bath. The little heating element I used to keep the water hot was very useful, and after 24 hours most if not all the scale was gone. I left the black stuff built up as I believe it is cupric oxide and it prevents corrosion of the boiler during use and is beneficial for it. I did the same for the boiler ends. Some quick wire brushing on the grinder made the pipes shiny again.
































I wire brushed the flanges to help me see where I may need to do some sanding and to take off any remaining gasket or coating residue. I am still not sure if I want to take off the tin/metal coating on the boiler after cleaning it up a bit, but funtionallity wise as long as the seals for the thermosyphon loop hold it is almost ready for reassembly when parts arrive. The 2kW 220V element will be kept as a backup if I want to go the transformer route and to keep the machine complete.








The aluminum rings will be addressed another time as I figure out what I want to do next. I want to clean up the SS panel skirts but I want to be certain I can do it properly with sanding out the scratches and preserving the stickers to what I can. I also want to clean up scratches from the aluminum feet, which I think will be easier since it is a softer metal. I may simply throw on another buffing wheel after I sand the scratches down a bit. Then I need to prep the frame with the media blasting and powder coat and finally make the order for the parts from Ascaso. This will be a double wammy since the parts I order will also be for the Zodiaco. The group heads can be addressed separately and I will do those towards the end as there is a tool Ascaso has that would make group disassembly much easier for me.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I finally got full access to Ascaso, and I will never go back. If you can I highly recommend creating an account if you are able to in order to receive pricing and parts not seen anywhere else. I think I will be paying a third to half the price I was expecting for all the possible parts I will be supply my machine with.

I was able to take off the stickers using a method found in kaffee-netz. You take a heat gun and warm up the stickers to about 300F, which causes the adhesive to loosen. You then take dental floss and get under the sticker to peel it off. As a result I can resuse the non-replaceable attenzione sticker once the steel panels are polished. 
















I washed up the panels afterwards to prep them for polishing. I will need something more abrasive than a washcloth to tackle the back sides where the frame stuck its rust on them. I want to have the brushed look since I believe that was the original finish on the stainless steel panels. With the deeper scratches I will likely need to start at a low grit, probably 80 or even 60. I will make my way up after with 100, 240, 360, and possibly 600. 
















The aluminum feet seem to have white calcium build up of some sort. What would be a good method to get it off? Once I deal with that I can polish the feet in addition.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

After some research I see it is galvanized rust caused by moisture buildup over time when the aluminum feet touched the stainless steel skirts and also the cause of the rusty frame. I took off the calcium build up with citric acid, but the leftover pitting leaves some work to be done beyond the scotch brite/sand paper. If I continued I would go to 600 then 1000 grit. I tried out 360 grit scotch brite and it did take off most of the marks on the feet outside the deposits and made them look nice. I will need to see how to approach this but I think it is salvegeable. 
























Taking a look at the groups make sure everything is taken out of the flow control valve. There were some stuck gaskets and washers that required heat and a pick to take out that need replaceing and am glad I checked. The shower screens are not like the normal ones seen on the President. They instead appear to be modded to take the original E61 shower heads, and if they are cleaned up I may use them with the machine.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I am in the process of taking off the bakelite handles on the levers. I got one handle off after a soak in evaporust and the rusty thread is ccw, but that one seemed looser as I could slightly turn the bakelite handle. I used a tool that came with my refrigerator to fit the large slot on the cap to apply the torque. The other one is absolutely stuck on and I bent my tool a little bit in exertion. I am not even sure if the evaporust is getting into the thread as there is a washer in the handle that may be blocking access and the looser handle got around. I decided to immerse the bakelite completely in a beer mug to see if the evaporust can reach the thread from above, but if it still does not come off afterwards I am running out of ideas to extract the aluminum cap without sacrificing any parts.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

A little time has passed, mostly me being distracted by the Gaggia Tell and a recent trip. I decided for the stuck lever nut to leave it for now and try again later. I may simply have whoever would clean up the lever take off the nut for me as well if I need to.

*The Cup Tray*
I took apart the cup tray today for cleanup and to see how it comes together. The plastic top is compressed by eight M4 bolts on four pieces of metal (two bolts per piece) against the bottom of the chromed cup tray. I bet for the 1 group version there are three brackets instead of four, one for each side. There is a metal grid piece where the cups rest that is removable, and there are holes in the bottom portion with lips that collects the water when the scalda tazza is used and drains into a collection pipe. The plastic top is in very good condition. I had to take out the top to visually notice any serious scratches, and even then it was hard to show in the photos. I may just wipe it down and call it good. Since the bottom tray is not necessarily visible when the machine is in use I will elect to not rechrome it. I will also clean up the four metal brackets since they have a little rust and if it is prudent also have them powder coated.
















































Some other odds and ends were done as well. The water level was finally taken apart. There was some serious rust on the lower connection that required three days of soaking in Evaporust to shake off enough rust to take the 27mm hex nut off. The original glass was actually broken, but I already had a spare ordered when I was purchasing parts for my Gaggia Tell. You can see the pitting from the rust on the right edge of the water level bracket. I do know the brass elbow pieces come apart but I've been having an issue of getting a grip on the square nut similar to the one way water valve. I am ordering new ones just in case.








