mojoneill Senior Member Joined: 11 Aug 2012 Posts: 22 Location: Iowa Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Silvia Grinder: Rocky
Posted Sat Aug 18, 2012, 10:27am Subject: [Resolved] UGH! Snapped 2 Silvia Boiler Screws
Ugh... Have a Silvia disassembled, new parts, and a big problem. 2 Screws snapped part way down the shaft when I was trying to get them out of the boiler. I have no idea how to recover from this. Any ideas? This is what we're dealing with:
I half recall someone else mentioning this, but I'll have to crawl through the posts and my bookmarks. In the mean time, any advice, suggestions or recommendations are helpful...
-Michael
PS: I haven't yet been able to separate the top of the boiler from the bottom. It's like to two pieces are welded together. Is there a trick to that too?
CMIN Senior Member Joined: 14 Jun 2012 Posts: 505 Location: South FL Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Crossland CC1 Grinder: Baratza Preciso
Posted Sat Aug 18, 2012, 1:03pm Subject: Re: UGH! Snapped 2 Silvia Boiler Screws
Yeh only way really is with an screw extractor, those are small screws which makes it harder but can still be done. I'd leave some penetrating oil soak in for a day and some heat ( you can get those little cheap torches). My truck is modified and when I was changing the t-stat I sheared off three bolts in the aluminum head that had seized. Penetrating oil over night, and next day took a mechanic buddy and I 5 hours with heat to extract the screws carefully since the head is aluminum, god that sucked lol.
Posted Sat Aug 18, 2012, 5:57pm Subject: Re: UGH! Snapped 2 Silvia Boiler Screws
That is the bottom half, no? And the top, dome half is one piece unless things have changed without Rancilio informing me.. ;-)
Now, don't panic. 1 - penetrating oil. Over and over. 2 - heat. even a hair dryer, but a heat gun works best. Even boiling in water if need be. 3 - File end of stud square. 4 - using a SMALL hammer or equivalent tool, tap on each stud about 200 times.The micro-movement and vibrations will loosen a LOT of corrosion. repeat above steps as necessary. TO REMOVE: using a rotary tool (Dremel) cut a slot into the end of the stud. Using a well-fitting screwdriver, see if the stud will wiggle SLIGHTLY! or Grab stud with locking pliers and wiggle it as described above or Cut square near boiler's surface. Center punch the center of the stud. Get a small reverse drill bit and drill into the stud. The heat and action of the drill often removes the stud. and if that doesn't work it's time for a screw extractor.
Think of it as being a surgeon and wanting to take the least destructive path first.
mojoneill Senior Member Joined: 11 Aug 2012 Posts: 22 Location: Iowa Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Silvia Grinder: Rocky
Posted Sun Aug 19, 2012, 11:48am Subject: [RESOLVED] was Re: UGH! Snapped 2 Silvia Boiler Screws
Update: Got the second screw out. Many thanks to everyone who responded.
The last one came out today. I kept spraying penetrating oil on it last night and this morning. Did some vigorous "tapping" with a hammer, and it didn't budge until I started scrubbing with citric acid to try to clean the bottom side of the boiler mating surfaces. It finally started to turn a little with vice grips... and once it turns a little, the rest is easy.
I'm kind of glad I didn't have to resort to fire or screw extractors (both of which would have been in next steps...).
Posted Sun Aug 19, 2012, 3:48pm Subject: Re: [RESOLVED] was Re: UGH! Snapped 2 Silvia Boiler Screws
The heat with tapping or vibrations *1 is a powerful tool for corroded, rusted, stuck hardware. I worked in an auto center when I was in college, almost exclusively doing tires and batters. We had a service sink and the water in it had to be around 175-180 F. We would take the ugliest, corroded, rusted battery hold-down hardware and hold it under the hot water, then use it as sort of a drum stick on the cast iron sink. In 15 months of that, I don't think there were three we couldn't get unfrozen. Add a penetrating pil to the mix and it really becomes a great way to free stuck hardware.
*1 A vibratory tool of some sort would work well, but don't ask the wife or girlfriend to borrow one of hers...
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.
![mojoneill: IMG_2233_small.jpg](javascript:ImagePopup("/images/58362/IMG_2233_small.jpg", 580, 435, "mojoneill: IMG_2233_small.jpg");)
= No New Posts since last visit 