# Pimp my Macap / la scala



## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Sooooo having resisted a rebuild for at least 2 months it was time to find something to pimp - having spotted a la Scala (rebadged Macap MX) looking sorry for itself I put in an offer of £60 and it was accepted. I need a grinder for work so this should fit the bill.

After doing a bit of research before bidding I found the Macap mx is a 65mm flat burr grinder running at 1400rpm - so basically mazzer size and spec retailing for £450 on a number of sites - is it a mazzer - no but has a 360w beefy motor so should run on for a long time-

this is it as it arrived before the strip down


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

I just know this is gonna be great!


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Stripdown - this took just 90mins start to finish - even proceeding with caution as there is very little strip down info out there, it was easier than any of the other grinders ive done - Mazzer, Rossi, Iberital.

First off with the upper burr carrier - its a 80 hole stepped adjustment with each being about 4 degrees of adjustment - from experience with a 80 step Rossi this for me was fine enough









Under the burrs as expected the perfect ring of stale coffee. The Burr carrier thread has a little play in it so on reassembly will have a little PTFE added.

The surprise in removing the burrs and looking to see if the were genuine Macap ones was finding this


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Sooo some further research into Burr size - what else are Saturday nights for? - the mazzer burs are 64mm x 37mm x 8.4mm and the correct ones for a Macap MX are 65MM x 38mm x 8.5mm

This may explain some of the coffee retention under the burrs as the wrong size was fitted - which is ok as they are quite worn anyway and need replacing - having said this every grinder I have bought todate has had coffee under the burrs as there is always a little gap on the inner edge - anyone ever found a reason for this?


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Micro granules if coffee get absolutely everywhere, it happens on pretty much all grinders, you should fit the stepless wormscrew mechanism, it makes a big difference to this grinder


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

coffeechap said:


> Micro granules if coffee get absolutely everywhere, it happens on pretty much all grinders, you should fit the stepless wormscrew mechanism, it makes a big difference to this grinder


Thanks coffeechap , I looked into the cost £45 for the parts - at the moment the grinder will be for pour over or French press as its for use at work - but will probably upgrade it when funds allow.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

la scala strips down continues

The doser glass and plastic dosing control just require a couple of screws to remove the glass then undo the doser spindle nut and lift off the adjuster and plastic vanes

This leaves the question of how the doser is attached to the body as no no bolts are visible inside the doser chamber as with a mazzer, so time to look inside









The base comes off with just a few screws









here can be seen the single hex bolt holding the doser onto the body


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

This bolt was a pain to undo and quite stiff

After removal it could be seen that the grinder body it passed through was an interference fit .


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## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

When rebuilding the grinder, it's worthwhile fitting a new starter capacitor.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

espressotechno said:


> When rebuilding the grinder, it's worthwhile fitting a new starter capacitor.


Thanks for the tip, the machine is just 7 years old and the capacitor is so easy to access I might stick with the old one as its going to have light use from me. Having said that I've got to get the right burrs, so I may just slip one on the order.

Just a quick question @espressotechno do you often find the wrong burrs fitted in machines you see?


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

I fitted different burrs to one grinder on purpose. My perception was that they were better

In view of the love for Mazzer could this be true of those you have?

Clearly there are a number of factors such as exact size to take into consideration but I admit that the distribution charts that I have seen for the Mahlkönig K30 make that a tempting option even if it means drilling and tapping new mounting holes. The price is less appealing however.

Just my view and I am not suggesting you consider these


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

macap doser stripdown

usually to date this has been one of the tricky parts of a grinder teardown however this could not have been simpler

1 remove plastic cover under doser









2 remove spindle pin - taps out using a nail easy peasy









then cog spring and doser lever just lift out !









Just a quick mention here in credit to the engineering involved - the cog and advance leverhave two spring loaded cams that give a really nice smooth and direct operation of the mechanism - top draw for engineering solution. and for anyone like me who has had the palava of removing a mazzer lower star this made a welcome change.