The wobbler weights for both the President and Zodiaco were cleaned up, shown respectively. It seems the Zodiaco has a more elegant design in my opinion. 








I am taking account of a full potential list of pieces I want powdercoated and or media blasted. It may be expensive but it would last me decades if I did it and my new position will allow me to afford it once I begin.

The frame
The water level bracket
The brackets for the plastic top of the cup tray
The boiler + boiler ends 
Gas Burner
Supporting Brace on the panel that holds the cup tray

The thing I've been thinking about recently are the thermosyphon pieces plus the 1/4" cross connection on the boiler. They still have their original hemp seals, and just from exerience with the Zodiaco boiler and some slight probing on the President boiler they are very difficult to remove. Would it possibly be better to simply let them be and use them instead of installing new gaskets? A primary issue is the top elbow fittings in the thermosyphon loops do not have a consistent hex size. I've switched between 21mm, 20mm, and 13/16" wrenches to give a whack so far. The bottom nuts are 26mm. I would not want to potentially damage the thermosyphon tubes in the boiler nor the solder fittings. Perhaps I just need more heat or can I use more force?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

*The President Body Panel Assembly*
I worked on the body assembly today. This is something you must document in order to get it back together again. In the process I counted two different screw types and three different bolts including a blind one.








Looking at the back the glass display is held by four threaded rods and aluminum caps. Unscrewing them allows you to take off the glass and then unscrew the small hex nuts with a 6mm wrench inside the panel. The wiring for the neon light was present, but I am not sure why they included it if the machine was gas only. I guess if you wanted to buy one for it later you could do that. One washer was missing and one of the bolts has a gunked thread, so I will need to retap it or file the gunk down. I still intend to keep the original glass piece as is.
















To remember where how the pieces are held together I took some before photos and then some after photos with the screws and bolts arranged where they would go when assembled. Shown below are how the screws are arranged that hold the upper black metal highlight. Six screws in total are long and seven are short length. Two of the long screws also hold a metal bracket that the cup tray rests upon.








On top are two aluminum corner pieces and a chromed middle piece. They are held by blind M4 bolts and can be loosened fairly easily. I doubt they could exert much torque in the first place with this type of bolt.








Once those are taken off the top corner pieces are next. They are not interchangeable with the bottom ones. Two of the four brackets are placed here, and they use the long screws. They are held by multiple screws and a blind bolt. The screws towards the front also hold the side black metal highlights. 
























Taking these off then allows you to work on the middle pieces that hold the iconic black 'mustaches.' They are held by three short bolts each. Note for these flathead screw slots they require a fairly narrow head. These panels are supported by a metal bracket on the front one headless bolt towards the back.








At this point I put the remaining assembly on its back. Working on the bottom corner panels required some effort due to the corrosion. I was able to separate them from the main back panel that holds the glass piece and light, but the black metal highlights were stuck on due to corroded screws. It was here I ran into my one blind bolt that required some tools to remove properly without damaging it. I went out and bought some Naval Jelly since I could not put these pieces in a bucket easily. Normally I refrain from using it with chromed pieces but the surface is inside and not normally visible and the spots where I applied had a fair amount of rust. So far I was able to remove one screw out of four seriously corroded ones.








Not counting the two panels above the entire assembly is in pieces now. Any screws with rust are being cleaned up, and I am waiting on the jelly to do its work. This rivals the Gaggia panels in complexity, but this is not something you normally need to do. The screws and bolts are sorted and bagged accordingly, and the panels will come together again when I polish up the pieces with autosol or similar product. Nothing is in such bad shape that rechroming is needed and I like the patina. It shows the age of the machine in a good manner. I may have the black metal highlights redone since there are some scratches visible, but they are not terribly noticeable.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Just as I expected the Naval Jelly worked very well after two days and I was able to salvage the rusted screws at the same time. All of the rust was on the surface and the threads were fine, though new washers will replace the old rusted away ones. I had to rinse off and reapply the jelly about every six hours as it would dry up and not do much after that. I did not realize this until now but all four corner panels are actually made of copper. I have not seen chromed copper panels before, so I thought that was curious. Now I can start cleaning all the panels up. I may use the Naval Jelly again but I will test it on a small surface first before applying it to everything. As I have said before these surfaces are the interior, so it may not be as imperative for me to take precaution but I would like to save as much chrome as possible nonetheless.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

My big 'ol can of Autosol arrived yesterday and I was able to do my polishing. I'll say that this will not buff out scratches but if the metal is in good shape this polishing cream will bring out any hidden luster and take off mild surface corrosion. Not much to say about the stuff besides that but it works great. I used separate microfiber rags for the initial buffing when the paste is applied then the following clean up. I experimented with the aluminum caps but I will do the grouphead polishing separately after all the bits are off and I cleaned up the insides of grease.
























I think the aluminum pieces and the front panel had the most change in appearance.
































