# 2002 Gaggia Classic, bad corrosion on boiler, unusual solution?!



## oldtony (Sep 9, 2013)

Hi all, just joined this forum.

Had my Gaggia Classic since 2002. Been used almost constantly ever since.

I've always used filtered water to try to minimise lime scale and have descaled regularly. After ten years though the four holes underneath the shower plate became very blocked up.

Researched how to clean this - nice and easy. Also decided (probably stupidly) to open up the boiler which was very difficult as the bolts would not turn, I had to completely ruin the stainless steel bolts to get them out. Luckily they were very easy to replace. The inside of the boiler was in pretty good shape. However the upper, aluminium part of the boiler had very bad corrosion on the bottom face of it, exactly where the o-ring sits . I bought a new boiler o-ring and to my surprise the boiler did hold water without leaks. All seemed well.

Just over a year later though and the boiler started to leak again. Really didn't surprise me. I ordered a new seal and again took apart the boiler. The pitting seemed much the same, maybe a bit worse. Still, the lower, stainless steel, part of the boiler was perfect. Looked like I need to get a new upper part. Apart from the leak the thing has worked so well for so long, I was loth to start with a new part. I took the upper part to an engineering yard locally in town and asked if were possible to lathe (or actually mill) off the bare minimum of the boiler to make it smooth again. No problems and a tenner later I was going home with a perfectly flat, smooth upper boiler part. With a new o-ring the boiler is as good as new again. Hope this is useful to somebody in a similar situation. Before and After photos below. There isn't a groove in the "after" aluminium it's just a trick of the light.

One probably shouldn't do this more than once - maybe twice. He only took off .56 mm from the metal which was about 1/14th of the total depth but it is a pressure vessel....

Cheers, tony.

Before/after.


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## oldtony (Sep 9, 2013)

Gosh darn it, I thought somebody would comment on my crazy boiler scraping story.

Right then. I'll really stir things up: I use preground red Lavazza!!!! I love it and get a really thick, real, super duper crema every time.

Ha!


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

oldtony said:


> Gosh darn it, I thought somebody would comment on my crazy boiler scraping story.
> 
> Right then. I'll really stir things up: I use preground red Lavazza!!!! I love it and get a really thick, real, super duper crema every time.
> 
> Ha!


Are you mad! Lavazza!


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## PaulN (Mar 10, 2011)

God damn, was about to correct you saying it looks milled not turned until i reread lol

Wonder if a thin gasket could be used instead of skimming the casting?

Looks good btw.


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

Boiler looks good - great to see someone using their loaf. :thumbup:

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 4


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

As an alternative you can use wet&dry paper on a piece of glass or other flat surface.A spot of fairy liquid in water helps clear the paper of particles and helps polishing.


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## painty (Jul 25, 2011)

Nice job, Tony







An Ayrton is a lot less outlay than a new boiler.


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## oldtony (Sep 9, 2013)

I tried to sand it at first but I'd have been there for months as the pitting on mine was very deep (almost 2/3 mm! very very deep)

I don't get the Ayrton reference. Am I being stupid? Unless it's something to do with scraping off metal c. 1994. In which case - ewww.


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## painty (Jul 25, 2011)

Sorry, it's a dated cockney rhyming slang: Ayrton Senner = Tenner.


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## oldtony (Sep 9, 2013)

Ahah, that's much nicer than what I'd come up with, it was about Senner after all though.


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