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## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

No- haven't found any misfits: Usually the old burrs are the originals (!).

PS: Macap recommend new burrs after 400-500 kg of beans.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Anyone got a pair of old k30 65 mm burrs, I am now curious if they would fit?

update - they wont - k30 are fitted with 2 screws not three - still would like to try at some point .....


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

soo polishing polycarbonate, having priced possible replacement doser lens at £43 - hmm why not just polish the old one and glue the cracks - so with a quick application of super glue and then polishing with a kit I bought years ago to polish plastic car parts - 3 mops and 3 grades of polish I set to it. Some of the scratches are quite deep so it took an hour or so with my pilar drill running at 750rpm (the trick is to avoid any build up of heat or you deform or melt the surface) - the results are not perfect but look a whole load better.

first one before starting - you can see the general skating rink effect















the finished lens - this then had a quick polish with brasso to finish it off.


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

You've got skills.

And patience.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Doser base polish - the base of the doser is an alloy that has scratches and dings - the refurb consisted of 600 grit wet and dry paper followed by 1200 grit followed by a medium buff. I was not keen to make it too shiny a surface as it would mark again quickly in use

before


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Star Trek portafilter holder thing polish up - I don't know quite why Macap designed the portafilter holder like this, but I'm guessing someone was a trekkie


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## MSM (Mar 12, 2015)

Did you use the same wet and dry papers to polish the portafilter holder?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

MSM said:


> Did you use the same wet and dry papers to polish the portafilter holder?


Hi MSM - I just used some 600 then 1200 grit wet n dry to remove the light surface scratches then polished with fine buffing compound - autosol is pretty good as a final polish or Brasso.


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## MSM (Mar 12, 2015)

Thanks, I really should give it a try and smarten up some of my scuffed equipment.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Wet and dry available from screwfix and toolstation or fleabay , I think toolstation is best value.

mind you be careful once you do one bit the rest will follow - but there is great satisfaction, like a 3d jigsaw that once reassembled is worth more than it was, looks great and makes fantastic coffee (most of the time)


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

*"Paint It Black" *I see a red door and I want it painted black

No colors any more, I want them to turn black

I see the girls walk by, dressed in their summer clothes

I have to turn my head until my darkness goes..............









the only soundtrack to respray a macap to while using procoat undercoat and satin black - I have to say that this paint is tough, probably because its a satin finish so less fragile? anyway

flattened the old surface with 400grit wet and dry, filled the dings and chips with holts filler, flattened them down after 60 min with more 600grit. Next spray of undercoat then gently flatten again to provide a key for the black, Then its time to paint it black.









its in my head now


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

some more pics


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## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

Where are you buying the procote from please @jimbojohn55?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Painting+%26+Decorating/d150/Spray+Paints/sd2737/Industrial+Spray+Paint+500ml/p48953

just scroll down to the satin black

cheers Jim


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> *"Paint It Black" *I see a red door and I want it painted black
> 
> No colors any more, I want them to turn black
> 
> ...


It's in mine too now!!


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## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

jimbojohn55 said:


> http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Painting+%26+Decorating/d150/Spray+Paints/sd2737/Industrial+Spray+Paint+500ml/p48953
> 
> just scroll down to the satin black
> 
> cheers Jim


Thanks Jim. - would you opt for a lacquer?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Jacko112 said:


> Thanks Jim. - would you opt for a lacquer?


Hi Jacko - I wouldn't - I have used them in the past - clear satin topcoat, but they tended to change the colour slightly so if it chipped or scratched it became more obvious. With just the black satin you get better protection.

update - I should have said the trick is a few coats - sand very lightly between them 600 grit or finer and wipe the dust off with some meths or alcohol on a cloth - not essential but it helps.

c


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

coat 2 and coat 3 - light sand between coats


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Macap Burrs - Thanks as always to espresso solutions for the bargain £19 burrs - the quality looks a lot better than I thought or expected.

