That's cool - but can the hex screw just easily be replaced by a similar size pan-headscrew, without any other mods? Just making for a smaller screw to interfere with the puck. If so, what is the proper size screw for the simple mod?
Any stainless steel metric 5 mm diameter and 12 mm length (M5 x 12mm) --- just pick the smallest head. You could even grind/sand it down a bit to lower the profile even more.
Update on the screw length for the dispersion screw mod.
Ken (rotor) has pointed out a concern with the flat head M5 x 12mm screw used to secure the dispersion screen. Ken noted he only got 2 1/2 turns before the screw stopped, not a whole lot of thread bite.
Will it still hold? Yes. Will the screen fall out? No. But ... over time and use those few engaged threads may weaken, become damaged or fail - not good.
I found out when originally doing the mod, a flat head screw of 16mm length (same as the stock screw) would bottom out in the screw hole and not secure the screen because the counter sink provides more screw depth. Although I was unable to locate a screw between 12mm and 16mm length with a philips style head, I have found a flat head M5 x 14mm screw with a hex socket head. Ken confirmed he can get at least 5 full turns with the 14mm length before the screw bottoms out. A little peace of mind, one less thing to worry about in the pursuit of espresso goodness. :)
I recommend using the hex socket flat head M5 x 14mm screw.
I'm waiting for my box of screws from McMasters, had to buy 100, so I have 99 spares. Anyways, I decieded to try something while waiting for the screws to come in. I took the original bolt out to the garage and ground the head down until it was approx 1/8 inch thick maybe a bit less. I used a socket to reinstall the shortened screw and tighten it down. I noticed that my shots with the naked portafilter seemed to improve right away. I also noticed that there is little to no channeling and my shots seem to be more consistant. So moral of the story, if you don't have the gear to do the all out mod this seems to be a simple improvement.
Hey everyone... I just want to take a minute to thank JeepinGeo, aka George, for the great idea.
I just completed this mod for my '07 Silvia. I followed George's technique exactly (except I used my hand drill instead of the drill press - just go slow and make sure the countersink is symmetrical!).
The whole mod took about 10 minutes, and it looks so cool. BTW, for those of you who may be interested, the stainless steel flat allen-head screw English 10-32 1/2" is virtually identical (maybe exactly?) to the 5M 0.8 12mm, and a lot easier to find (cherck Lowes!) and fits Silvia just like the original. If you are interested in a little longer screw, then one could get the 10-32 3/4" thread a nut on it, then cut off 1/8" and unscrew the nut th re-establish the thread. I just used the 1/2" length and there appears to be sufficient "bite" to hold the dispersion screen.
Any way, if you are interested in this mod, it is actually quite simple to do... and like I said before... looks so good!
You are very welcome, but as we stated earlier the idea came from Brad Seaman and was passed on to me by Gabe. All I did was spend some time with the tools (which I love), take a bunch of pics (which I also love) and share them with the community (more enjoyment there, too!).
You are absolutely right about the 10-32 being almost exactly the same as the M5. I should know (and should have remembered) because I used a 10-32 compression fitting into the M5 x .8 threads I drilled and tapped all the way through the top of the group (straight up through the dispersion screw hole). Why would I do such a thing? That's brings us to your next project assignment (a mod Brad and I had both been thinking about trying):
JollyGreenBucket Senior Member Joined: 3 Feb 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Rogers, AR Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Gaggia Viva (220V) Grinder: Gaggia MDF Drip: Bodum French Press Roaster: Poppery II
Posted Sat May 17, 2008, 1:35am Subject: Re: Silvia Dispersion Screw
Just when I think I'm done bookmarking your work on here, you come up with that...I'm definitely interested. Looks like it shouldn't protrude far enough to affect the puck.
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