Assembly was pretty straight forward. Keep in mind that some of the panels need to be shifted slightly at the joints to align all the holes for the screws. Since I am not making this machine look brand new/do a complete rechroming and polishing I am perfectly find with the patina. Scratches are visibile only when you look at the panel at a certain angle from a light source.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I have the body frame dropped off. I found a powder coating company that costs less than half of what I paid for the frame of my Gaggia so I am pretty happy about that. The colour I picked is off white. My parts order for Ascaso will actually be shipped even with this COVID-19 stuff going on once a few parts come back in stock, which I expect to have the shipment arrive by late April/early May.

Today I worked on trying out polishing my aluminum feet. I started with a 360 scotch brite, then proceeded with one of the back feet for 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit sandpaper using a wet sanding method. I took about a minute for each face of the foot (4 minutes total of sanding per grit), and I do see improvements. I want to go to a higher grit, but I am still deciding what numbers to pick. Tentavely I am going to go for 2500, 3000, 4000, and 5000 grit. If you have suggestions on what I should pick or my method I would love to hear it. I am keeping the galvinazation on the bottom part so I am not worried about that.


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## AndyDClements (Aug 29, 2016)

If you want to flatten the surface rather than simply remove the ridges of the corrosion then use the wet & dry on a block (rubber, or cork are good) and not simply in your hand nor use Scotchbrite. The in-hand or Scotchbrite method will smooth out the edges but it will smooth and conform to the corrosion rather than give a flat smooth surface. The down side is that this method will take away more of the ali feet. If however the corroded area is hidden then by all means smoothing is all you need, and ignore the above. On paint (car paint) several thousands is normal, even finer than the 200 you have but I assume you are not aiming for a polished look, so try the 200 with water (with a bit of soap/ detergent in it) and then it's just a matter of your taste for whether it's fine/ shiny enough.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I actually intend to keep the galvinized pitting to show the age of the machine. I think you are right though in that I should spend more time in the lower grit, so I'll need to go out and fetch some.


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## AndyDClements (Aug 29, 2016)

One thing I din't mention and it's not to do with the finish on the metal, and probably something that is being done lots but.... wash your hands thoroughly after sanding, aluminum is poisonous which isn't normally a problem as the non-soluble salts form a protective layer but you'll be removing those and creating a large surface area via the fine particles (dust), so don't breath it in and don't accidentally ingest it via hand-mouth contamination etc. The COVID-19 advice probably holds well for this job, but you may struggle with what would normally be advisable- to wear a mask.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I got my big ol cleaning gloves reserved for bleach related products on and am using the same mask I use for asbestos gaskets. Believe me I would rather not snort aluminum as tempting as that sounds.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Ok, I revised my wet sanding method and it turned out much better than the first one (which I'll probably redo since I am not satisfied with it). Here is the order of the grit I used:

120 -> 220 -> 320 -> 400 -> 600 -> 800 -> 1000 -> 1500 -> 2000 -> 3000








Everytime I switched to the next grit the direction I sanded turned 90 degrees so that I made sure the scratches made by the prior grit were confirmed to be gone. This helped me very much in making sure I got all the scratches out. I will use a polishing compound like my Autosol but I am still considering going even higher up to 4, 5, maybe even 10k grit. I just need to find them first as 3000 was the highest grit I could source in store. You can see below how much of a difference doing it properly makes.

















This method works but takes effort. I spend about 90-120 minutes per foot to get to this stage and I can understand the time needed for bigger pieces and for higher luster...

I remember someone saying here it takes 100 hours to get to that chrome flawless shine. That man is defintely not lying.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I got some big steps out of the way this week. I got the frame powder coated for a much cheaper price than I paid for my Gaggia (£138 vs £325 converted). It is an off white and they did an excellent job in uniformity. They also media blasted the frame as part of the price. I finished up polishing my aluminum feet and also sanded the lower steel panels to get rid of the pesky scratches. I did the grit from 120 -> 180 -> 220 -> 320 to get the brushed look that was original with the machine. The panels and feet were polished with Autosol and I'll do another wipedown later.

I got the last parts needed to wrap up the machine restoration, and at this point it's just a waiting game. I would not be surprised if I can get the maching running by late April/Early May even with COVID-19 running around everywhere. Excitement is building to levels not previously thought possible....


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Starting to develop my electrical plan for the president. I want to add a knocker switch like those seen on Pavonis rated for 20A, but I want to mount it such that it is not a permanent mod (ie I can take off the switch to return the machine to its original state). Shrink tubing would be used for insulation. I am thinking of using something like adhesive putty https://www.mcmaster.com/putty/reusable-adhesive-putty/ or rubber moldable glue https://www.mcmaster.com/putty/putty-to-rubber-moldable-glue/ to be be placed in a discrete location inside the machine, likely on portion of the frame. I could not find too much on doing this in the forum search engine.

I actually already have a switch, a spare I bought for my Pavoni, that is rated for 20A @ 125V. My preferred location is here, in the middle corner against the backsplash part of the frame and near the hole where I can place a grommet and my wiring to the outlet.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I found out the spring assembly tool that Ascaso makes (F.266) is no longer made, so I had to take things into my own hands to get the upper groups disassembled. Basically it is far easier to do this if you have an extra person for two pairs of hands. After inserting zip ties I had to cock the lever a bit to get the zip ties to tighten up and compress the spring a bit. This is to put less pressure against the piston, which screws into the rod. With the other person holding the group you can then take a c spanner and unscrew the piston with some force. I did not need a hammer to whack the handle, just a hard push counter clockwise.








