# Gaggia Classic steam knob



## Coffee_Dude (Jun 18, 2012)

Afternoon all.

Following advice on here i am slowly but surely moving in the right direction. After introducing myself and asking for advice, i duly purchased a used Classic in great condition with service history, and have been enjoying the coffee. The steam wand was a pain in the arse, and seemed worse than my previous Baby D wand, despite being the same. After reading around i purchased the Rancilio wand and fitted it this morning. Tada!










Whilst it is a damn sight quicker to steam, and makes far less large foam than the panarello attachment, i'm still not able to make microfoam, but would that be because i'm using skimmed milk? is it the fat or the protein which is the deciding factor?

Anyway, the reason for this post...the steam handle. Is there nothing better out there than the stock knob? It's so bloody slippy. Surely there must be something rubberized, or slightly more ergonomic? or which just has already better grip? Anybody know of anything?

P.S. I'm also still using Illy red/black as i don't have a grinder, and i don't as of yet have a tamper. For a student, this is a mightily expensive interest.


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## glevum (Apr 4, 2013)

Its probably your technique in steaming. I have never used full fat milk, only skimmed and semi. There are some good videos on youtube for stretching and steaming milk


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

I use semi skimmed and it micro foams just fine, I believe it is the protein which gives the foaming ability. Foaming can vary depending on what the animals have been eating Ie rich summer grass winter indoors/hay silage etc. I have the same M/chine and steam wand, I find by just dipping the tip about one third of its length in the centre, and giving max steam this works well for me, towards the end you can move the nozzle to the side to increase the swirl.

To help your grip on the steam knob you could put a coupof elastic bands around it to increase the friction

Hope this helps.


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## Coffee_Dude (Jun 18, 2012)

@ glevum: Yeah, i just need to dial it in i guess. It's good to know that skimmed can be used.

@ El carajillo: I was thinking of something a little more aesthetically pleasing than some elastic bands, but that definitely did the trick.


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

DO NOT screw steam valve down super tight as this WILL damage the brass taper on the end of the steam valve. As the steam valve is non repairable it means a replacement

at approx £32. !!


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## glevum (Apr 4, 2013)

This one is the red asda skimmed milk. Cant get that shiny silky texture on it like semi skimmed but its ok for microfoam i have found


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## Coffee_Dude (Jun 18, 2012)

Perfect!

I'll probably buy a 4 pint bottle when i'm home and then just keep practicing. I only ever do it as and when me or the missus desire a drink, so i'm clearly not giving it the attention it deserves.

beautiful machine, by the way.


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## Mick74 (Oct 7, 2014)

Hi

I sympathise with your concerns about the steam knob being slippery. I too have looked for alternative knobs but haven't found any.

I have come up with an acceptable solution. I have successfully used heat shrink on the steam knob. The heat shrink is available on eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400773511886?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&var=670324266139&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT)

This heat shrink is what is used for extra grip on handles such as tennis racquet handles. When applied the heat shrink is easy to grip.

I found that it is better not to cover the entire steam knob as it can foul the stainless steel body. I have attached some pictures to show this.








The first two photos are the heat shrink on my machine. the third is the heat shrink as it comes.

Don't worry if the heat shrink doesn't feel grip-able before you apply it, it seems to change and become better to grip once it has been applied.

I used a heat gun to apply the heat shrink, I'm not sure if a hairdryer would have sufficient heat.


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## gingerneil (Aug 21, 2014)

You can practise using washing up liquid and not milk - although with milk being £1 for 4 pints, its not exactly expensive. Just put a single tiny tiny drop of washing up liquid into the same amount of water as you would use milk.

As someone else has suggested - loads of videos on youtube.


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## Pompeyexile (Dec 2, 2013)

I have the same trouble a slippy knob.......Ahem!

What I've decided to do is get some of that non-slip matting you put in the bottom of a drawer (cheap as chips in places like Wilko or Home Bargains) cut a strip to size, glue and wrap around the knob. Hey Presto! Perfect grip. If you get black it won't stand out like a sore thumb, but if you want it to look retro there's always yellow or green....perhaps not.


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