CoffeeGeek - Espresso: Espresso Mods and Restorations, V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

Espresso: Espresso Mods and Restorations
V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

Italian Biscotti Cookies

Premium artisan quality Italian Biscotti cookies. Many flavors!
www.espressozone.com

Not Logged in:

updated topics	new posts	new unanswered
search	faq	sign up

Discussions > Espresso > Espresso Mods > V3 Silvia wand...

view previous topic | view next topic | view all topics

showing page 2 of 7

first page | last page

previous page | next page

Author

Messages

amb
Senior Member

Joined: 17 Aug 2009
Posts: 19
Location: New England
Expertise: I live coffee

Posted Wed Apr 13, 2011, 11:56am
Subject: Re: V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

amb Said:

(The Rancilio wand's M18x1.5 female threads are workably close the 3/8"NPT and the pipe's M10x1.0 threads are workably close to ~~1/4"NPT~~.) You can get Watts part numbers from the post above, but any plumbing place or hardware store or whatever can sell you a 1/8" to 3/8" hex bushing and 1/8" nipple (all NPT), which is what you need.

Posted January 17, 2011 link

The bit I've put in bold there is actually wrong; the M10x1.0 threads are workably close to 1/8" NPT, not 1/4. (1/8" NPT is 27tpi with a final diameter of 10.3mm, which works well enough to get some engagement into the 10mm 25.4tpi hole.) All of the following stuff about using 1/8" NPT hardware is thus correct; no 1/4" NPT threads are involved at all.

Anyway, three months on, and I still like it a lot though I'm worried about ultimate fatigue failure of the copper tubing now that it's being pushed around quite a bit more. Still, my other Coffee Deluxe will be getting the same treatment.

Aden
Senior Member

Joined: 25 Sep 2011
Posts: 7
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Expertise: I love coffee

Posted Fri Oct 7, 2011, 9:12am
Subject: Re: V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

amb Said:

I've already got plans going to replace the NPT mess with properly fitting and easily available metric parts, but we'll see how that goes.

Posted January 17, 2011 link

Thanks for posting this very thorough description of the Silvia V3 steam wand mod. I've performed the mod with the V1 wand and found it to be dead simple. No longer have that machine, but recently picked up another Classic and I'm ready to rumble!

So did you score the proper metric parts, and can you please provide a source, part numbers, etc.? I'll gladly do the surgery with NPT parts if nec. (hey, it works...), but might as well go with the proper metric bits if at all possible.

Again, many thanks for sharing your experience; it is appreciated!

spi8a
Senior Member

Joined: 30 Oct 2011
Posts: 1
Location: Greece
Expertise: I live coffee

Posted Mon Jan 30, 2012, 3:51pm Subject: Re: V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

does this mod work on a gaggia baby twin and can the specific machine wear this wand

amb
Senior Member

Joined: 17 Aug 2009
Posts: 19
Location: New England
Expertise: I live coffee

Posted Mon Jan 30, 2012, 9:57pm
Subject: Re: V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

Aden Said:

So did you score the proper metric parts, and can you please provide a source, part numbers, etc.? I'll gladly do the surgery with NPT parts if nec. (hey, it works...), but might as well go with the proper metric bits if at all possible.

Posted October 7, 2011 link

I've run into a bit of a roadblock on that, unfortunately. I've been able to find *almost* the right thing on a couple of different fronts, but haven't found a m18 to m10 bushing, which I would really think should not be that hard to find, even from US suppliers.

I have noticed that M18x1.5-to-1/8npt bushings are made for fuel transducer applications (example: http://www.egauges.com/vdo_indA.asp?PN=R7965 ), which is half the battle--you could use that with the 1/8" nipple. Alternatively, m18x1.5 plugs are easy to find in brass, and tapping one out and using an m10x1.0 nipple ought to work. Both M10x1.0 and M18x1.5 are also common threads in the automotive world, but much of the aftermarket for that sort of thing is aimed at cost-no-object racers who are willing to buy one adapter for more than my espresso machine is worth.

My current actual plan for this is to cut the copper tubing shorter and then probably do something along the lines of a flare fitting to connect it directly to a drilled-out m18 brass plug. Which on the one hand is not nearly the plug-and-play solution I'd hoped for, but would at least allow one to skip the gyrations I went through to shorten the tube in place.

Again, many thanks for sharing your experience; it is appreciated!

Sure thing! For what it's worth, the kludge pictured above with NPT parts has been perfectly functional and in daily use since I first put those pictures up, and still no trouble!

PS: no clue either way about the Baby Twin here, sorry!

tegee
Senior Member

Joined: 29 Feb 2012
Posts: 47
Location: New England
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Brewtus IV-R
Grinder: Baratza Vario

Posted Wed Mar 7, 2012, 3:35pm Subject: Re: V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

AMB...... Now that you have your Gaggia Silvia V3 steam wand MOD how do you feel it is working? What changes do you feel you may have made differently? Do you have an official parts list that you can provide so I can do the MOD vs. the Silvia V2 wand? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks and look forward to your reply.........

midwestnowaves
Senior Member

Joined: 8 Aug 2012
Posts: 7
Location: Kansas City
Expertise: I love coffee

Posted Fri Aug 10, 2012, 8:58am Subject: Re: V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

So swapping out the Gaggia Classic stock wand for a Silvia v2 is v. easy? I'd love to do this, but fear it because I am the least handy person of all time (in fact, if there was an Olympic event for crap home improvements, I'd win gold every time). Could you kindly post instructions for installing the v2 wand on the Classic? Many thanks.