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You can then take off the lever guides, held by two bolts each and then remove the rod from the upper group. I was very surprised at how light the upper group was, but it is aluminum so it actually makes sense. One of the groups was missing a large washer that holds the top of the spring against the group housing, so I had a spare set ordered.

Taking off the bearings is quite painful as I cannot get my bearing extractor to fit, and I only did it for one group at first because the forks are busted anyways, I ordered new bearings and washers, and I have a spare piston rod ordered and I want to see how it compares to the original. If I were to do it again I would be far more liberal in heat. 
























Pistons were covered in rust from the old springs but that can be cleaned up and I took the gaskets off with a sharp box cutter and pick.
















There was so much grease on these parts and I will need to degrease them. I still have my GUNK engine cleaner so I will try that out. Once that is done I can clean up the aluminum upper groups and make them shiny again. You can see the worn portion where the fork rubbed against the group housing. I guess that is what happens when proper lube is not used.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Going to be a beautiful machine. Really enjoying following along so thanks for sharing


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

You are very welcome! I looked around here and I really did not find many threads on older Faema machines, and restorations were practically nonexistant 🙃

Groups were all cleaned up today. I discovered the shavings were not stuck on the upper groups and instead came off with the grease. I used GUNK engine cleaner to good effect. It's very smelly so I recommend doing it outside but it rinses off fairly easily with just water.
























The entire groups were polished with Autosol and the pistons were cleaned up as well. I considered sanding the upper groups but they are in fine enough condition I will keep them original. If I was rechroming everything then I would have had them professionally polished along with the group caps. I also cleaned up the water inlet valve and odd aluminum cap that is part of the bolts holding the body panels.
























I only now realize that the upper v gasket on one of them is upside down so I'll change that in a bit when my hands are recovered. It is not fun getting them on the piston and I am getting flashbacks to switching out my Elektra MCAL gaskets 😣

My parts order is confirming payment so time for more waiting...


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## bluebeardmcf (Nov 28, 2016)

I'm pleased to see this - sorry I missed some of your earlier posts, because I recommend a metal polish I've used on delicate parts, particularly chrome, called PEEK - it's a lot less abrasive than Autosol. You're going to have a beautiful machine to enjoy.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Thank you for the suggestion! I will keep that in mind for future projects but I am pretty satisfied with what Autosol has produced for me, especially in getting rid of some light stains on the metal.

One quick task I did is the drain tray. My thread was pretty busted up from the stuck compression chrome nut so as a result even if I retap the threads I will not get a true sealed fit if I keep it as is. The thread is 3/4" BSPP, which means if I wanted to use fittings to convert to a nylon drain tube it would set me back at least $50 in the US and there is no guarantee it would seal properly. So instead I decided to make my own drain setup for $11.

It's a 3/4" ID 1" OD tube from Ace Hardware with a 1/2" to 3/4" brass elbow fitting folowed by the 1/2" tubing I wanted. A tightening collar and teflon tape are used for the large pipe as the fit is a little loose. Very cheap, looks a little haphazard, but it works. Maybe in the future I will do something more elegant.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Ok I lied and sanded the upper groups. I was bugged by the blemishes and scratches when viewed from a certain angle. Upper groups were sanded to 3000 grit + Mother's aluminum polish. I would have gone higher grit but those are still in shipment and can always be done after. The caps are still good enough to just merit a polish and I can do those after the group assembly since they come off with two screws. Total time invested was 2 hours give or take.

























While taking out the rubber stop I found something fibrous (?!) in one of them. Not sure why that was there.


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## AndyDClements (Aug 29, 2016)

That looks well worth a couple of hours of work.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

My McMaster Carr order came in today and this is what I am thinking of to install a switch in a non-permanently changed manner. I got a 12 x 12 inch polycarbonite 1/8" thick and cut it. I positioned it such that I can glue another piece and utilize the gas nut to hold the entire thing in place. I have not crimped any connectors yet and am showing what I am proposing in the photos. The only thing that I can see being an issue is if moisture or water gets in under the drip tray while in use, so I may get a rubber sheet to cover the switch or figure something else.

Both the power wiring and machine wiring will go through a silicone grommet that fits 1 1/4" hole on the frame with a 1/2" inner hole diameter. I have thermal sleeves this time for a cleaner look and thermal protection.
























I actually utilized my little drill press to make the hole for the power switch. It looks ugly here but I think I got it pretty cleaned up with a file afterwards.








One random note is I am pretty certain the Astoria heating element (Ascaso Part AS..95) fits the Faema boiler. It is a 110V 2000W element with the 42mm x 74mm flange and in the future may be something I can order if I am unhappy with 1800W.


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## cuprajake (Mar 30, 2020)

Fair play, its a right pita polishing metal.

Lot of good work


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

The President body is back together fully with the glass and cup tray. I cleaned and sprayed the exposed metal pieces that hold the plastic cup display and the piece going across the internal assembly of the body with silver metallic aerosol paint. I kept the glass original but if I ever buy a machine from Maltoni he makes painted reproductions for a very fair price that only ships with a pallet as normal shipping risks breakage (according to him) outside of Italy.








