I do have something I want to ask, and that question is: to any other Boema owners, what tap valve did you use? The ones sold here in the US are not like the ones shown here with the little rod sticking out and just have a hole in the middle of the gasket.
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Not much has happened since the last update, but I wanted to let people know the thread size is not 1 1/4" BSP. I bought an 1800W element and when it arrived I saw it did not want to go in deep. The pitch is not correct but it is close to that size. The pitch of the original Boema element is finer than the Brasilia. The closest metric pitch I could measure was about 2.0mm for the former (I will need a different imperial pitch tool as it's less than 14 teeth per inch, the smallest number on my current tool). Perhaps it is just a large metric or imperial thread (to be determined). The boiler gasket appears to be a non standard size so I'll just have to cut my own. I have a gasket cutter I want to try out anyways.
I do have something I want to ask, and that question is: to any other Boema owners, what tap valve did you use? The ones sold here in the US are not like the ones shown here with the little rod sticking out and just have a hole in the middle of the gasket.
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Did you confirm the element as 1 1/4 BSP?
Mine has just failed a 'Test and tag' insulation test at the office and now has an out of order sticker on it. The element isn't sealed properly anyway, so something needs to be done. I think I'll just replace it. I want to get something suited to run on 10amp ... I don't need good recovery time. Keen for any advice on elements and also gaskets for same.
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It turns out the rod that I previously thought snapped off the valve housing is in fact part of the gasket itself! I've never seen this oddly shaped gasket. I am not confident in finding new ones to replace the old ones with.
The brass pieces and fittings also got cleaned up, the pistons in particular came out very well. Some of the fitting threads have some residual old hemp or teflon tape but it will come out easily enough. Also I don't know why but one of the pistons is taller than the other. The seals are the same height but the part that secures the spring are different heights among the two.
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Cleaning day! All chrome pieces got the citric acid bath. It all looks to be in great condition. The dull valve is the hot water valve that is not visible since it is under the drip tray normally. Also note the coarse castings on the groups when viewed from the side! The bores will get sanded as well. I take the hemp twine off after cleaning since I am paranoid as to what the composition of the hemp is, and if its asbestos related the water will keep it safe for me during removal.
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The machine is now fully stripped and apart. The element yielded after another heat-cool cycle. I thought it was a weird 1 1/8" BSP thread after measuring the tapped hole but after checking with the male threads on the heating element itself I now believe it is a 1 1/4" BSP thread (I measured ~42mm and 11 or 12 pitch), which is a very common size
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The valves are in pieces now. They are the same design inside, where a threaded rod opens and closes a gasket enclosed in a housing. One of these housings is broken, where a pin that goes into the thread rod is snapped off. The lever is apart too. The side that screws into the fork is 5/8-16" and I hope to have a replica or original found. (hint hint: I'll buy it off one you guys if you have an extra handle and lever hanging around!)
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I got the frame stripped too. The backsplash is secured by three screws and bracket on top. I thought the backsplash would come off after but I realized two additional screws secured the backplash to the bottom of the upper frame, and the backsplash itself was sandwiched between the upper frame and lower black frame.
The back panel was secured by five of the same screw design, three on top and two on the bottom. The frame itself is actually in nice condition and I will just clean it up rather than redoing it with a powdercoat. The valves will be the next thing to address, they seem pretty stuck though.
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I thought I was done for the night but decided to keep going. I got the last stud off the flange but it was galled pretty badly inside. I had to take a tap to clean the threads. A 3/8 x 16 thread is the size after measuring it a few times. It worked like a charm, and now it just needs a little clean up now. The $40 Harbor Freight Tap and Die set is great for stuff like this. Not sure how well it would work out if I need to cut a new thread though...
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I took the boiler into the garage where I applied heat and penetrating oil to the boiler fittings. The flanges connect to the boiler via massive BSP compression fittings, either 1" or 1 1/4" BSP in size. The hex heads are about 45mm. It took a few strikes from my mallet on the big wrench but both nuts unscrewed eventually. I'll inpsect the boiler for any cracks after cleaning. The other fittings came off without issue. The boiler ring unfortunately cannot come off due to the flange threads sticking out.
Last edited by IamOiman; 2 November 2021, 11:13 AM.
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So I actually went out and got the bigger wrench, an 18" Crescent wrench to be exact. I got all the fittings but the heating element off the lid. I think it will need a 2" impact socket to unscrew it.
The boiler pipes were taken off, then the boiler itself came off. The boiler connects to the group flanges, and the group flanges connect to the boiler frame via two studs per flange. Undoing four nuts allows the boiler to come off.
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