D4F
Senior Member

Joined: 15 Mar 2012
Posts: 1,191
Location: USA
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: Gaggia Classic PID
Grinder: Preciso

Posted Fri Aug 10, 2012, 9:26am Subject: Re: V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

This wand, http://www.espressoparts.com/R_1054?&search_id=1882631 is the bolt on swap. Instruction is to change exchange the nut. Also mentioned on the other thread.

tracerbullet
Senior Member

Joined: 13 Feb 2012
Posts: 152
Location: Saint Paul
Expertise: I love coffee

Posted Mon Aug 13, 2012, 7:34am Subject: Re: V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

Yep he's right that's the bolt-on swap. Very easy. I'm glad I made the change, it's easier for me to introduce the air into the milk myself by skimming the surface (using this new wand), than to have the original wand do it via the holes in the top of it. I think the original wands just add too much air, not just the black ones with 4 holes but even the better stainless ones with the single hole. I had some success closing up those holes with a short piece of electrical tape but it just got to be a hassle. This new wand is easier to clean as well. Though it gets hot and the milk tends to dry on it right away, it's still better than the disassembly process needed to clean the inside of the original tip.

amb
Senior Member

Joined: 17 Aug 2009
Posts: 19
Location: New England
Expertise: I live coffee

Posted Tue Aug 14, 2012, 7:29pm
Subject: Re: V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

tegee Said:

Now that you have your Gaggia Silvia V3 steam wand MOD how do you feel it is working? What changes do you feel you may have made differently? Do you have an official parts list that you can provide so I can do the MOD vs. the Silvia V2 wand?

Posted March 7, 2012 link

Oops, so much for email notification (or I'm just a flake); sorry about the lack of reply on that.

After 18 months or so of steaming at least one pitcher of milk a day, I'm still extremely happy with this mod. While I'm fairly gentle with my machine, I'm still horsing it around fairly actively on a daily basis for steaming and wiping it down and nothing has cracked or leaked or otherwise been any kind of problem at all. If I'm doing a 20oz pitcher I need to run the pump a bit while steaming to keep the boiler full, but that's nothing to do with the wand, more that I'm asking more of the machine that it can do on one boiler-load of water!

That said, I can't wholeheartedly recommend this for anyone; the 3/8" NPT bushing screwed into the M18 fitting is probably the sketchiest thing in the assemblage as it's really easy to strip it out if you go too tight with it, but if you don't get it in tight enough it will leak. Drilling (or ideally milling) out the bushing also needs a drill press or very steady hand.

About all I'd want to have done differently is to try and get a real tubing bender in there so as to have crimped the steam tube a bit less, but what I'd really like to do there is skip that step and either cut it and braze on a new fitting or replace the tube entirely, per the above.

daduck748
Senior Member

Joined: 13 Dec 2012
Posts: 122
Location: California, USA
Expertise: Just starting

Espresso: Gaggia Classic (2012)
Grinder: Breville BMF600XL

Posted Thu Dec 13, 2012, 8:31pm Subject: Re: V3 Silvia wand on Gaggia Classic?

Howdy Everyone! First I wanted to say "Thanks a bundle to AMB for the awesome write up!" I have a Gaggia Classic and so far, it's great! But after taking a basic barista course and using a commercial Simonelli, I would have to agree that the frother on the Gaggia just isn't worth anything. It makes OK froth but nothing compared to a commercial machine. Anyway, I wouldn't know how much better the Silvia V3 steam wand is on its own credentials or against a commercial machine, but I have the V3 on order and I can't wait to do this mod on my Gaggia Classic. I'm getting tired of waiting 5 minutes for my Breville milk frother each morning. Then I'll have LOTS of practice to do. For my upgrade, I'm planning on turning the adapter on a lathe (I have a commercial machine shop I can do this in). It looks easy enough. Specifications (correct me if I'm mistaken): Silvia V3 end: M18-1.5 male (depth, unknown until my V3 steam wand comes in, then I can measure it) Gaggia Classic end: M10-1.0 male (depth, unknown until I take the stock steam wand out and be prepared to live without coffee for a day or two) Cut a pocket for the V3 spring and valve Bore a hole through the adapter the same size of the copper pipe (least common denominator, or would it matter that much?) Material would probably be 3/4" brass hex stock I'll post pictures if anyone is interested in seeing the progress.

Gaggia Classic Breville BMF600XL Ducati Hypersport 748r

showing page 2 of 7

first page | last page

previous page | next page

view previous topic | view next topic | view all topics

Discussions > Espresso > Espresso Mods > V3 Silvia wand...

updated topics

new posts

new unanswered

faq

Not Logged in: log in
Discussions Quick Jump:
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post

Forum Rules:
No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards.
No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum.
No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum.
Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards.
Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics.
Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies.
Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies.
Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts.
Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.

Rancilio Silvia - How to

Step by step guide for easy brewing and steaming with the Rancilio Silvia
www.seattlecoffeegear.com