I also sanded the aluminum caps to match the upper groups in consistency to 5000 grit. I also got the upper groups to 5000 grit as well after it arrived. It was so satisfying to see that reflection for the first time after using Aluminum polishing cream with a hand micro fiber cloth. Hnnnnnggg
























If you order from Ascaso they use TNT Express (at least to the USA), which is now owned by FedEx. Paid €100 euro for shipping which for the amount I ordered seems fair. Every shipping company has its supposed horrors but the biggest hitch so far was staying a day in customs and requiring an anti toxicity form required under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) from Ascaso. That was done and I inquired with customer service just to make sure. They were very helpful and I never waited for a person to talk with. The package was shipped 23 April and was expected originally to Arrive today, but now it's estimated to be Sunday/Monday now that customs has been cleared.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

OH BOY PARTS ARE HERE

There were two boxes in the shipment, the smaller of the two arrived yesterday and the biggie got here at 3:30pm today. All the parts were taken out and as far as I know every part and part amount is accounted for. I went straight into assembly until I had to force myself to step away since I have work tomorrow (I was a little distracted today as well...). Ascaso packed the boxes well with protection and ensured no rattling would occur during transit. They even had box shims for the large boiler gaskets to prevent bending. The parts are pretty comparable to the originals so far.









































I went straight for the boiler. I used some gasket maker for the pitting just in case and I tightened the bolts to 15-20lb of torque. I would not go much beyond as I am using brass nuts and they tend to strip if I tighten them too hard. I assembled the steam valves, water inlet, and water level after. Not much to say but during this process the photos I took during disassembly help a bunch plus the diagrams from Ascaso printed out help too. The boiler bolts purchased are SE 6.8 which I believe are grade 2 equivalent SAE bolts. I put a little bit of grease on the valve rods where the gaskets rest.














































































[IMG alt="" data-src=""]https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png[/IMG]https://www.home-

















And this is where I stand so far.


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## mctrials23 (May 8, 2017)

Dear lord thats most of a machine you have ordered there!


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I double dipped. These parts are for two machines!


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## AndyDClements (Aug 29, 2016)

I was looking for the spare chassis and boiler, I was convince it was a restoration where every part is new.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Day 2 has passed. My fingertips are peeling a bit so I had to stop myself for tonight. Lower groups and just about all the piping are assembled. I tried out the rubber feet for padding and they kind of look ridiculous in size but if that is what it takes I'll be ok with it. I had to bend some of the piping to fit them properly. They probably got warped during the cleaning/brushing process. I am dry running my safety valve/vacuum valve on top but I need to go out and get me some copper washers as I forgot to order those for 3/8" ????
















I discovered the tool I needed to remove the bearings from the lever forks. It's called a bearing seperator, and it allows me to dig into very narrow/flush spaces behind bearings and then pull them out like a regular extractor. $50 from Harbor Freight. I love that store. I had to degrease all the parts. It was very nasty to deal with but most of it is off now, with the old washers bearing most of the remainder right now. The old forks were damaged so I am snatching the Zodiaco forks and replacing them with new ones.
















































































On the old lever forks FAEMA is stamped underneath. That is some pride in craftsmanship considering it's not normally seen.


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## Joe shorrock (Nov 18, 2019)

Going to absolutely stunning when it's complete no doubt! You going to keep it when you've finished! I wish I had patience and no how 😂👍


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Augh it seems I ran into my first issue. One of the lever forks I was going to use got bent. It was my fault, I was trying to put on new bearings but did it incorrectly, but the question now is how do I get it to bend back so it fits the upper group (bent one on the right)?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I have the pieces laying around to fab a bearing inserter I was fiddling around with, but my issue is I cannot center the piece supporting the force behind the lever pin as the piston rod must be inserted beforehand. This is because the smuggler rod to hold the piston rod to the fork is only accessible with the bearings removed, and I cannot center the bearing tool as a result.








I worked on the wiring in the meanwhile. I may fiddle around with it but it's ready for testing. I have a thermostat and Sirai p-stat connected to my 1800W element. I could honestly test the boiler if I plug the group heads and am considering doing that. I had a random pipe laying around for the p-stat, but I used a few adaptor pieces to fit the 3/8" BSP to 1/4" BSP p-stat fitting. I plopped on the group pieces just to feel better.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

This was my solution. I had a piece of hardwood that was an exact fit between the lever fork, and using a 17mm socket and a large washer I used my bearing separator to pull in the bearing with success. I installed the spring with my spring compressor after.
























The bearings do not wiggle, but the rod has a little wiggle room by design it appears. I've seen this wiggle in some other Faema President vids so I am not surprised this occurs. I used grease on the outer bearings where they roll on the guide, the pin connecting the rod to the lever fork, and the rod sliding into the group.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Well, I just happened to have everything but the second group completely and safety/vacuum valve assembled so I just simply could not resist putting everything else together for the first time (and also to confirm my wiring fits inside). This is my second restoration, and I learned more from this than I did with the Gaggia Tell. I trained myself how to sand/polish by hand, getting rid of the scratches on the SS panels and aluminum group pieces + feet. I did not feel any pieces merited rechroming so the exterior is mostly all original. I have ideas for the back lamp but I want the machine tested first, and I can add that afterwards anyways.

