You should not expect to have a great steam wand in entry level domestic espresso machine. Gaggia Classic is not an exception - it is coming with a plastic "Panarello" frother, which might be good for the customer who just wants to make "bubbly" milk foam quickly.
 |
| (image from http://coffeekind.com/gaggia/gaggia-classic-espresso-machine) |
There are two known methods of upgrading steam wand on your Gaggia Classic. Both of them suggest replacement of existing one with the steam wand from Rancilio Silvia, a higher quality domestic coffee machine.
First approach is quite popular and easy, all you need to do is to buy steam wand from early generation Rancilio Silvia, it is called "Rancilio Silvia V2 steam wand" and available on the internet for the price of less than £20. In order to replace, you need to undo the bolt that attaches existing wand to brass pipe, remove the steam wand, replace the fitting nut on the new Rancilio one with the bolt from old one, insert the new steam wand in place, and fasten the bolt. You may find some manuals explaining how to do that in details, here is the one of them. I made this upgrade within first few weeks after purchase. Here is how my coffee machine looked like after upgrade.
Alternative option you have is to fit Rancilio Silvia V3 steam wand that has all features of professional one. Fitting Rancilio Silvia V3 steam wand to Gaggia Classic is not popular. First, the steam wand itself is more expensive; second, you would need extra parts and more time. I did not manage to find the manual explaining how to do that, so here is my story.
Disclaimer: The modification experience is described for information only and could be used as reference by qualified person. Replacing steam wand on coffee machine will void its warranty. Anyone replacing steam wand using this publication is doing that at own risk and assumes full responsibility for all undertaken actions. Author of this publication will not be liable for any damage or injures caused to you or your property as a result of using information from this publication.
You will need "Rancilio Silvia V3 Steam Wand Kit" that includes steam wand, gaskets, spring and spring seat (do not mix it with expensive full V3 steam wand assembly, that includes valve that you will not need). There are not many places where you can buy it. I bought from here, there are few other places, just make sure it comes with all parts, not just the wand (or order other required parts separately). Another important part you will need is 1/8 male to 3/8 male brass adapter fitting. There are lots of them on eBay, but the trick here is to buy one with inner diameter at 3/8 end at least 12 mm, otherwise the spring will not fit in.
Because the steam wand nut require extra space inside the coffee machine (it will shift the bottom end up by about 2 cm), the brass pipe needs to be adjusted accordingly. The pipe is soft and can easily be bended, try to bend it at the locations where it is already bended, the idea it to make the length shorter. This is how the modified pipe looks like, it might need some more adjustment during installation.
Now it is time to install it. You might need to remove the rubber protective sleeve from the steam wand to make installation easier. The steam wand should be inserted through the hole in the housing from inside the machine, so that the big nut that attaches steam wand is resting on the bottom of the machine housing. Then, you might need to bend the pipe a bit more, but make sure it requires some further push down to attach the pipe to the steam valve, this will make it sit strongly and not moving inside when you are using steam wand.
Once the steam pipe is attached to the valve and the nut is fastened, you may test it for leaks by turning machine in the steam mode and opening the valve. If you were generous when applied thread sealing tape, you should not spot any leaks, otherwise you would need to remove the pipe again and tighten the connections (or reassemble them with more tape).
The result of upgrade will look like on pictures below. After upgrade you have everything required to make smooth microfoam and surprise your friends with latte-art masterpieces.
Than you very much for your post Ruslan. I have a question regarding the brass adapter, the only brass adapter that i was able to find, is this one:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.espressocare.com/search/results/226e1dcab254cfa2dc2ff42d56ac5109
If i am correct, let me know. Thank you very much.
Dario
I am glad that you found the post useful, Dario. The link you provided redirects to the main www.espressocare.com page for some reason, so I can't see which one you are asking about. But in fact the adapter is pretty standard and there are plenty of them on ebay, e.g. this one looks correct to me (according to size), but I would advise to contact seller and check that the inner diameter at least 12 mm on thicker end.
DeleteDear Ruslan:
ReplyDeleteWhich one would you recommend me between this 2 parts:
http://www.espressoparts.com/V_1422
http://www.espressoparts.com/W23206
Both are pretty much the same i think. Thats the closest i was able to find (i mean a company that is willing to ship to Peru).
