# Restoration of a 3rd Series Faema Mercurio (Tall Group)



## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I just confirmed the purchase this weekend and I expect it to arrive in a week or two, but I have another project to show. It's an August 1957 Faema Mercurio 3rd series with the tall group. It is in fantastic cosmetic condition and was originally gas powered. I purchased it from a Dutch company for a little premium as a result. There is no heating element and the flange is capped off. Looking at the ID tag you notice the Watts, Voltage, and Phase are blank with an ID number of 12724.

I have no intention of rechroming, just some light polishing of the aluminum group housing. It is 15-20mm taller than the normal housing, and this uses the 180mm spring instead of the regular 165mm spring seen on the Zodiac Group. It also has only one piston seal, and I will show how this group works once I get it as it is really nifty.

I will be having someone likely make the heating element for me and also drill the flange to fit the element or have a reproduction made. I have never seen a boiler flange with the capped off holes in a Mercurio.

This will be a fun project once I financially recover enough to purchase the needed parts and tools...


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## ronan08 (Dec 21, 2019)

That is beautiful how do you go about sourcing these machines?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I just asked some of my contacts I developed over the past year if they had a machine I could snag to work on. This network developed organically and I did not actively seek new contacts. I just found them off chance in my online searches. The seller is actually Dutch and knows Henk Langkemper, a well known La Marzocco distributor and collector. This machine the seller found himself. I have not really bought much from Italy that I cannot see in person since I got back to the US.

With my contacts I have already found the 180mm spring replacement and someone to modify the flange/fab a new one to fit a 110V heating element. I also have the majority if not all the parts sourced.


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## Jollybean (May 19, 2013)

Beautiful looking machine 👍


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Some various updates:

The Rancilio element will not fit the Mercurio as it is too short for the boiler, discussed with Pascal/Chromes D'Antan. I will have the 110V element made instead.

The bakelite is actually brown, and was not shown well on the seller's photos. However he does have a photo of it being picked up showing the brown colour, along with the nicotine splattered machine that has since been cleaned off mostly. The one exception is the lever handle, which is black. It must have been replaced at some point but I already sourced a replacement original brown bakelite handle for a very reasonable price (~£55 + shipping).

The machine gets shipped off today and hopefully arrives here quickly. I have the Harmonized Tax Schedule figured out and should be able to get it through customs easily.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

After a mechanical delay from FedEx the Mercurio popped up on my doorstep today! The box looked pretty knackered but the machine and all the bits were undamaged (at least from transit). Even from looking at the photos from prior I am blown away at how pretty the Mercurio looks. The exterior is in _fantastic_ condition considering it is original and unrestored. I threw it on my dining room table and it took me a few minutes to look away as I admired it.

































































I am really curious to see the preinfusion valve once I start diassembly. I am reluctant to even start doing that but it will begin eventually. There is also not shutoff valve on the bottom like on other related groups.

















Some stuff I already notice: How on earth do I get the hot water wand out if the panels trap it? It looks like they inserted the piping and soldered the compression nipple afterwards! The preinfusion/hot water valve rod has some cracks so this might be the excuse to try out some soldering practice. It still functions nontheless. There is still water in the boiler as well which is pretty funny. I would hate to imagine what would have happened if this shipped below freezing...

























Finally here is the Pavoni for Scale photo.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Big day today. Most of the machine is disassembled at this point. I will go in order to take stuff off.

The first thing I needed to do was remove the steam wand. I saw that the tube was compressed at a portion of its tubing but it needed a little more squeeze with some pliers to get it out of the narrow panel slot.








I took off the water sight glass cover after. It clips onto two metal fittings at the top and bottom.








Next I proceeded to take off the back panels and Faema Emblem. The panels are held in place by two screws each on the front backsplash, and two additional screws each in the back where the emblem rests in front of. The emblem itself is held by one large screw on top and the lower brass screw. There is a second brass screw towards the top that just holds the FAEMA MILANO plastic piece to the brass decoration. Note this decoration is very beefy, weighing in at almost a kg!

















The upper group came off next. It is held by three screws like most Faema Zodiac groups. I had to take out a screw for the pre-infusion assembly on the side as it blocked me from taking the group out. The cap came off via two chromed bolts on the front. I could pull out the upper group by hand with some tugging and confirmed my thoughts that this is only a one seal piston.

















































Here is the boiler with the panels off. You can see the thermosyphon loop running from the side of the boiler to the group via two elbow fittings. There is a water inlet on the bottom and the steam valve connects at a multi-use fitting at the top where the wobbler weight resides. The other side of the boiler just has the water sight pipes. There are two capped off fittings that I could use in the future.

































The boiler has the machine number stamped on it that matches the front ID tag.









