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Rocket Apparemento/Faustino tinkerings

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  • Rocket Apparemento/Faustino tinkerings

    I've recently made the move from a few years with Breville Dynamic Duo setup to a Rocket Apparemento / Faustino combo. I'm very pleased with the quality thus far, and really enjoy the aesthetics of both machines. However, what I really wanted was the Apparentmento and the Faustino both in Nero/Copper.

    Unfortunately, mostly due to my complete lack of patience when in a decaffeinated state, I was not able to find the Appartmento in the Nero/Copper combination that I wanted close to home.

    More unfortunate is the fact that whilst Rocket do offer the Faustino with the Appartmento styling, they do not offer it in Nero.

    So my hope is that I can set aside the white trim pieces and replace them with solid copper on both machines. This has the added benefit of being more robust that the factory copper finish reportedly is (my retailer told me that the copper is a coating and can be scratched through if you are not careful). I'm hopefuly of being able to reverse everything, if I or a future owner would like to. Having said that, I plan to keep the machine for many years.

    Tonight I opened up the Apparemento to begin exploring my options and thoght I'd share some pictures. Partly in case any prospective owners are interested in what's inside, and partly to give some information on how the machine's styling can be quite easliy updated. I'll insert here that the machine's assembly hardware is of excellent quality and seems to have been designed with ease of servicing in mind.

    Fisrtly, some pictures of the factory options.

    This first image shows the factory copper finish quite well, it appears very different in the other pictures.


    I puchased the version second from the right in the below lineup, and would like to make it look very much like the one on the far right.


    I purchased the Faustino option on the far left, and would like to make it into a Nero/Copper combination with the Appartmento styling cues.



    So I've ordered some 3M 1080 vinyl wrap in matte black, and will be ordering copper plates (sheets?) tomorrow from a local supplier near my office in Clayton.

    The white or copper sheets that are inserted within the Appartmento are 190mm x 280mm x 3mm. and are held in with two simple straps. In this pic, I've inserted a pink sheet of A4 paper to see how long it takes my family to notice.




    Disapproving owl is not amused. that damned bird never is, truth be told.




    The white sheet is relatively translucent, as seen here with my phone's flash as a light source. The mounting straps put paid to my idle musings on whether or not it would be fun to light the sides of the machine with some LED halos behind the white trim piece. I'm sure that it could be done by edge lighting acrylic, and the light source would be quite helpful when grinding, but that nonsense can wait. Perhaps for the next lockdown, if we're unfortunate enough to suffer through another.




    And, for those considering the machine who may be able to take something from them, phtos of the Appartmento's innards.





    I'm a tad nervous about opening up the Faustino and would like to avoid having to do it twice so my plan is to secure some copper sheeting and the vinyl then hopefully get it all done in one hit. I plan to get a 160mm x 80mm x 1.5mm sheet of copper for it but I may go thinner if the supplier suggests that there's no risk of me bending the sheet while I polish it.
    Last edited by Galan; 17 November 2020, 03:41 AM. Reason: sPelLiNg is HaRd

  • #2
    Picked up the copper and made a start today. 3mm sheet for the larger pieces for the Appartmento, and 1 mm for the Fuastino.

    After sanding in 1000 grit


    And here is a piece sanded in 2000 grit next to an unsanded sample.


    After polishing, next to the original finish.


    And three of the four pieces done.


    I finished all pieces but I do want to see it in the cold light of day before deciding whether or not to get them professionally done. I expect that I probably will as there is a metal polisher only a few minutes from my office.

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    • #3
      Looks good - any plans on coating with beeswax or everbright to stop the patina of the copper (unless patina is what you are after)? Not sure if you need to take care with spacers so two different metals (copper and the frame for example) are not in contact in case you get galvanic corrosion... if it is copper vs stainless there is a risk, but not the highest.

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      • #4
        Faustino will prove far more challenging. The inserts are glued.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Caffeinator View Post
          Faustino will prove far more challenging. The inserts are glued.
          Yeah Caff...poor ol Gal has a few battles ahead of him....

          He may not of noticed, But clearly that mysogynistic Owl hasn't taken kindly to the fem pink highlights Gal has been testing!
          Note in the pic how the Owl has sneakily reversed the drip tray insert ! All Behind Gals back.

          Click image for larger version

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          And as if Gal hasn't got enough on his plate already !
          Aw some guys just have it uphill all the way ....