Thank you very much for your time
This one is correct: http://www.espressoparts.com/V_1422 (assuming the bigger end inner diameter is 12mm or more, otherwise the spring will not fit). Good luck with your Gaggia upgrade project ;)
DeleteI just have to ask if you've managed
ReplyDeleteto fit the spring into th v_1422 fitting
Deirio? And also Ruslan, does it really
have to be at least 12 mm? 1/8" is somewhere around 9-10 mm, so that doesn't really add up.
Yes, it has to be 12mm at least (I bought wrong one first, its inner diameter was smaller and I was not able to fit the spring, so I had to buy another one).
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIts the inner diameter of the 3/8 side. Keep in mind on my latest post that the parts from Espresso Parts will not work as mentioned above. I also had a hard time finding it so my suggest is before you move forward with the project, buy this part first and make sure its what you need! Good luck
Deletestill dont get it 3/8 of an inch is 9.5mm so its impossible to have an inner diameter of at least 12mm..i know im missing something here but what?
DeleteI think these days you can buy a full kit with V3 steam wand and all the fitting, e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gaggia-UDATED-pre-2015-rancilio-steam-wand-v3-conversion-kit-/253130744544
DeleteAbout the 3/8 of an inch and mm conversion, this are fittings and they 3/8 if just a name NOT THE ACTUAL DIMENSION OF THE FITTING. These fitting are NPT (National pipe thread) and they just gives name size names to the fittings, but they don't mean anything which personally I think is stupid and confusing. So the ACTUAL SIZE OF A NPT size 3/8 fitting is 0.675" or 17.145mm, you can google NPT fitting chart.
DeleteFor those interested, a couple things I wanted to share;
ReplyDeleteSo first off the part V_1422 does not work from Espresso Parts. The Inside Diameter was not wide enough as mentioned in the post. I searched around the web and local pluming stores and found no luck. Luckily i was able to drill out the whole to make it wider to allow it to work. Close call however.
2nd thing I found was that the bending of the pipe was a PITA. Unless you have experience with plumbing, or patience, this will get to you. I had to bend mine a whole lot more then i was thinking.
3rd thing to point out was that the wand sits pretty low. I'm not sure how this compares to other models, but i find it a bit difficult to bend the full glass of liquid to fit under the wand. Option would be to higher the espresso machine on a stool or something, or pulling it out on the counter to allow you to have extra room below it.
Lastly, the whole project took time as you see above. Getting the parts, finding the tools to fix the mistakes, and then putting it all together was a lot of effort. If this is what you're looking for, go for it. Not blaming the poster here in anyway, just sharing my experience. I do thank the poster for sharing this however. It does look nice once put together.
Thanks for sharing your experience, I am sure it will be useful for someone!
DeleteI must have been lucky enough to find fitting with 12mm inside pretty quickly, what I did is found several of them of correct size on ebay and sent message to each seller asking about inner diameter - some did not reply, some replied telling me that it is less than 12mm, one replied it is more than 12mm. I tried to find a link to that particular seller to mention it in the post, but was not able to do so, as ebay does not keep the history long enough.
Regarding wand being too low... hmm, it never caused inconvenience to me, though I am using small (350ml) pitcher (on the a picture).
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think thread pitch and thread length is critical, and it is BSPP I think.
DeleteHello, do you happen to know if I can change the steaming wand on my Delonghi EC270? Thx.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it is possible.
DeleteHello, I replaced the steamwand with the one ftom Rancillo, but the Milk doesn't foam. The only thing that happens is that the Milk will boil. Do you have any idea what could be the cause of this problemen?
ReplyDeleteI think you need to master your milk frothing technique. If you will just stick the wand into the milk and open the steam valve, it will not get frothed at all, you need to keep it just touching the surface and make the milk spinning in the pitcher. There are many articles and videos on the internet that explain how to do that properly. Good luck!
DeleteHello, Thank you for sharing your experience! One question: When you extend the V3 wand outward and rotate it to its "fully upright position" what is the distance between the steam wand tip and the surface the machine is resting on? It's difficult to determine from he pics if it's greater or less than that with the stock Classic panarello.