I then moved the machine outside to empty it of the remaining water via the gas tube. I can definitely see myself adding a drain valve in the future there or the lower fitting. I worked on the water inlet/hot water valve, but I was only able to take off the chrome portion that is also part of the 1-way valve. Unfortunately I cannot take out the valve even when loosening the hex bolt securing it to the frame due to odd sizing. I know that people sometimes experience issues with it due to scale build up so I still need to address it.

















The sight glass came off pretty easily. It's similar to my President's sight glass where two fittings screw and secure the sight gaskets but without the little springs.
















At this point I started working on the boiler screws. I finally went out and bought a flame torch from Ace Hardware and it appears very effective. I was able to get off all 8 boiler bolts with no snapped or damaged threads! I kept the one bolt that attaches to the frame tightened so I would get the other fittings off securly. The bottom boiler bolt is missing from action so I will need to get a replacement M8 or M6 bolt. I had issues taking out the boiler because the thermosyphon pipes were blocking the way. I had to loosen them _and_ tilt the boiler so I could fit the 26mm wrench properly.

















I got the group bolts loosened but the elbow fittings were blocking the escape route. What I ended up doing was having a second person (Dad) hold the group out so I could fit my 22mm wrench to the elbow head. After taking my torch to everything first!








The lower panels were next now that the frame was getting pretty light. I put it on its side to take off the two blind bolts in the back, and the two screws per lower panel. One of them had a stripped thread but that is the first 'big' issue I have run across so far. I left the lower front panel on as I did not take off the rivets holding the tag and also the panel. I will probably take a flathead and tap off the rivets from the back.

































The sight glass fittings are secured by a square hole, which allowed me to whack my wrench on the two nuts securing them easily. At this point I could take off the front backsplash and gas flap. The gas burner and the boiler fittings were the last thing I took off before calling it a night. I still have to take apart the steam valve and inlet/hot water valve but I am making pretty good progress.

















































Current things to address are the stripped skirt screw, some cracked joints on the boiler probably due to the missing lower boiler bolt, and the bottom fitting on the group that is part of the inlet mechanism.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

One final wrap up before bed. Taking a look at the group spring I saw some markings. Apparantly the spring has its own birthday, where it says 'FAEMA 7 57' on the coil. It is apparantly one month new than the machine (or at least the manometer). Pretty cool stuff.








Here is the flange from below. Pretty weird to see no holes in it. The Mercurio is scattered somewhere on the storage rack...
















Looking at the back of the grouphead I see a flat screw stuck inside. Could this be similar to a Faema curved group where this screw is used to plug a hole if something is missing, or could it be preventing my bottom stuck nut from unscrewing?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

The screw I questioned is indeed for plugging a hole made during machining of the group so it's staying put. I am working with Pascal/Chromes d'Antan for the boiler flange and a replica 1500W heating element. I am taking my boiler to my metal worker guy that did the Faemina shaft repair. A 30mm wrench and 28mm socket are on order for the valve nuts and group nut respectively.

I have been speaking with Enrico Maltoni about my machine. It's complete as I thought and he notes it's the final/last ("l'ultima) series of the Mercurio. He also believes there are four, maybe five series total rather than my previously thought three series. Supposedly they are less 'desirable' than the earlier curved group first series but I am saving that group for a Marte down the road. He does like a Mercurio of any series a lot nonetheless. Maltoni also noted it sometimes occured where brown and black bakelite handles would mix and is not unheard of, which makes sense as the black bakelite is original from that time.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I have a new ultra sonic cleaner on the way that will stop me from starting to clean the little bits until it arrives. I got the hot water/inlet valve off the frame. I needed to maneuver it carefully to take it out as it was close to being stuck on there without unscrewing one of the fittings. I do not want to take it apart as it currently has water scale built up very heavily and old seals. I want to soften them up first before attempting disassembly so I do not end up with a broken/sheared off fitting.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I got the frame stripped completely after deciding to take off the serial tag. It was pretty simple to do, just take a small punch and tap out from the back to knock out the rivets. The tag is a little bent so I hope to flatten it out a but before returning it to the frame. The frame itself is in very good condition. The only true rust I could find was a little bit where the group head bolts on, and I partially think that rust was from the bolts rather than the frame. I might just keep it as is since I do not see serious pitting or rust but the frame definitely needs a serious cleaning in terms of nicotine residue. Any suggestions on how to do that?








































The backsplash is quite grimy as well. Normally I would just directly use Autosol for cleaning up but I think I may need to use something before to get the grime off first, at least for the back part. I'll take suggestions on that to ensure the chrome is not affected.








The boiler is starting its soak. Once cleaned up I'll get the stress cracks soldered up.








