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Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

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  • #16
    Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.


    Wow, Mal, thats looks like its in great condition. Still you have to lift the bonnet to really get an idea, and even then its not until you try to undo a few fittings that you really get an idea on whats inside.

    Those PFs look like theyve been looked after. The two that I got looked like the black hole of calcutta.... When I cleaned them up, the inside was devoid of all chrome and coffe oils seem to stick to them like sh*t to a blanket. I recently bought a new replacement, which is nice and clean and easy to keep clean.

    If youre in no rush, restoring the machine should make a nice project. Then you can enjoy the nightingales outside whilst brewing a shot due to the whisper quiet rotary pump...

    Im looking forward to the forthcoming restoration journal.

    Cheers,

    Mark

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    • #17
      Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

      Yes Sparky,

      It really is in great condition.... amazingly so I thought! The chap I bought it from said it was a gift from his wife because of his passion for excellent coffee.... Hes a Chef by the way of the name of Gilles(French), at a certified organic only restaurant in Buderim in the main drag there called Samara, above street level. Anyway, he knows his stuff when it comes to coffee and the need for cleanliness and use of high quality beans for all coffee (certified organically grown of course ). Apparently he was consuming so much coffee that his Doc told him to reduce the intake, or else . So now, he only drinks about five or six Ristrettos per day instead of 12 ;D.... the machine at home had to go . Mind you, hes got a great setup in the restaurant that he makes good use of.

      Anyway, the upshot of all this is that he is very conscientious about looking after his coffee hardware and I have definitely reaped the rewards of that, as you say. Yeah, Ive been thinking about the whole reconditioning process. Initially I was going to try and get stuck into it and finish it off as quickly as I could, but after getting the covers off and observing the quality of workmanship that resides under the bonnet, I am also of the view now that I should take my time and enjoy the journey. When its all finished and sitting proudly on the bench, it will truly be a thing of beauty to behold.... definitely going to be worth the extra effort.

      And like you say, it is really going to be a joy to use and reflect upon the niceties of life, such as nightingales ;D.... well, maybe not nightingales in our neck of the woods but certainly all manner of honey-eaters and parrots chortling to each other in the evenings. Will be great stuff. And yes, I am already getting myself organised to produce an illustrated journal in the form of a PDF document.... no sense being half-hearted about this, eh? Anyway mate time for dinner so better make tracks. By the way, have posted up some more pics in a previous post with all the covers removed,

      Cheers,
      Mal.

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      • #18
        Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

        Go Mal, go!

        Java "New toys rock!" phile
        Toys! I must have new toys!!!

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

          Mal:

          I think youve got yourself an excellent machine there.

          I have to say that rather than stripping it down, just do some temperature measurements or simply see what sort of coffee it produces before thinking of stripping it down. If it works well then it may be a number of years yet before it needs a strip down.

          I did a partial strip down on mine, replacing the hx and descaling it.

          It looks in pretty good condition too, no sign of leakage which means that it may have had a reasonably easy life.

          I love the Bezzera machines, as you know, and for good reason. Very robust, well designed machines and with great parts availability. They also dont regard schematics as highly classified nuclear weapons documents which alas most manufactuers do.

          A new hx for my BZ-40P cost $38. Outrageous!

          All the Best,
          Grant

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

            Originally posted by Javaphile link=1153577525/15#17 date=1153914629
            Go Mal, go!

            Java "New toys rock!" phile
            Java,
            Is that meant in the same way as "Run Forrest, Run!" , and if so, whos going to tell me when to "Stop!" ;D

            Originally posted by wattgn link=1153577525/15#18 date=1153919388
            I have to say that rather than stripping it down, just do some temperature measurements or simply see what sort of coffee it produces before thinking of stripping it down. If it works well then it may be a number of years yet before it needs a strip down.
            Hi Grant,

            That was my thinking originally but after inspecting the intrinsic qualities of the machine, I thought I would do a complete restoration and bring it back to as new condition as I can, both cosmetically and electro-mechanically. I think its the least I can do , and the BZ deserves it .