ReplyDeleteHello, thanks for your comment! The distance is 10cm (~4 inches), I guess it is less than in case of original panarello.
Deletewhy is that important? waste of a question.
DeleteIt's important bc after this mod there is considerably less "ground clearance" for you to fit a pitcher under the wand. This is not discussed here much but should be. I am in the middle of this mod and am finding this a much more critical aspect than the inner diameter of the brass adapter. Maybe the parts available now are much better than 3 years ago..
DeleteSee photos here: https://timblaktu.smugmug.com/Gaggia/i-LWXCXXz
I was first wanting to mount with the SS nut outside the machine case, so i wouldn't have to butmangle the steam pipe so much but as you can see in the photos this would be unusable BC of the height issue.
butmangle = typo
DeleteHello Ruslan! Thanks very much for answering my question. That's very kind of you. As a matter of fact my Gaggia classic's panarello is 9cm from the counter top so the V3 mod would be an improvement. I'm ready to take the plunge.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes!
Hi, I've successfully changed my Gaggia Baby steam wand to the Silvia v2 wand, as in your picture above, but as you say the hexagonal nozzle is difficult to easily clean. I see the V3 nozzle is cylindrical, but photos on accessory sites don't show if this has a male thread as the V2 nozzle. Can you please advise if this is a straight swap item?
ReplyDeleteHello, no you can't swap the nozzle, otherwise it would be little sense explaining the whole process above how to fit V3 steam wand on Gaggia ;) V3 steam wand is nearly 2 times thicker in diameter, and it is similar to ones you normally see on commercial coffee machines.
DeleteHi Ruslan, thanks for the info. I did not realise that the V3 wand was a different diameter than the V2 wand. There are no specs I could find on the web that mentions this, and it's difficult to tell from photos.
DeleteCiao Ruslan. Thought I would provide this input in case it might help others in North america.
DeleteI obtained the V3 wand kit and threaded fitting from Stefano's Espresso Service website. He's based in Oregon and sells the BPS threaded brass fitting which is not readily available in the US. However the fitting hole is undersized and will not accept the spring. I'm going to have a machinist friend open the hole diameter so not a problem for me but I am not sure of the hole depth. Do you recall about how much the spring needs to be preloaded when the nut us fully tightened? This seems critical as it will determine the friction on the ball joint and whether the wand droops or stays where positioned.
@Grinds, in my case the depth of fitting hole was equal to threaded part of the fitting length, which was 10mm. I think the nut on the steam wand can accommodate more length in fact. If you will make the hole depth equal to threaded part of the fitting length, it should be fine to keep the wand in required position.
DeleteHi Ruslan, great article! I have been using the wand off my old dead Breville 800 machine on my Gaggia for about a year now, and it works great as a replacement for the terrible panarrello that came supplied. But I have a problem that I cannot actually remove the water reservoir with it installed as it sits too low.
ReplyDeleteSo I am considering my next move and the Silvia V3 wand looks great, but does the wand still allow for removing the reservoir? I am fortunate enough to have a metalwork lathe and can make the adapter myself, so I assume all I will need is a standard Silvia V3 replacement parts kit? I noticed on one of the links provided above the adapter comes with a spring so I wasn't sure if the spring supplied with the V3 wand is suitable or not?
Hi Jared! There are no problems with water reservoir removing after upgrade, you just need to turn wand to the right angle to let the reservoir pass it. You need Silvia V3 replacement kit (without valve). I know at some places it is sold without spring and plastic parts, it is better to ask seller first. Yeah, the spring I used was the one supplied with the kit.
