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Part 1

La Marzocco 1 Group Linea rebuild - Part 2

Cleaning and descaling

Now this is where the fun starts because for the first time you can start to see changes and reveal the amazing
piece of equipment hidden beneath the dirt and scale.  A tip I will pass on to you is to hold back on the descaling
until you  have cleaned all grease, lubricant and gaskets from the parts.  For example there is no point in soaking a
steam valve for a few hours in citric acid if it is covered with grease because the acid cannot penetrate. Also you
must remove all rubber and paper gaskets from components as these too will restrict the citric from doing it`s job.
The gaskets you will have to replace so just scrape them off and throw them away.  

For the cleaning process I use a concentrated engine block cleaner.  I used this too on the frame and panels of the
machine, it strips away years worth of grime in seconds. At the same time after giving the cleaner time to work it`s
magic I get out the high pressure water hose on the frame and some body parts (not the delicate ones obviously).
Boiler/Group flange gasket came out almost in one piece. More on this later. Boiler minus the gasket. Group/Boiler retaining plate and the 8 nuts. The plate is quite flexible, well it has to be to get it in and out. Removing the old gasket with a (very rusty) stripper.
Scotchbrite pads are great too for removing small particles. Boiler flange now clean. Thermostat well has been removed. Ready for descaling, check valves in the foreground. There he is, Mr. Gigleur or flow restrictor. The group and banjo tube ready for descaling.
Check valves taken apart for descaling. The gaskets still have to be removed. Drain box components and the gigleur. A dirty steam valve. Steam valve shaft. A worn and rock-hard shaft end gasket.
Removing the shaft end gasket with an ice pick and a screwdriver. Shaft gasket removed. This is tricky and difficult - one slip with the ice pick and it is the ER for you. Solenoid valve dismantled. This was obviously from the group as it had coffee oil residue. This shows you why we need to backflush not just for the groups but for the valve too. Descaling bucket, small for a 1 group. Note small items go in a basket so they don`t get lost.

The first signs of a clean machine

Here are some pictures after having used the engine cleaner and water.  
Upper part of the frame came up very well. Lower part of top frame. Top fascia panel. Amazing! Top fascia panel again. Top frame, note the thick goo has all gone.

From the descaling bucket

The small items (washers, valve bodies, copper pipes) were immersed in the citric acid for approx. 12 hours.  In that
time the water temperature was about 60 deg.c.    The larger items such as the boilers were left in longer.  In fact if I
remember correctly the steam boiler was in for around 48 hours.
Group cover looking a bit pink! colour normal after descaling. Copper washers looking good. Water inlet manifold looking clean. The pipes were looking great. Remember this? the sight glass that was heavily scaled.
Now that is clean! Brew boiler element mount looking great. The big fella all cleaned up. The lines are just water marks. Brew boiler inlet fitting. Very clean and sharp. Inside the brew boiler! all dirt and scale completely gone.
Inside the brew boiler again! Now I`m just showing off. Group retaining bolts descaled and clean. Check-valves now descaled but still need some work. Banjo tube and nut all clean. Solenoid valve bodies now clean but as with check-valve need a bit more work.
Steam valve all cleaned up. These are tricky since they are always covered in grease. Steam valve shafts now clean. They will later get one final clean by placing in a drill chuck, turning and cleaning with a scotchbrite pad. Drain box components. Even the smallest of components are reconditioned. Thermostat well whcih we won`t be using anyway. In the backgroud are small fittings that alas the citric removed the plating from. Nevermind. Group body now nice and scale-free.

Refinishing the frame

Most probably 99% of Marzocco machines have a standard black colour for the base and the panels trims. They
used to offer a RED option (more a terracota colour).  Since the base was in a real mess anyway I decided to
change the colour to red, I have done this on some earlier work and the results were spectacular.  Although not a
great spray painter I do understand that the success of the paint job depends on the preparation work involved in
getting the surface smooth (sanding down) clean and oil free.  In this case I started out with a clean frame and trim
panels, started using wet/dry papers from 100>1000 and then painting with both primer and red top coat. If I was not
happy with the finish then I would `flat back` the coat i.e. sand it down again using 800/1000 grade paper and
respray.
The base of the machine in the process of being sanded down. Fascia panel trim being sanded down. Solid chunks of metal and really difficult to handle. A shot showing the refinished main body. The satin finish is actually easy to do. Also a good view of the old and new colour schemes. Another shot showing the frame and how clean it came up. Slight out of focus, but a shot of the finished body with all scratches removed and the satin finish complete.

Cleaning,descaling and refinishing complete

The hard work is finally over!  No seriously for a moment the previous sections are what seperate a good restoration
from what we English would call a `cowboy` job.  Like the paint job, you only get out what you put in and if you take
short cuts over descaling or you don`t strip components down then you haven`t really restored everything.  I don`t
know about you, but I would be comfortable if I hadn`t stripped every valve, every solenoid valve and every nut and
bolt down. In fact some things I have not taken pictures of are the cleaning and refinishing of the original nuts and
bolts used in the machine! Yes everything can be used again and again - corrosion permitting.  

Part 1

Part 3

This website is created by Paul Pratt, Hong Kong 2004. If you would like to use any of the images or text I am
sure I will say yes, but please ask first!  

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