The machine is not confirmed to function yet, so I have yet to see if everything is sealed up without leaks but I am pretty confident nothing will sprout up. Somehow I am getting through these threads without needing heavy duty appliances like lathes, saws, drills, etc and I always feel a little overwhelmed on where to start for that. I don't even have a proper workbench to bolt down my little Harbor Freight vise, just the crates my machines were moved in and a storage rack. Compared to people like Paul Pratt or Pascal I am but a child still learning the basics (heck I am only 22 in actual age and just started my first post-grad job), but maybe at some point I'll get better. I am still not perfect as you can see with the missing lever...


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I can wait for the new lever forks to arrive but I want to fix the bent one. I would try to make my own wedges but I am definitely not precise enough for what I need, so I am doing this: I am ordering a new table for my coffee bar from a woodwooker, so I requested the person to also make two wedges made of a hardwood to do the suggestion made by people in this thread with the following specs: 18mm high x 55mm wide x 80mm long. This would span the whole space between the forks and be at a low sloped angle (about 12.7 degrees) for gradual application of force. 18mm is the normal space between the fork, and the bent piece is at about 17mm, so not much bending is required theoretically.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I came up with this: I remembered furniture wedges exist, which are plastic shims to stabilize wobbly furniture and place under the foot. I went out and got some for $3. Using 3/8" plywood and two of these shims I devised a method to successfully bend back the lever fork to 18mm. My vise compressed the shim edges and forced themselves under the fork, slowly bending it back as I tightened the vise. 
























I ran into my next issue after that. I cannot seem to get the smuggler pin that connects the piston rod to the fork. I am pretty certain I did not use as much force for the other one and I could get that one in completely. I am not accidently using the pins from the original forks, which have a longer knurled tip, but I am trying to figure out how to get the pin in without once again bending the fork. My original method is taking a rod and striking the top of the pin with my 2lb metal hammer. Or perhaps I am not realizing I can use much more force than I think I can...


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Done, it's assembled. I still need to test it but right now it is a very pretty display piece. 
























I found the issue with the lever fork debacle: I was using the wrong pin the entire time...The original President pins (bottom pin) are very slightly larger in diameter than the Zodiac ones (top pin), meaning it would not fit the side where the knurled tip did not slightly indent the hole. It fit in much more easily. I compressed the spring with my tool afterwards using 75lb zip ties, five sets of two. I screw the piston in such that the zip ties were not taut anymore and I cut them loose. I measured about 5.25-5.5" is an idea compression size to cut the zip ties while the piston is halfway screw on the shaft.
































My other DOH was banging a back foot slightly with the upper body housing. The scaldatazza pipe was preventing me from putting the panels on but I did not see this, pushing it around and slightly banging my previously flawless foot. Oh well at least it's not easily seen.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

One thing I did not go into too much was my wiring method. I use 12 AWG Machinist's wiring (MTW) for my internal wiring and 12AWG 300V SJEEOW wiring for the power cable. I could have technically used 14 AWG since 1800W is within the 120V 15A (albeit absolute max) limit, but if I ever want something with more kick than 1800W I can go up to 20A with 12AWG, though the temperature safety fuse would probably have to go with its 16A limit. The ground is attached to the boiler ring via one of the bolts. To make sure the heat does not affect the wiring I used fiberglass insulation sleeving for the wires going towards the top of the boiler. Since heat rises and seeing from experience it is actually not too hot on the lower part of the boiler, it may not be necessary for all of the wiring on the bottom/side of the boiler, though if I really do make a suggestion put sleeving or wiring that is high temperature rated. This would be much easier to discuss if the USA was 220V standard, especially for larger and hungrier machines.

Honestly it's a pretty simple setup. Heck I could have switched the hot/neutral wiring accidentally and it would still work since I have no fancy electronics on board. I also intend to wire the back panel with an LED light on a separate circuit, but that will be done down the road. This circuit was created in Multisim if anyone wants to make their own circuit. It's free for what I would need it for and I used it in college a fair amount.








I also assembled my own bottomless portafilter from Ascaso. They sell a converter rod to allow the portafilter to accept a Faema portafilter handle (original or reproduction) for something like $3, part F..957. It is slightly short, so I added a few washers and it makes a nice fit. I believe if you buy a reproduction portafilter there is a similar rod already installed for the handle that could be used instead.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Testing has begun. The table may be far out but I want to be sure the President is ready before then. Normally I would fill the boiler from the safety + vacuum valve fitting but that required some sealant as there was nothing on the t-fitting that could compress a normal gasket with, so it's a more permanent setup (or at least I would have to reapply the liquid sealant). Instead I filled up the boiler via the hot water pipe fitting.

The first thing I did was turn on the machine to just below boiling to check if the heating element functions and I wired stuff correctly. Everything passed with flying colours, but I noticed my power switch's LED is on constantly, even if the switch is actually open and not providing power to the circuit. Not sure why that is happening. It's always an exciting moment turning on a machine that has lied dormant for years and is brought back to life.