            Originally posted by wattgn link=1153577525/15#18 date=1153919388
            It looks in pretty good condition too, no sign of leakage which means that it may have had a reasonably easy life.
            Yep,

            Its in really fine condition..... just a bit of the lagging between the boiler and the b/box has deteriorated and some of the f/glass cable sheathing could do with replacing. There is a little bit of surface rust here and there on the chassis frame under the drip tray area and a bit of minor chipping of the main covers paintwork. Also noticed some minor oxidation on the motor frame and motor/pump coupling.... very easy to clean off.

            I think an excellent example of the quality of this machine, and other BZs for that matter, is the shear weight of just the main cover itself..... it weighs nearly 3 Kgs all by itself, roughly half the weight of my Mokita including PF . Talk about being a robust machine... and from my initial cursory inspection, the rest of the machine seems to have been constructed with the same objective in mind. I can see why you, Sparky, HV_MAN and other Bezzera owners are so impressed.

            Mal.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

              Originally posted by Mal link=1153577525/15#19 date=1153921635
              Originally posted by Javaphile link=1153577525/15#17 date=1153914629
              Go Mal, go!

              Java "New toys rock!" phile
              Java,
              Is that meant in the same way as "Run Forrest, Run!" , and if so, whos going to tell me when to "Stop!" ;D

              Mal.
              Your tastebuds of course! 8-) : ;D

              Java "Taste Mal, taste!" phile
              Toys! I must have new toys!!!

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

                Hi Mal,

                Yes it is in superb condition. Just a thought, a very simple cursory inspection would be to undo the nut at the top of the group to expose the gicleur. If the machine needs a descale, it should be very evident here. Its also a very easy place to access without any worry about damage. The machine I bought had a bit of scale in here, which was quite indicative of the state of the rest of the pipes. Also remove the group head from the group body and check the state inside that for oils and such. The junction between the group head and group body were BLACK and crusty in mine and Im going to have to bead blast it to get it really clean.

                After seeing the condition, my first impulse was that you should probably run a descaling solution through the machine a couple of times and then enjoy. However, your intention to completely rebuild it will ultimately give you the the peace of mind knownig that it has been restored to as-new condition.

                Another observation is that the insulation seems to be in place to protect the auto-fill electronics from the boiler heat. Be careful there.

                Cheers,

                Mark.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

                  Originally posted by Sparky link=1153577525/15#21 date=1153958090
                  Another observation is that the insulation seems to be in place to protect the auto-fill electronics from the boiler heat. Be careful there.
                  Hi Mark,

                  Once again, thank you very much for those tips that just keep on coming . Yes I noticed that too and since I have a particularly nasty association with glass wool, etc I am going to very careful in removing it. Will source some high density mineral wool sheeting to replace it with once I am at that stage of proceedings, although I will be removing this ASAP and vacuuming thoroughly.

                  Ill do those two quick inspections you recommend too Sparky and let you know what I find. Until then, all the best,

                  Mal.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

                    Originally posted by Sparky link=1153577525/15#21 date=1153958090
                    Just a thought, a very simple cursory inspection would be to undo the nut at the top of the group to expose the gicleur. If the machine needs a descale, it should be very evident here.
                    Hi again Sparky,

                    Followed your suggestion above and attached photo to make sure Im looking at the gicleur you describe. My initial impression of this specific item, is that it appears very clean and devoid of any scale. When I first removed the brass nut, there was a cylindrical fine mesh filter/screen sitting underneath it and this also was spotlessly clean. So, initial condition (under here at least) seems very clean and if as you say, this is a good presager of the likely condition of the rest of the machine, then everything looks very promising indeed.

                    I apologise for the slightly out of focus photo, my humble little digital camera is beyond its capacity of producing reasonable quality macro photography at this size of object. Anyway, hopefully its good enough for your assessment. All the best,

                    Mal.


                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.


                      Well it looks like you scored big time with a well cared for machine. Of course there may be scale in the steam boiler, but Id guess not too much if any. It might simply be worth cleaning up the insulation and adding new isulation to protect the electronics. Maybe clean any surface corrosion and run a descaling solution through maybe three times and then enjoy the machine.