DeleteIf I may chime in with my recent experience... the spring comes with the V3 wand kit and nests inside the brass adaptor to apply a preload against the acetal ball seat (which also comes with the kit) once the wand nut us fully tightened onto the adaptor. This applies load enough to the ball at the end of the wand to keep the wand in the adjusted position. The adaptor ID was too small so I had a machinist friend bore out the hole 12mm deep and large enough for the spring OD. After I tested it I did go back and add 1mm thick stainless washer behind the spring to increase the force. The wand held position okay without the washer, but I though it needed a litle more holding force. Since you have access to doing it on a lathe yourself you may want to sneak up on the right depth. Try 11mn first and see how it feels. You can always go deeper, and if you go too far the stainless washers are not a problem either. I also machined a delrin spacer that raises the wand another 5mm and have no problem removing the water reservoir. I think even without this spacer the V3 wand will not be an obstruction. Like others have noted bending the copper tubing was the unpleasant part of this project but doable. I filled it first with fine salt and taped it closed before attempting to bend it. This I believe prevented kinks. I also set some 3/8" and 1" wood dowels in a scrap piece of wood and used it as a tool to help bend the copper. I did this only after hitting a wall trying to bend it by hand. Next time I would start first with the wood bending tool. This project is very doable especially by someone with a lathe. Also of note: I temporarily removed the rubber insulator from the wand and with a couple pieces of wood and bench vise opened up the bend angle a little. This gives a little more clearance height to get a pitcher under the wand and doesn't seem to have any drawbacks. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing experience, I am sure someone will find it useful. I have to admit, I bended the tube by hand, just carefully and slow, with a number of short adjustments and testing after each if it needs more bending.
DeleteGrinds, I'm curious if you could share more about your wood bending tool. I've also hit a wall with bending by hand, even with a vice, salt-filled tubing, also heated with a blow torch. The issue I'm having is that the bend I need to make is as close to the base (bottom) of the steam tube as possible, so that the steam pipe will clear the steam valve/knob just above it. I bought my hardware from Stefano's so I probably have more height to have to fit in the same space. (Same problem Jaja mentions below).
DeleteSo I'm looking for visuals/advice for how to make this bend. I'd really rather not resort to gripping it with channel locks. I'm thinking the net step would be to grip the hex nut with wrench, and press the lowest part of the (heated) pipe against a block of wood. I'm just afraid of compromising the weld joint between the long brass hex nut and the copper pipe. Will take some photos and report back what I ended up doing, but just curious in the meantime if you had any photos to share.
One additional comment about the adaptors. The one I purchased from Stefano's was a little longer than what is pictured here. 12mm instead of the 10mm. Also, I'm not sure where your from but as noted above the Gaggia and V3 wand and these adaptors are all BSP thread.
ReplyDeleteThanks Grinds! That's great info, I understand exactly what you mean in regards to the spring and I don't think it will be too much of a challenge. I can adjust the dimensions of the part until it works just right. So long as the final result is a good steam wand which allows for the removal of the water reservoir I will be more than happy.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the threads they won't be an issue, I have thread gauges to measure exactly which threads are involved and also my lathe has a thread cutting gearbox and change gears, so I can cut any thread I like no matter the standard or pitch. BSP will be a breeze.
The other thing that crossed my mind which involves the Gaggia and the lathe is that I could make a nice custom brass steam knob. I have always thought that could be an area for improvement. And is it just me or is the steam knob on the wrong side of the machine? I really wish they had placed it on the left side and then it would feel so much more natural holding the milk in my right hand and adjusting the steam with my left.
Sounds like you're very well equipped to do this mod Jared. My lathe skulls aren't quite there, but I'm spoiled by having some very talented colleagues. Interesting comment about the location of the stream wand. For me it's quite the oposite. My kitchen is tight so my Gaggia and a grinder are nestled onto an 18inch wide counter top with a wall to the left. So the right side steam wand is preferable. Would likely be even better if I was a lefty.
ReplyDeleteI agree the plastic steam knob is a little cheesy but I'll live with it. I am starting to think about a pid for the next upgrade, but still have some to learn to make the most of the v3 wand. I still can't foam milk worth a snot. First time must have been dumb beginners luck and haven't yet been able to duplicate. Think I viewed all the YouTubes on streaming milk. I swore I wouldn't become obsessed with coffee like some colleagues, but my search and viewing history would likely indicate otherwise. :-) Good luck with your v3 wand project!