I heat up then turn off the machine to allow any bolts or fittings to expand then contract from the temperature change and allow me to tighten them a little more once the parts are room temperature.

There was some very slight dribbling from the lower HX pipes but I just needed to tighten the thread a little more. I have paper towels underneath the machine to see if water would dribble from any of the lower fittings (sight glass, inlet, HX) or boiler rings. So far nothing else has decided to weep.


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## AndyDClements (Aug 29, 2016)

Re switch light on permanently: Is the switch the right way round? If you have output where input should be, then the supply to the neon would be permanently energised.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Oh, yea that fixed it. Thanks for pointing that out!


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Well this took a little less time than my Gaggia, but that gave me the experience to go through the President relatively fast. I turned on the machine after tightening any bolts I could find. I found quite a few that were pretty loose on the boiler caps after the first heating so I see it's important I do this step.

Heating up and pressurizing for the first time is an intense experience as in your mind you constantly fear the worst, which in my case was leaks coming from pipe fittings I could not replace or easily fix, or pinhole leaks from the boiler itself. Fortunately all leaks that popped up just needed tightening outside of the upper sight level pipe and the scaldatazza. The latter will not be used so I will just plug it off with a 1/4 cap and o-ring. The former needed some tweaking and will see tomorrow how it fairs, but I am pretty happy all my issues so far have been upper fittings, meaning I do not need to empty the boiler. 
























Also check your HX pipes going into the groups. They will start circulating water when pressure starts so seeing a leak is pretty tell-tale. I did not tighten them enough but they made a small dribbling mess that made me feel fortunate to have towels on hand to deal with the mess. Once those were noted and or fixed I got the pressure up to 0.9 Kg/cm^2, or about 1 bar. The p-stat and wiring worked wonderfully up to now and the machine was heated up fully in about 40-45 minutes, with boiler pressure reached in 20-25. I flushed both groups with lots of water before attempting my first shot. I will let you decide if it went well.














Yes it tasted great actually. The springs used in the President are the same ones in my Gaggia, so I just used my grind setting for the Lido E based off that.


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## mctrials23 (May 8, 2017)

Must have been super satisfying to get that first shot out. Congratulations. Looks amazing


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Third day of testing involved all day duration for the President being on. No significant leaks developed still but I can hear very, very slight hissing from the heating element gasket but no visible water coming out. The safety valve also began to hiss very slightly but it does not affect the p-stat cycle much. When putting the panels on though it increases the time between p-stat cycling by 40+ seconds, from ~1 minute 45s to 2 minutes 30s. Frothing is what I expect from a commercial machine. Tastes really good as well 😉. I have my test bench setup fully near the President to prep the coffee and tamp. The puck when used is quite dry and I am able to quickly release the portafilter without sneezing the group.
























The second shot pulled with 14g of coffee






Finally here is the Pavoni for scale metric. The cup tray is not deep enough to hold the Pavoni front to back but it's still pretty small compared to the President.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Some things I've noticed over the three days of testing.

The pipes shimmered into a lovely copper sheen from the heat from the original pinkish colour. Lower pipes do not reflect this as much but I really do like this colour. 








The duty cycle with the 1800W element is about 25%, where it is on for 60s then off for 180s. Some quick calcuations including start up time results in 0.9kWh for the 30 minute heat up then .450kWh afterwards for every hour. For me if I leave on the machine for 8 hours I will consume 4.275 kWh per day, or about 60 cents per day of electricity.

The drip tray collects water that sits without draining completely into the drain box. I have to take it out and pour it myself or let it dry out. A little annoying but it really is not a big deal if used daily

After a few turns of the wrench all hissing/small leaks are gone. I am pretty comfortable at this point with leaving the machine for a while as if it's my Bosco. The wiring is holding up and I did not feel any hot spots where I crimped the contacts. Inside the boiler with the panels is quite toasty, and cups get warm very quickly on top. You may have noticed I simply removed the pipes for the scaldatazza and capped off the pipe joint. I left the scaldatazza on/off valve for decorative purposes. I did test it and works fine if I wanted to put the pipes back.

The lever groups remind me of my Elektra MCAL, as I cannot 'assist' the lever if it is going slowly due to the piston rod to fork setup. You just have to let it run its course. In fact the lever at the end will make a little 'pop' movement to its resting position as the piston rod puts force on the smuggler pin. I will try a higher flow for the preinfusion as its current state is quite slow. I find it a little odd only two M8 bolts hold the entire group assembly to the frame and I always feel safer with four.

Frothing is a little odd for me with the twist knobs as I always have preferred the paddle sticks. The ones on the President are quite sensitive and 1 turn goes from no steam to full blast if not less. There is a small o-ring that needs to be inserted into the steam wand where the 4-hole tip screws in or I just need to plug it with teflon tape.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I've made about 20 shots at this point, and due to some house projects it's the primary machine for me right now. I hooked up my FloJet for the first time to test the fittings for the inlet. Make sure you can quickly turn off the pump so if there are fittings needing tightening you can do so without too much leaking. It's really simple to fill, just push down on the handle in the front and flick it back when done. Since this does not have autofill I watch the water sight glass more closely, but you are basically fine as long as the level does not go below the visible glass. I intend to keep it filled about a third up the glass and do it before I turn it on, which brings me to the other thing I noticed.