The manometer bezel is intact. I think the manometer design is one of my favorites. 








Last thing tonight is looking at the gas valve. Taking a closer look and being informed by a member for Kaffee-Netz I see that it is the same valve used for temperature regulation on the Faema V-groups! Very interesting use for it as I presume it was a surplus valve needing to find a home.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I got my new sonic cleaner, a 6L Vevor. It's quite bigger than my old Harbor Freight one, which I burned up during cleaning the Faema President bits and more powerful. I immediately set about de-scaling my fittings in citric acid. I was able to take off four out of the seven fittings from my steam valve and hot water/inlet valve before I decided to spray penetrating fluid and let them sit for a while. They were really gunked up, especially at the hot water fitting since water likely remained in the pipe after use. Fortunately my sonic cleaner made them nice and clean.

















































For the chrome bits I focused on getting the nicotine build up off using Glo-Joe to great effect. I was able to fit the lower group in the cleaner and at this point for most of the chrome bits they just need a little polishing or are already set. Some of the pieces like the preinfusion mechanism I did not know where chromed until after the cleaning! I even cleaned up the boiler flange pretty nicely. It appears to be iron or steel? A question I have is can I keep the cylinder in the group as is or should I take off the remaining chrome inside?









































Finally, on the preinfusion rod there is a very small gasket, measuring 7x4x4mm. I can likely just stuff it with teflon tape but I am asking if there is somewhere I can buy a spare.


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## PortafilterProcrastinator (Aug 26, 2020)

These restoration threads are amazing, so enjoyable to follow/ read through old ones. Thank you for sharing.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I got my boiler and some bits dropped off with my metal guy to fix up. The powder coating guy is on vacation so I will not have that done until at least 21 October when he gets back. The boiler flange is mailed off to Pascal for adaptation to accept a new element.

I finally got the bottom group fitting off after some soaking in penetrating oil and the arrival of a 28mm socket. It needed my 3 foot pipe wrench to wrestle loose but now I can do a final cleaning and polishing of the inside and exterior of the group body
















The last thing at this point I need to take apart is the upper group assembly. The piston is stuck so I started letting it soak after a heating session with the propane torch. Hopefully I'll get it off soon to start its cleaning process. I can consider myself to be fully in the cleaning portion of this project and since I see what's apart I can place my parts order. The valves use the same gaskets as the E61/President and I have some leftovers from my past projects. The more esoteric stuff is the boiler and group gasket, which I do have a source for.

Project costs from what I am estimating will likely be around £900 with everything including parts, tools, and labor purchased in the process, and that is a worst case estimate. This is still within my personal budget tolerance with the base cost of the Mercurio.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

My metal guy was really quick and I picked up my stuff today after 24 hours. The boiler had three welds added with silver solder, and the cam extender for the water inlet valve was fixed up as well.
















I did some more descaling of some little bits. The valves are now all apart and I am ready to place my parts order after seeing everything I need. One thing I am concerned about is the cam for the inlet/hot water valve is very stuck on the large fitting and cracked on the tip. It appears at some point the rod became stuck with this fitting and the cracks are from someone exerting force on it in an attempt to move it. I bet that is what also caused the cracks on the now fixed rod extender. I hope I get all the scale out and coax out the rod to see if I can salvage it or if I can manage it in its current state.

















































This is the entire preinfusion mechanism apart. I'll explain how it works once I get it assembled again. The group I noted easily accepts an IMS shower with an E61 gasket. I will need an 8mm height for proper locking of the portafilter.

















The group piston is still stuck so I have that soaking still in penetrating oil after heating it.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

My parts order is sent out. The only odd gaskets of the bunch was the boiler gasket and the small 7x4x4mm gasket in the preinfusion mechanism. Brooks espresso/Thijs was able to custom order that gasket for pretty cheap and he sells the former by default. All other gaskets like the valves, sight glass, and group gaskets are still commonly available today which is incredibly convenient. There is no group gasket and instead the group is bolted directly against the frame. My Gaggia lever group gasket would fit however the thermosyphon fittings prevent this without modification. I can cut the gasket to adapt the fittings but my current decision is to keep it original and have no gasket. I have the old gaskets chipped out mostly, using a small pick and hammer to lightly tap the chunks out.

























I've been polishing and cleaning pipes, fittings, and panels up. Of all the body panels I only used Autosol on the backsplash, group cap, bottom front panel, and the lower rear panels just to get rid of the last of the nicotine. Everything else will essentially remain original, even on the inside. The only notable difference I saw in the polishing was the rear of the backsplash. You can note on the photo of the rear backsplash the little holes on the right side where the rivets would go for the old style labels for the massimo and minimo pieces.


