Steam wand upgrade on Brugnetti Simona Top

[LeroyC]

Well I thought it was about time I wrote this post as I did promise Mick that I would do so when this job was completed. Last July I was lucky enough to purchase a Brugnetti Simona Top in great nick from a CS member at a fair price. My Mum picked it up for me from Sydney's inner west and I brought it back to Christchurch New Zealand a few weeks later. (Obviously I paid a lot less than the price bracket for this subforum, but as it was a $2000 machine 15 years ago I thought the post belongs here).


Already a great little entry level HX machine it had been well serviced and had an OPV set to 9BAR fitted. But the steam wand left a little to be desired. And unfortunately when I removed it the threaded fitting that was left exposed was just a 1/8BSP fitting. So a straight swap for a more modern steam wand wasn’t going to be possible. Obviously it could be achieved by using an adapter but this would’ve ended up looking ugly and would bring the new steam wand down very low and close to the benchtop. So I put a request out in the marketplace for anything anyone might have lying around and scored an old Sunbeam wand off our resident tinkerer Mick. In the end we traded parts and both got what we wanted without exchanging $$. I did however promise Mick that I’d write this post so here it is.


The Sunbeam wand has a non-standard thread, but an internal thread diametre the right size for me to use a 3/8M adapter. And rather than have it hanging down below the casing I ended up getting a workmate to use his angle drill paired with a 28mm hole saw to drill out the existing hole to allow the new wand to fit up in there. So what I have now is the original copper pipe attached to a 1/8M-3/8M adapter that has been machined down on a lathe and attached to the Sunbeam wand. The biggest single cost in the whole project was the $6.50 for the brass adapter. The end result might not quite be super professional, but it looks better than the original wand and it does a far better job that’s for sure.
Pics below.

[LeroyC]

The machine soon after being set up at home-



The original steam wand-



The fitting it was attached to-



The Sunbeam wand attached to the copper pipe from inside the Simona Top via a modified adapter-

[LeroyC]

The hole in the casing after being drilled out to 29mm-



The Sunbeam wand now fitted-




And still practicing, but the best result thus far shows promise-

[kaanage]

Very nice job!
I remember the steam wand being pretty ordinary on the one I was loaned for a while.

How do you find the temperature rebound? The one I used needed flushing before every shot and no longer than 20 seconds between the flush and starting the extraction else steam would come out of the group

[mulquemi]

LeroyC,
Great job,very cleverly done,thanks for providing the images.
As I've said before,saving these machines is easily said then done....how satisfying it is to achieve such success,good on you.
When I eventually get over to New Zealand,I know exactly where to go for the best coffee in the country!
Cheers,
Mick.

[LeroyC]

When I eventually get over to New Zealand,I know exactly where to go for the best coffee in the country!
Cheers,
Mick.

Haha! While I'd love to make that claim Mick my skills are still sadly lacking. Actually I was getting a bit frustrated with below average extractions and milk so I've just done a big stack of research watching You Tube clips and reading advice here and on other forums. And along with that I've been practicing lots. It's finally starting to pay off too. My extractions are now pretty spot on, including through the naked PF, and if they're not I'm making quick and correct adjustments. And even the milk skills are coming along as can be seen by the latte and cappuccino below.

[LeroyC]

Very nice job!
I remember the steam wand being pretty ordinary on the one I was loaned for a while.

How do you find the temperature rebound? The one I used needed flushing before every shot and no longer than 20 seconds between the flush and starting the extraction else steam would come out of the group

Yeah I guess mine is similar. I know my pressure is spot on as I just tested it other day with a PF gauge after giving it a clean. It was bang on 10bar static. But as for temperature I can only go on taste and what I see. I apply the HX flush process I've seen here on CS of <3min, 3-5min and over 5min for different levels of pre extraction flushing. It seems to work well. I don't make a lot of multiple coffees being the only coffee drinker in the house, but when I have guests I always flush between each shot based on that principle.