Even with a bigger boiler and smaller heating element the President is ready for use in 45-60 minutes. It reaches boiler pressure in 25-35 minutes depending on water level and through the thermosyphon system the groups heat up pretty quickly with the cycling water. They also weigh less than the Astoria/CMA group by 1 or 2kg. As a result if I telework a lot I might just turn on the machine when I get up rather than use a timer and proceed from there.

Outside of that there is not too much to say besides it is incredibly convenient 3/8" BSP was used back then and I can just connect my water pump to all my machines without hassle.








No sink shots have been pulled so far! I switched grinders to the Eureka and I use the same grind setting for the President as with my Bosco. I just adjust weight by .5g if needed.


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## iroko (Nov 9, 2012)

Job well done, It looks fantastic. thanks for posting the rebuild.


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## ronan08 (Dec 21, 2019)

Lovely what are your plans for it?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

It is now part of my growing collection! It is pretty convenient to have multiple machines if one of them gets displaced temporarily. Once the Zodiaco I have is back together I am always looking for some other projects.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Now that the upstairs room the coffee corner is in got painted I moved back to the Bosco for now. When a new table I ordered arrives I'll bring the President to the main setup. Over two and a half weeks the President worked beautifully and nothing leaked outside of the initial warm up test and post tightening session. The heat patina has developed very nicely in the boiler and pipes, being a very purplish colour now. 








The shop fixing my Faemina shaft got off the stuck bakelite lever handle. I still do not have a bolted down vise and what he did was take a flathead screwdriver and whack the slot with a hammer pretty hard to shock the threads loose. No charge added! Unfortunately the levers themselves are too corroded/gone in the thread connecting to the lever fork without serious repairs and I will be buying reproduction SS levers for a lower cost. Of course the originals will be kept with the machine if I ever decide to let go of it.








Lastly here is a comparison of the three bakelite handles. President on top, Zodiaco middle, and Faemina bottom. They are very slightly different in style but the portafilter handles are basically the same.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

posted in wrong thread, please ignore


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Finally got the back lights added. I used some LED strip lights and 1" OD acrylic tubing to hold them. I put wire insulation for protection from the boiler and will plug separately from the heating circuit. I had to widen the original wiring hole very slightly to fit the 9V plug to the LED controller, which is zip tied to the tube.

As of now I consider this project to be complete and will focus on the Faemina and Faema Zodiaco now ????


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I got two reproduction lever rods yesterday evening. They come from Vintage Espresso Machines in the Netherlands. They did a good job I thought with the machining. There is a slight difference in the base contour that screws into the lever fork and I had to request the levers to have a small filed top to fit the bakelite. With shipping it was €220 total and got here in 12 days.

The thread for the nut is different than the original thread. It is M8 1.25 instead of the original SAE 5/16 thread, so I ended up using acorn nuts with washers as a replacement to the aluminum caps. There is just enough space to fit a 13mm socket to tighten the nuts in the rod. If I ever decide to try it out I will keep the original lever rods for a thread repair attempt but they are pretty buggered and would also need rechroming. Overall I am a happy customer.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I had to do some rewiring due to bad crimps so I decided to also change the wiring. I got TGGT 14 AWG (2.5mm2) wiring, a fiberglass + teflon sleeve rated for 482°F, which at 86°F has 40A rating and at an operating temperature of 212°F it still is rated at 32.8A. With my new crimp tool and a new wire stripping tool it was much easier to prep the wire and make the crimp. I tried yanking out the connection and I could not get it loose even with me basically throwing my weight at it! Just to be simple I did not connect the thermofuse to this circuit just make sure I actually am doing this correctly.

















I went to plug in the new circuit with confidence but I heard a ZAP and both the GFCI and 20A panelboard breaker tripping. Pulling out the plug I actually melted my neutral prong with some soot on that prong and the ground. It turns out the way I wired the new toggle switch was not correct and had a short. I did not read the instructions correctly and I will show what occured.

THIS IS THE INCORRECT WIRING. I AM WRITING LIKE THIS TO EMPHASIZE THIS IS INCORRECT. 








The next image shows the pins and physical measurements of this switch. What I did was connect the pin 5 to pin 6 and pin 2 to pin 3. This resulted in my line wiring to be wired to itself, and I had the switch in the on position while this occured. With no load on this circuit the end result is a short occuring that caused the tripped breaker and melted plug prong.
















This is the correct wiring scheme now that I took a closer look at the instructions. I now need to get a replacement NEMA plug but it's a good lesson for me and I think it merits being posted to show others what not to do.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

After some time since the wiring issues I had, the President is now the main driver where my Bosco stood.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

Well done Ryan. It's simply stunning to look at; a very very nice touch with the modern-day LED's (i salute you) and FWIW don't beat yourself up over that mistake with the mains switch; shit happens...the best thing is that you learned from it, didn't hide from others about said mistake and instead opted to show others how "not" to do said mistake...this gets a lot of kudos from me 👏


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