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## matted (Sep 30, 2019)

impressive as always!


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## Mulligrub (Jun 24, 2020)

Brilliant work, following with interest.

Thank you for documenting this restoration.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

I love the polished pipes...excellent, well done.

Are you gonna "tidy up" those 3 welds ?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I'll clean them up a bit but I care more about their functionality than looks since it will be covered by the panels. The boiler is currently soaking again as I had more scale remaining than I initially thought. The stuck fittting is also soaking with the boiler as I think there is scale inside the fitting that holds the cam shaft.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Well until I figure out what thread direction the piston is (pretty certain it's right handed/loose ccw but I like to check) I'll try going at it from above and make a jig. It has been painful to get it unscrewed with a leftie-loosie mantra. I spray penetrating oil almost every day, whack the piston with a mallet to shock the threads a little, and heat the thread area with a propane torch, the whole shebang. I do not want to be doing all this effort only to find out the thread is opposite to what I am trying to get loose and am actually tightening it.

I am looking at the clips for the lever fork and they are different from the ones seen on the Zodiac. They are much thicker and are very sturdy. My ring pliers are not having a good time getting them off but that may be due to gunk build up. If there is a different tool that I should use I'd love to know.








I did my best for what I had but I just could not get the piston off today. I had a small chisel that I struck the notch where the c-spanner went and tried pulling after with no success. I had the lever nearly cocked fully and had zip ties added and tightened to the point the spring was exerting almost no force against the piston thread and I could very slightly jiggle the fork.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

These are my notes for the jig I plan to make. I need the jig to hold the group by the two ledges on the sides of the group head one 'level' below where the bearings rest. I took out the bearing guides so I had more ledge to hang off of. The jig top may need to be cut into from a side as the bearings stick out 4mm further than the ledge wall. I'll have some wiggle room with it though if I just cut a rectangular hole in the middle. This is a beefy group so I will be using four threaded rods and 1-1.5" plywood (real plywood not that compressed wood shavings stuff) for compressing the group.

The wood will be pretty thick and I will use fender washers to distribute the force more evenly. Double nuts will be used on the bottom so I do not unscrew anything while tightening from the top. I need start from a mininum of 10" of height since the 7.5" measured contains a somewhat compressed spring already and I also need to include the wood height for the top board. To be safe I will do 12" for a reasonable maximum height allowed by the threads. I am thing of 1' square boards but I believe I can shrink it to 8". The rods will be 3/8" and if needed I can go bigger to be overkill.

I need the center of the bearings to be at least 2" above the top board as my bearing separater needs to fit properly to take the bearings off to access the rod smuggling pin. Once that is knocked out I got a disassembled group. Besides getting the materials those thick c-clips are the thing stopping me from proceeding.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Today was a good day.

First thing this morning I went off to Home Depot to get my materials. The jig costed about £20 in materials. I used the following:

12 x 1/2" Fender Washer
25 x 1/2" Nut (it was cheaper for the bag than 18 individual nuts)
One 3/4" x 2' x 2' BC sanded Plywood where I cut out two 9" x 9" pieces.
4 x 1' 1/2" threaded rod

I marked out the cuts on one of the 9"x9" pieces with a right edge. Threaded holes were two inches away from the edges and I made a rectangular hole with a jigsaw to snugly fit the group housing. The holes were drilled out with the little drill press I have with both pieces clamped together and marked on one side so I would always keep the holes together. Two nuts and a fender washer are on the bottom of each threaded rod with one nut and fender washer on top. The top piece also had one nut and one fender washer per threaded rod.

























The security/c-rings were so buggered they came off in pieces. I have no idea what happened to them but I used a dremel to get the remaining chunks cut off. These can be replaced so it's not the biggest upset. I compressed the group such that I could fit my bearing separator onto the bearings. One of the bearings could be taken off by hand and the other one did not show much resistance against the separator. The pin was finally unearthed and tapped out easily. It is likely not original as the original had a knurled end on a side. In fact my new pins look exactly like the old one. The group is now apart and literally the only thing still together is the water inlet rod and its fitting. Something wild happened with it and it's still stuck fast.









































I used just enough threaded rod for this jig!


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I quickly worked on cleaning the group. The bearings are pretty stuck but I have new ones if needed. I am very happy I have an ultra sonic cleaner that fits bigger parts. Check out the before and after on the inside of the aluminum group housing. Most of the sludge came off after the first cycle but I left it in a little longer to get all of it. The piston is plated and is brass underneath. I will likely not attempt to remove the rod since I have a method to reassemble the group when parts arrive.

















































The rubber stops for the fork were so dry and worn there is a permanent mark on the lever fork where the chrome was rubbed away by the hardened rubber. I needed to drill into the rubber and take a punch to leverage it out. I've never seen this hard of a rubber part.