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          • #6
            Originally posted by yilmaz View Post
            Looks good - any plans on coating with beeswax or everbright to stop the patina of the copper (unless patina is what you are after)? Not sure if you need to take care with spacers so two different metals (copper and the frame for example) are not in contact in case you get galvanic corrosion... if it is copper vs stainless there is a risk, but not the highest.
            Thank you for your thoughts. much appreciated.

            I plan to see how it progresses as I can always remove them a repolish if necessary. I did consider using a clear plastic film that I have on hand here (designed for car headlights) but I'm currently caught up in the romance of a completely raw copper finish. Let's see how long that misty eyed demeanour lasts! It does have a hybrid coating on it (sort of a glaze fused with a cleaner wax and a sealant) but it's a product designed for car paint so I wouldn't expect it to last for more than a few months on bare metal, perhaps much less? I don't really know. One of my motives for getting the plates professionally polished was to get their input on a suitable coating. The plates are touching stainless steel at the very top and bottom only, there's a small air gap worked into the design that I managed to retain by closely matching the size of the original white trim panels.

            Once I'm sure that I like the polished finish, I'll remove them and apply a felt strip to the ends to avoid any reaction. I'll also extend the felt strips to avoid any contact with the retaining strap. Thank you again.




            Originally posted by Caffeinator View Post
            Faustino will prove far more challenging. The inserts are glued.
            Yes, my retailer mentioned this but I just can't let go of the idea of having them properly matching! At this point, I'm more nervous about opening the grinder than I am about swapping out the trim - but I am encouraged by the build quality of the Appartmento. And also whether or not the vinyl wrap that I have ordered will match well. I have a painter who does a lot of these kind of projects but things tend to get out of hand once we start.

            Originally posted by EspressoAdventurer View Post

            He may not of noticed, But clearly that mysogynistic Owl hasn't taken kindly to the fem pink highlights Gal has been testing!
            Note in the pic how the Owl has sneakily reversed the drip tray insert ! All Behind Gals back.
            THAT DAMNED OWL!!! It was painted by my sister in law who surprised us last year by flying to Paris for a few months and returning with a wife. I'm not sure how that may or may not impact on his attitude towards the colour pink, but if he messes with my machine again he'll be donating his frame for kindling.

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            • #7
              The vinyl wrap arrived last week so all done now. Before... After... Happy days!
              Attached Files

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              • #8
                Some better pics while I wait for the F1 to start.






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                • #9
                  Looks great Galan...

                  Mal.

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                  • #10
                    Stunning work Gal ...and to think....
                    Click image for larger version

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                    They said You'd Never Make It !

                    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...cX2-xxE8SBZ7tt

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                    • #11
                      Looks amazing! well done

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                      • #12
                        What is the vinyl wrap, and where did you get it?

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Jackster View Post
                          What is the vinyl wrap, and where did you get it?
                          3M 1080 M12 Matte Black 5ft x 1ft (5 Sq/ft) Car Wrap Vinyl Film I got it off Amazon, shipped from the US to AU for AU$34.50. I have no idea if I should have been able to get it locally for less, I didn’t want to spend time on searching. It has the air channels in it, so it’s super easy to use compared to previous older style vinyl film that I’ve used. I had a felt edge squeegee type applicator already.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Galan View Post
                            3M 1080 M12 Matte Black 5ft x 1ft (5 Sq/ft) Car Wrap Vinyl Film I got it off Amazon, shipped from the US to AU for AU$34.50. I have no idea if I should have been able to get it locally for less, I didn’t want to spend time on searching. It has the air channels in it, so it’s super easy to use compared to previous older style vinyl film that I’ve used. I had a felt edge squeegee type applicator already.
                            Oh, sorry, I misread. I thought the copper on the grinder was a vinyl wrap. But I see that it is copper sheet the same at the rocket.
                            I saw online copper wrap, but thought yours looked better. Clearly this is true, because it's real.
                            thanks for reply

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                            • #15
                              I thought that I should update this with a confirmation of the sizes of copper that I used.

                              For the espresso machine, 190mm x 280mm x 3mm was fine. Could easily have used 1.5mm sheet and saved a chunk of money.

                              For the grinder, 150mm x 80mm x 1mm is ideal as any longer than 150mm and you run into problems with clearance for the power switch.

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