Early on in the rebuild I was surprised to find that the burrs that were fitted were mazzer 64mm burrs and not the 65mm ones that it should have had - anyway here are some reasons that the correct size matters even just 1mm







Correct Burrs - the holes line up







Mazzer Burrs - holes don't line up causing wonky screws!







Correct Burrs perfect interference fit into the carrier







Wrong the 1mm lets the burrs move around when fitting causing misalignment.

Don't get me wrong Mazzer Burrs are great quality, but they don't sell a 65mm version so its on with the new (compatible) ones which actually look pretty similar and espresso solutions tell me that they wear a lot better than genuine Macap burrs.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Last paint coat on - then left to fully harden for 48hrs - well almost -







quick modelling shot - in daylight

Next to add the motor and grind chamber - one of the issues with this grinder was that coffee had worked its way inside it, so a quick bead of silicon around the mating surfaces before bringing them together to seal the top.


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## Rom (Jan 20, 2017)

Nice work

p.s I've got 'Talking Heads - Psycho Killer' stuck in my head


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Rom said:


> Nice work
> 
> p.s I've got 'Talking Heads - Psycho Killer' stuck in my head


Music to fit new Byrne burrs to !


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Next to seal the gap between the doser lens and the body to prevent ingress of coffee - I cant find any gaskets or seals on the spare parts diagrams does anyone know if something was fitted when new, it would seam odd to not have something there.

- I got out my "camera seal kit" a few quid off ebay and it provides a range of different thickness seals for keeping the light out of the back of cameras or in this case the coffee out of your grinder. easy to apply and a good long term solution.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Refitting the upper burr carrier - the carrier as fitted has a tint amount of movement between the threads, letting the carrier rock slightly, not a good thing so I added two turns of ptfe tape to the threads and now its much more solid and turns smoothly.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

First run and it sounds quite smooth - the phone video makes it sound terrible - but in reality its just a nice hummmm -











and then clean up the base before refitting - because ..... well it needed it...... and well.... shiny


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Macap progress slowed down this week as I've been up in Edinburgh assisting my daughter in a house move and a lengthy trip to Ikea...

A quick go on the lathe produced a wooden hat for the doser - I went with a bigger radius on the corners than usual to compliment the Macaps curves - I'm in two minds if it suits it.

and then the issue of the hideous plastic tamper designed at 57mm to be easy to use in commercial chains as it will fit all baskets !! WTF - it was never going to go back on, so its just a case of cutting down some SS m5 dome head bolts to fit the holes left by the tamper mounts.


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## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

I love reading these threads. Looks really good Jon


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Macap Photo hood hopper - having used and made several photo R lens hoods for Mazzers - the idea is to do the same on the macap - problem is the size of the opening is 69mm not the 60mm as with a mazzer - however lens hoods come in different sizes for different cameras and a *67mm Photo R lens* hood is a thing ............. and it fits -all that needs doing is the metal threaded ring in the hood is reversed and it then it can be pressed in place - win


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

All finished - added a hopper lid with the same curve as the doser lid - and its done - nice and quiet in operation, great motor, new burrs and cheaper than a SJ to purchase, well I say that but I got lucky with a sj the other day - I think this one (macap) will head for work if the H&S police don't object.

before and after







haha - looks like the doser is leaning - but is just the fisheye lens on the phone


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## tAClue (Jul 6, 2017)

Just brilliant. Just the sort of thing that makes me smile. Something sorry being made better than when new. Well done @jimbojohn55.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Just to say - its been doing stirling work at the office by increasing caffeine consumption - as predicted by a member previously I needed to replace the capacitor 10uf for £8 and its been running faultlessly ever since.


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## coffeefalafel (Apr 26, 2015)

Really nice job, looks great now.

Detail refurb threads are always fun to read


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## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

Great job - well done!


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## M4xime (Feb 16, 2015)

Amazing stuff and very inspirational!


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## Ben S (Jun 28, 2021)

@jimbojohn55 Amazing work, thank you for posting. Is that leans hood hopper metal or is it collapsible rubber/silicone?

Cheers, Ben


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