I did a quick polish of the aluminum parts and at this point I have very little to do until parts arrive. It's just a waiting game at this point.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

double post please ignore


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I ran into something unexpected. Out of curiosity I measured the diameter of the original spring to be 42mm. The height was 169mm and there are 14 ± 1 windings. I think the height is lower than the factory spec. This diameter may be an issue as all new springs are 45mm in diameter. The smaller spring diameter is so the spring does not rub against the preinfusion cylinder, which has to stick out into the group bore to be raised by the piston to open the preinfusion valve. I would need to assemble the group to truly see if there is an effect with the 3mm larger diameter spring, but I am asking if anyone would know if it is not an issue that I use the larger diameter spring (ie a replacement spring) or if I need to either use the original spring again or have a custom spring manufactured. The original spring is actually not in bad condition and I think I could just put it back in the goup if needed.
  

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 [IMG alt="Quotable Quote: Of the t...userpix/30127_45mm_spring_hb8482JT.jpg[/IMG] 

It may be a little difficult to see but the smaller diameter spring can more easily be centered without touching the cylinder. The larger 45mm diamater spring is pushed to the left of the picture in order to not touch the cylinder

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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I've been cleaning up the exterior bits to keep my hands occupied. Everything except for the backsplash turned out very satisfactory. The back panels are really in great condition. The only serious flaw I found were some scratches in one spot. The emblem is also in great condition. I just used a little soapy water to wipe down these parts. The group and drip tray have some scratches but they still turned out fine. I am trying not to rechrome anything since this is a 'survivor' machine to quote car enthusiasts.

































































The cup tray has really nice patina. It's super scuffed but it shows the age in a respectful manner. 















Here's something interestng. It's a knob that can open and shut a little metal grate to allow heat to escape. I think it's for the warming of cups or regulating the interior? I am not certain why it's there.

























The backsplash is definitely the most scratched piece. I am trying to get the best luster from it but the decades of wiping it with a cloth have left many little scratches over time. I'll keep working on this one








The little feet are adorable. I need to still get into the knurled parts for cleanup.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

This is not something I have seen before on other lever machines. I cleaned up the piston spring and it appears to be made of a bronze alloy, phosphor bronze? Really unique stuff and I thought initially the brown stuff was just grime buildup. I don't think it easily reacts or corrodes. I think it was designed specifically to accomodate the preinfusion mechanism while maintaining normal spring specs. I've said this before but the spring is also branded with FAEMA 5 57, which is something I have also not seen on a spring piston before. The spring measurements are 42mm OD, 6.5mm coil diameter, 29mm ID, and 169mm height with 14 ± 1 coils. I am actually going to use it rather than get a replacement as its tensile strength appears intact.
















Literally one thing is still not apart, and that is that inlet/hot water cam and fitting. I am pretty certain there is hard scale build up inside the fitting that is keeping the rod stuck, and there is a groove in this fitting where it built up as shown in the other fitting. It's soaking in the sonic cleaner. I hope to get it apart after the effort thrown into it. Are there any additional tips anyone could provide?


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

IamOiman said:


> ... it appears to be made of a bronze alloy, phosphor bronze.... I am actually going to use it rather than get a replacement as its tensile strength appears intact.
> View attachment 47166
> 
> 
> View attachment 47167


 Excellent condition considering it's age....FWIW i'd be turning the spring 180 degrees when re-fitting....so the cleaner end gets to do some work and the not-so-cleaner part has a rest so to speak. Keep up the good work.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I decided thermal shock was the best option. I took my propane torch and heated up the fitting then dunked it in a little bucket of iced water. After three cycles I could start moving the cam around and eventually pulled it out. The whole cam seemed to be eaten by hard water and suffered damage. The cracks on the tip are pretty big and I am not super excited to keep it as is and may need to do a repair. I presume something like silver soldering is my best bet?
 [IMG alt="Quotable Quote: The whol.../userpix/30127_cam_is_off_hb8288PN.jpg[/IMG] 
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 [IMG alt="Quotable Quote: Never un...userpix/30127_cracked_cam_hb8511RL.jpg[/IMG]


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## ronan08 (Dec 21, 2019)

Oh that looks pretty beat could you get a machine shop to make you a new one maby?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I have reached out to my Coffee Mafia and I have something started in the background. It involves a replica E61 water inlet cam.


