back to basics - gaggia classic

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back to basics - gaggia classic

Postby dsc » Wed May 23, 2012 9:28 am

Hi gents,

years ago I used to have a small, domestic machine, which made decent espresso and allowed me to make the best frothed milk ever (with a custom made steam wand). It was the Gaggia Classic, tiny thing, but good enough to do what I wanted. Over the years I've upgraded all the way to a massive monster of a machine in the form of the Elektra, but due to the limited amount of espressi drank by myself I had to pack it up (and try to sell it).

Anyways, to cut the long story short, I've just got a used Gaggia Classic of ebay, for an astonishing price of £50. Haven't got it yet, but apparently it's in good condition and works as it should. I will strip it down and plan to change a few bits like shower screen, gaskets etc. Also planning to swap the steam wand for the Rancilio Sivlia model, mount a PID etc.

The question is: where to get spares for a machine like Gaggia? coffeehit doesn't have much and it's been a while since my last espresso-machine-spare-parts-shopping-spree.

Regards,
dsc.
"This week I are mostly...trying to build a grinder..."

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Postby quink » Wed May 23, 2012 3:51 pm

I recently purchased some items for my Silvia from Happy Donkey, and I can tell you that they stock the steam wand your after.
They may welll have the screen and seals your after as well.
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Postby lukas » Wed May 23, 2012 7:30 pm

If you don't find anything in the UK, let me know. I believe some german shops are still sellings spares for the older Gaggias.
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Postby dsc » Thu May 24, 2012 10:13 am

Yup, happydonkey has everything I need me thinks. Thanks for the offer Lukas, I will keep that in mind in case I need something which is unavailable here.

Regards,
dsc.
"This week I are mostly...trying to build a grinder..."

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Postby RobC » Sun May 27, 2012 9:06 pm

http://www.gaggia.co.uk/

The spares link is broken but you could ask if they have anything you need
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Postby petikas » Mon May 28, 2012 11:55 am

With the help of Google Translate, I bought everything I needed from http://www.espressoxxl.de
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Postby dsc » Mon May 28, 2012 10:00 pm

Got the box and it's almost dead:( when I turn the pump on the group barely drips, I got 100ml in 30s which is way low. My guess is the vibe pump, or a stuck three way valve although I didn't check for return to the tank whilst running. Any ideas? I can pull everything to bits, but first I want to know what the seller is going to say as it was advertised as full working order. I know 50 quid is not a lot for a machine, but a new vibe is 30, new steam wand is 30 + NPF and other minor spares and I'm getting into the 150 range:(

Regards,
dsc.
"This week I are mostly...trying to build a grinder..."

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Postby CakeBoy » Tue May 29, 2012 12:03 am

That is not good :(

Even if the seller is reasonable about it, you are still looking at over £100 and your time. You must be so disappointed. Sorry to hear that mate.
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Postby dsc » Tue May 29, 2012 7:06 am

Yeah, I'm not a happy bunny. The problem is I'm not sure what is wrong with the machine, it might be the pump, it might be the three way valve, might be internal tubing, scale etc. It needs fault finding which I'd be ok with, but I'm working long hours for the next couple of months and the last thing I want when I come back home is stripping an espresso machine and looking at why it doesn't want to pump water.

Regards,
dsc.

EDIT: had a re-think and thought, what the hell? I used to rebuild commercial machines and I'm worried that my £50 Classic doesn't want to work? man I guess I'm getting old:) I will try and make some sort of deal with the seller, but I'll keep the machine and strip it down, do a full descale on an open boiler, change the gaskets / o-rings etc, put a new steam wand on, add a PID and give the case a brushed look. Should be fun:D
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