Philm Senior Member Joined: 8 May 2003 Posts: 12 Location: London Expertise: Professional
Espresso: Faemina, Francis! Grinder: rocky Roaster: whitmee cc 1925
Posted Mon Jun 23, 2003, 9:02am Subject: Faemina piston seals
Hi,
I am having difficulty locating new seals for the spring lever faemina machine cc.1950 and wonder if anyone else knows where I might look (are they the same size as the elektra lever? if so I can try them) I have tried Faema themselves who could not help and wondered if perhaps small combustion engine gaskets might be the next place to look. Any ideas?
Malaczarna Senior Member Joined: 25 Aug 2003 Posts: 2 Location: Delft Expertise: Intermediate
Espresso: Faemina and Krups
Posted Mon Aug 25, 2003, 5:12pm Subject: Faemina
Hi Phil, while running a search on the web for "Faemina" I just came across your message. Perhaps you could help me with some tips. Walking through a flea market I saw a beautiful coffee machine. Yes a Faemina! After a short bargain I bought it for 10 Euro. I have no idea if the heater is still OK and where to begin restoring it. Would you know where I could find any documentation about it? I am determined to restore it to its original beauty. Any help from you and or other members would be very welcome. Best regards, Andy Delft, NL
I got this tip from a very informed lurker on this board:
hello andy,
your machine is an example of the early type faemina. machines had a long production life of something on the order of twenty years. there are two distinct types: early and late. your machine is a late production early type because it has blue ink on the martriculation plate and white plastic switches. the earliest examples came with red ink on the martriculation plate and cloisinee metal toggle switches. late type machines have different handles and a smooth black surround over the boiler instead of the ribbed chrome one as on your machine.
for advice on parts/restoration i would recommend seeking out a fellow named joustra in amsterdam. he has a business of restoring both home and commercial espresso machines. i have seen photos of a faemina he restored. if you should have difficulty locating him just contact kees van der westen in amsterdam. he should have the contact information for herr joustra.
hope this helps you at least a bit. congratulations on your nice find.
Did anyone ever find a source for Faemina piston seals/gaskets? I am in the USA (SF Bay Area) but would order from anywhere.
Anyone have diagrams for the Faemina? How about piston gaskets from which others might be manufactured?
Thanks,
Seth
Ps: just picked one up for a few bucks over the weekend. It works, but leaks a bit at the top of the group when heating up. Makes surprisingly good espresso- better than the Pavonis, IMO. I don't plan to use my Faemina often, just when my San Marco Type 80 Leva is down for repair. But what a fine piece of design!
The kind folks at Faema just sent me the exploded diagrams for the Faemina. I am attaching them here. They kindly added:
> as the Faemina coffee machine has been out of production for more than > forty years, we regret to inform you that its spare parts are no longer > available from us. The only help I can provide you is to attach the > drawings of the machine, just in case you can reach elsewhere the parts > which you need and decide to arrange the machine by yourself.
I was impressed. I'd be more impressed if I could get exact specs for the gaskets... I'll see if they are willing to help more. If anyone has seal/gasket information, please get in touch.
I still have mine, but haven't used it much. I just received a set of gaskets from an outfit in Austria, after four years of searching... Haven't even opened the box yet to look at them.
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