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

You could float some nickel /bronze welding rod onto it then regrind the profile. Nickel/bronze will not wear away.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Frame is cleaned up. I chose a grey hue that was close to the original bare metal. You can see how the feet prop up the machine from the front. They are offset since the thread is a little behind the perimeter of the frame and I guess Faema wanted them to stick out if you wished. I am still perplexed why some machines had feet in the back and others like mine do not. The square fittings did not quite fit so I had to very finely file the edges of excess coating for some of them.

























Boiler flange was brushed up as well. You can see that this was welded in on the edge. The boiler thickness is obscenely large, almost a centimeter thick. 








The water inlet cam is being worked on. An E61 water inlet cam will be modified to fit a double valve like mine with a few changes. I will keep the original one in case I need to use it as a back up after a repair. I am waiting to see the results of polishing the backsplash and drip tray but I am considering rechroming them. I'd prefer if I did not need to due to the wild quote for rechroming them but I am not currently satisfied with the current condition. I am waiting to receive some cotton flannel for a final attempt at polishing them.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

As I wait for a parts shipment to arrive I was playing around with the exterior panels and just making sure they fit over the powdercoated frame. I ran into an issue I think. One of the lower skirts will not properly align with the holes that screw it and a shim to the frame, the left one when looking at the Mercurio from the rear/emblem side. This was the same side that resulted in a stripped screw as well, but the skirt will simply not fit any more. Here is a comparison of the other that fits perfectly over the other (right) side.

















Fitting skirt

























Not fitting skirt

























I can definitely see a slight bend in the frame on the last pic and there is a pretty big gap between the skirt and frame compared to the right skirt. I am pretty certain this was not caused by shipping damage as I would see the ding made against the chrome skirt pretty easily if it was the culprit. It could have been the powder coaters somehow dinging it in their cleanup process but I am doubtful. Whatever the cause I now need to fix this issue. I am doubtful a big mallet would easily fix it as I need to be pretty careful on how I exert force on my already powdercoated frame. Perhaps I take a piece of wood and whack that against the inside of the frame? I am thinking no matter what I use I will need to strike/push near the section of the frame where it starts to curve towards the back, in between the two screw holes.

I think I will seek advice before proceeding with anything and I am not in a rush to do this if it means it is done properly.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

Hi Ryan, have you got those "shims" mixed up ?


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Nope, I've since realized the frame took a hit at somepoint when it was powdercoated. I have some methods to approach this though involving a wood template and some clamps to form the frame back. The shims are identical in size and I tried all four combinations without success btw.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Not much to say right now, but check out the water inlet cam. It's being fixed but look at that damage! I have a metal doctor doing this job as I certainly could not do it.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Just a small update. My parts order arrived from Brooks Espresso/Thijs. It was pretty small compared to past ones I've made, but the Mercurio really does not have too many gaskets and seals. I was very pleased to see he was able to custom make the little pre-infusion gasket that is 7x4x4mm for a very fair price, and I got 10 of them since it was €2 more than the 5 pack. I ordered a Mater XP 110 p-stat, and I do realize it may fail after some time due to a high current draw (with a 1500W element it's about 12.5A on 120V), but this is a machine that I do not intend to be my main driver forever but rather a functioning collection piece. I am ok with this and they can be replaced if needed. 








The rubber stops on my group needed to be trimmed a little to fit their slots, but they went in eventually. The group was compressed with the jig I made and I reassembled the fork and bearings. I allowed the spring to be compressed such that the hole in the piston rod was slightly above the normal resting position of the fork when tensioned/assembled. I used my c-spanner to align the hole perpendicular to the front of the group, and it does not require much force. I could then place the fork and insert the pin, followed by the bearings. I kept the original ones as they were in good condition outside of some grime that I wiped off. They were placed on the fork by hand with light tapping from a small mallet. After decompressing the group of course I then realized I forgot to add the bearing guides 🙄 . I have a rasp tool on order to file the 4mm of depth on both sides of the upper jig piece since the bearing guides will not fit otherwise.

































The cam is still being repaired by my guy. His jeweler's welder that he uses for small pieces like this was damaged and he is waiting on a replacement before proceeding with my cam. The bent frame is untouched but I will get to it soon hopefully. Since the new element is the critical item that will decide this project's completion date I am not in a hurry and will be patient.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Got those bearing guides on with some maneuvering. I had to go back after with some polishing again due to some smudges made during assembly. I got some grease applied that I will clean up once final assembly begins for the bearings and lever rod.








I am taking a look at the boiler now and how I will fit the p-stat, safety valve, and vacuum valve. I currently have two ideas that depend on what I can fit since the Mercurio insides do not offer much real estate for space. I can do a Cross fitting with a 3/8" BSP vacuum valve, safety valve, and p-stat with a 3/8" to 1/4" reduction fitting and connect it via the old wobbler weight location and close off the extra 1/4" fitting like the original state.