                      I am adverse to pulling a machin apart unnecessarily as it can be a real pain to get it completely sealed and leak proof again. For example, my machine developed a leak around the element and the boiler drain pipe, and that was after three attempts at re-assembly. I will fix these leaks eventually, but they resealed themselves with mineral deposits as they were only small. Still, in my mind the job wasnt done properly and needs to be attempted again.

                      I spoke to Chris at Barazi today and he asked me if I could help you out with the steam wand conversion, as I have the same machine as you. I dont mind doing this, so Ill have a look at the steam unit and get back to you with respect to its compatibility with the existing units.

                      Cheers,

                      Mark.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

                        Originally posted by Sparky link=1153577525/15#24 date=1154059962
                        I am adverse to pulling a machin apart unnecessarily as it can be a real pain to get it completely sealed and leak proof again. For example, my machine developed a leak around the element and the boiler drain pipe, and that was after three attempts at re-assembly.
                        Hi Mark,

                        Yes, I agree with you on that score... My intention is to only remove that which is necessary to get down to a bare chassis, in order to bead-blast, prime and repaint.... Ditto for the main cover, the insulation as you have already mentioned and then anything else as is dictated by existing condition. Ill give the system a thorough going through with mild, warm citric acid wash and see how that turns out. If copious, unending amounts of scale are being extracted, then I will give consideration to opening the boiler and become a bit more aggressive. In the main though, it is just my desire to ensure that everything is in as good a condition that is both practical and possible for to attempt.

                        Originally posted by Sparky link=1153577525/15#24 date=1154059962
                        I spoke to Chris at Barazi today and he asked me if I could help you out with the steam wand conversion, as I have the same machine as you. I dont mind doing this, so Ill have a look at the steam unit and get back to you with respect to its compatibility with the existing units.
                        Really appreciate your help with this Mark . I have heard back from Chris at Barazi and sent him some photos of the machine so that he knows what hes dealing with. I was also hoping to grab copies of Assembly Drawings, and Schematics for the Hydraulic and Electrical systems. Do you have copies of these at all Mark, or do you know whether Chris has any? It would be really handy to have instead of working blind, as it were, so that I can ensure that everything is up to spec.

                        This is definitely becoming a very interesting exercise for me, and am really keen to make a start but until I have as much info as I can get hold of, will have to just keep the reigns held in for a while. Cheers mate,

                        Mal.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

                          Mal:

                          All the schematics are available on the website for barazi here in Australia or on the Bezzera italy website.

                          I was looking at them as I read your thread on the BZ-35 yesterday.

                          Grant

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

                            Hi Grant,

                            Yes mate, I have seen the links there and downloaded what I could, but the documents available mostly only refer to the newer machines such as yours..... I think my style of machine pre-dates yours by quite a bit. I imagine though, that Bezzera or Barazi have access to the documentation for the older machines and its just a matter of finding out how to get copies of them and requesting their assistance.

                            Cheers,
                            Mal.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

                              Mal:

                              I had a closer look and see what you mean now. The conductive bridge of the newer ones is quite different and hence the lagging on the one your have as otherwise the group would run too cool. On the newer ones there is no lagging. My electronics box is under the boiler (a bad location) although I have been OK so far, except when I was messing with it when I first got it and was fixing it up.

                              Anyway, it good coffee is the name of the game. I plumbed mine in with a double cartridge system. Water softening is important but it will run from a tank as Sparky has said. When I descale (Ive only done it once), I disconnect from the mains and run citric acid solution through it from a container.

                              Ive got a lot of pleasure out of my machine and it seems hard to imagine the kitchen without it now.

                              Enjoy,

                              Grant

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Announcing new member of the Bezzera Club.

                                Great, Mal
                                i was recently given an old bezzera 2 group- looks like it could be a similar era- if so id be interested as to what that era is- came out of a family members coffee shop
                                inside is very similar- had a leaky boiler seal which pedro from coffee parts recommended covering in sikaflex until i really need to replace it
                                thinking of insulating the boiler with ceramic fibre to keep running costs down
                                man, does it do a good job though!
                                brett

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