The other option is to just have the safety valve on the wobbler weight fitting and use the extra 1/4" fitting for the vacuum valve and p-stat via a t-fitting. I have an extra pipe I can bend to have the p-stat fit properly for this purpose. If neither options will work I have some backup ideas I can use, but honestly I will not know what will work until I have the body panels on to see if anything is in contact with them. I also need to watch my height so I do not brush against the cup holder on top. Wiring I am trying to keep to a minimum, but if I do not like the p-stat directly wired with the heating element I can do a SSR installation. I prefer simplicity but if I do use this machine often I can change it over later. The testing phase will definitely just be the simple heating element and p-stat setup.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

The boiler lid work is finished and is making its way back to me. I was surprised to see it was made of brass while I had some work done to it. Pascal adapted a new 110V 1500W heating element sourced from Paul Pratt. There is also now an extra piece of brass welded to the lid to accept an M4 screw for a resettable thermostat for safety purposes. It will be coated again to match the boiler. My metal guy finally got his replacement welder so the cam will be done soon as well. I had to make a small parts order for the thermostat and a few gaskets I thought I had on hand but in fact I did not :roll: . I used Sproparts for such a small order, who is a Nuova Ricambi distributor.

The bent frame has been untouched, but it will be done. Just need to gather the courage first.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

My little package from France arrived with the modded boiler lid, a new heating element, and a brown bakelite handle for the lever. New SS headless bolts are being purchased for the group to frame connection and SS hex bolts are being purchased for the boiler lid. The latter will be M8 x 1.25 pitch and 22mm in thread length and the former will be headless M8 x 1.25 and 30mm in thread length. The boiler bolts will be like the originals in length while the new headless bolts will be 2mm longer.
















With all the bakelite assembled they got polished up. I tried Autosol and it gave back some of the luster as I wanted. I do not want the bakelite to be super shiny as it reminds me too much of the modern plastic ones and I want the bakelite to be distinct from that. The original black handle is on the far left.
















I am looking into getting metal sheathing for the power cord and drain. It looks like my best bet is to look into shower hoses since they are chromed. Another Mercurio from kaffee-netz inspired me to do this as I like the looks.


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

FYI. Mira mixer shower hoses have an 11 mm bore ( just changed a mixer shower)


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Some little stuff as I wait for the cam. I had my final orders of stuff come in, pertaining to the electrical bits like wire and terminals. Since this does not draw much power compared to some 20A machines I can use 14AWG universally. My wiring issues that cropped up with my Faema President influenced some of this, primarily the connectors and tools. This is my parts list for that, note all connectors are crimp type:

Power cable - 14 AWG SJEOOW-300V AC
Power plug - NEMA 5-15 plug 
Internal wiring, hot/neutral - 14 AWG TGGT (rated for about 32A at 212°F)
Ground wire - 2.5mm2 tinned wire with yellow/green insulation
Heating element connectors - 14-16AWG #8 screw size AMP PIDG Ring Connectors
Thermostat and P-stat connectors -14-16 AWG 0.250" AMP PIDG Fully Insulated Quick Connect Female Terminal
Terminal block connector -14-16 AWG PIDG Wire Pin Terminal Connector 
Terminal block connector, for Ground wire - 10-12 AWG PIDG Wire Pin Terminal Connector 
Ground wire chassis connection -10-12 AWG AMP PIDG Ring Terminal Connector M8 Stud 








I purchased a cord grip, and the plastic terminal I intend to use will be mounted on a small block of wood and then stuck on the frame itself via velcro strips so that if I need to service the block it comes off easily. Note the cord grip uses NPT so I just went and got a hex lock nut to mount the cord grip on the frame.
















Something that has been on my mind is seating the elbow connectors onto the back of the group for the thermosyphon loop. I have seals that fit the threads but I need to make sure they screw and are tight at the right orientation (9 o'clock). Would I treat this like I would for a boiler fitting and use thread tape and gasket maker like RTV 106?


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## cuprajake (Mar 30, 2020)

Amazing attention to detail


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I am at a point where final assembly began. The cam is fixed and I had one last weld done on the boiler at my Metal Guy. This greeted me when I entered his shop today, no comment.








One more crack was identified and welded up.








The frame was fixed by bending it very slightly and checking. It involved multiple spots to bend back but in the end we were successful.








The cam came out pretty well too. There is some minor pitting but there will be enough surface area for the gaskets to cover that I am not concerned.
























Getting home I prepped the frame for assembly. I put the valves together first and then put the inlet valve in the frame. It was not fun with the tight squeeze to get it in there.

















































The backsplash and lower group went on next. I used loctite 55 on the elbow fittings and I hope I used enough to make a seal. I had to stop because the next step will suck, and that is aligning all of the pipes to the boiler. The two thermosyphon pipes will be the hardest as I cannot easily tighten them where they connect at the elbow fittings and the pipes can block the boiler from fitting properly.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

IamOiman said:


> ...This greeted me when I entered his shop today, *no comment*...


 Ahhhh one of the few things i really miss about the States...*Dunkin Donuts* (drools on floor emoticon) ....i heard we have them here now; i will have to hunt one down when it's safe to do so.

Glad you got that frame straightened out...well done....can't wait to see the final beast 😎


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

It was much easier than I was expecting to get the pipes on, I just did not realize yesterday I was hitting the boiler with the pipe in an odd spot. Everything went on pretty smoothly after, and I was pleased to see I did not need to bend the pipes too much. I salvaged a pipe for the pressurestat that I purchased from the same person in Bulgaria that sold me my Gaggia LL drip tray, so it still needs to be wire wheeled once I find a position for the p-stat.

















I used some more Loctite 55 on the t-fitting that connects the vacuum valve and p-stat to the boiler. The glass sight assembles very similarly to a tradtional Faema President/E61, just no springs are involved and two modern sight gaskets are needed per side.

















Once all the pipes and fittings were on I put on all the exterior panels to make sure they still fit. In a way they all can be put on the frame, but it was a tight fit with the lower skirts even with the fixed frame, and the top cup holder does not fit the right way (it was like this originally actually). However, I would say it looks pretty nice right now 😎
















It is almost too pretty to keep fiddling around but I will be adding the wiring and test it soon enough. I also misplaced a screw for the water inlet extentsion rod. Can't believe I did that even with my parts organization system. Really annoyed by that but I'll keep searching for it.


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## John Yossarian (Feb 2, 2016)

Brought back to life.

Beautiful machine and splendid engineering all along! Enjoyable read!


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## PortafilterProcrastinator (Aug 26, 2020)

Absolutely brilliant. Really is so much fun following these restoration threads. The care and attention to detail is fantastic.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

You just gotta love that group adjustment screw...they don't make em like that anymore.

Awesome 😎


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## Mulligrub (Jun 24, 2020)

A thoroughly enjoyable thread, wonderful dedication to the task. You should be really proud of the work you have done. This fully restored machine will give joy for years to come. Thank you.


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Wiring is done for the machine. I have the ground on an easy access point during testing that I will move once I am satisfied with the first runs. The little terminal block will be nestled on the frame torwards the bottom, but will be dangling like shown in the photo during testing so I can easily tinker with it if required. It's a simple circuit overall. The safety valve will be switched out with my barbed one after I get the 8mm tubing.

I am nervous to test it as the weak point in this machine are the elbow fittings. If they leak it means I need to take all the pipes and nearly the boiler off along with the upper group to access them properly 😣


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

Testing has begun!

I did two full heating cycles (turn on, reach 1 bar, let it run for 10 minutes, turn off) and waited three hours so the fittings could cool of before I tightened them. I am pleased to see the Loctite 55 is holding up in all the joints I applied it, even the ones I thought did not have enough! The elbow fittings held up very well, and the only serious leaks I had were the valves, the temporary vacuum valve, thermosyphon boiler fittings, and the p-stat very slightly.

Only one pic was taken due to my excitement at the heating up process and bringing the machine back to life. I was able to flush the group and use the steam wand. When I have the tightening adjusted and allow the machine to run idle for long periods I will be ready for the first shot.

I also have a temporary modern M4 bolt for the rod extender on my inlet/hot water wand until I find the original, and it is a perfect fit.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

IamOiman said:


> ...Only *one* pic was taken due to my excitement at the heating up process and bringing the machine back to life...


 One !! ...you are slacking lol...no seriously i share your excitement, that 1 picture says a thousand words...even now after all these years i still get excited when i fix something and by my reckoning i must've fixed 40,000 items over the years but still never lost that excitement/enjoyment/satisfaction.

Well done Ryan, well done indeed. ✊


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

No words right now, too excited. Hissing in vid are the water level pipe compression fittings not sealing right on the boiler.


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## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

What a beauty!


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## IamOiman (Nov 13, 2018)

I got just about all the leaks plugged up, but one unexpected issue was the new barbed vacuum valve I put in. The machine pressurizes properly and the valve allows the air to escape, but after about 10 minutes after reaching boiler pressure it will start to ooze water constantly, as if the teflon ring is not sealing properly. I just need to unscrew the upper assembly and make sure this ring is seated right?

  

I also have some plans to actually use the little feet with my Boema feet so the machine is fully propped up like it originally was. Hopefully it works out well.


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