Install the v2 and save yourself a ton of time and effort. The v3 is not mildly compatible with the Gaggia Classic and will require modification and lots of time to install. Opt for the v2 and save hours of tedious install work. One 12mm box wrench and you are done.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised you have not provided a link for recommended place where to buy V2 :)
DeleteI'm lazy. Thanks for the article. The V3 does provide great foam. Very good shit! I haven't used the V2, so I can only say with authority that the V2 is a much easier install, but isn't nearly as sexy as the V3, which is far better looking. On that note, I'm off to make a cortado.
ReplyDeleteAddendum. Be patient. Bore out your 1/8 - 3/8 adaptor to fit the spring and use stainless washers to lift the spring/increase spring tension as was mentioned earlier in the thread. Also, be very careful when you bend that copper… one kink and it's kaput.
Someone's thoughts on the performance of the V2 might also be helpful so Rusian, as a user of both, do you see a profound difference between the two. Thanks!
The difference between V2 and V3 is that the latter one is easier to use and clean, from milk frothing perspective same result can be achieved with any of those two.
DeleteOK so here is a little write-up on my Silvia V3 install. There is one thing that nobody seems to have pointed out about doing this mod, which is that the Silvia V3 wand doesn't actually fit that well where the wand comes out from the bottom of the machine. It just sort of sits there and rattles around a bit, and I was not at all happy with that situation so here is what happened. I made the first brass adapter with matching threads so that the wand could be installed no problem, and then being unhappy about how it sat in the machine I decided to cut a small recess on the bottom of the Silvia fitting so that it located snugly in the hole. Well I found out that the Silvia fitting is rather thinly made, and as soon as I took about a 1.5mm cut on the bottom of the fitting that was enough to cut through and ruin it!
ReplyDeleteSo now I had to also fabricate a new fitting for the wand swivel ball to go in, which wasn't especially hard I just measured and copied the old one, with the exception of making the bottom wider and cutting the recess I wanted so that it located nicely in the bottom of the machine. I also reamed the original hole out larger to 19mm which meant I had plenty of leeway with the recess cut (and no danger of cutting through as the original did). I transferred the plastic swivel ball seats and spring over and machined everything so it was a perfect fit.
The bending of the copper pipe was a royal pain in the ass too, I bent it so many times trying to get it perfect I don't know how I didn't snap it!
But I am rather pleased with the end result, it fits nice and tight and works perfectly, and most importantly it moves out of the way enough to remove the water reservoir.
Here are some pics of the brass adapter and new wand fitting I made, and how it sits in the machine. Thanks!
https://goo.gl/photos/vboacu8nSHpMXf6fA
Thanks a lot, Jared, for sharing your experience. The adjustments you have done to make it sit better look impressive!
DeleteHi Jared, great stuff - may I ask: can you produce the two parts again for me and send them to me?
DeleteHi manne01,
DeleteAs much as I would love to help out, the problem really is time. I'm not a trained machinist just a hobby operator, and those parts took me many hours of careful work over the course of a week getting time where I could find it.. And the cost would probably be quite unreasonable too..
I would suggest an easier route would be to purchase the threaded adaptor piece from espressoparts.com as per the link above, and then just use a bit of silicone on the V3 wand fitting so it doesn't rattle around.
It's certainly a worthwhile mod, we love the V3 wand at my house, and we also now use a bottomless porta-filter which gives fantastic creamy coffee.
Cheers!
Nice job Jared!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for this post. I never like to do things the easy way, so decided to try this out instead of just installing a v2 wand. I got the "Steam Wand Kit Rancilio Silvia for Gaggia," which consisted of the correct size adaptor and spring, along with the wand itself from Stefano's Espresso Care. The adaptor in the kit is significantly taller (looks like an extra 1cm or so) than the one in your photos. This meant I had to shorten the copper pipe A LOT. I started Friday evening and wasn't able to finish until I picked it back up Saturday evening. I ended up having to wrap the pipe in a towel, stick it in the "hole" of a closed pair of pliers, put the plier handles into a vice, make a bend or 2, put it back into the machine to check my progress, repeat 1000 times. My hands are still sore the next day. I did manage to wedge it into the opening in such a way that it's solid and the swiveling motion isn't blocked. Now that it's done I'm glad I have it, but it was more of an undertaking than I anticipated. Now to go practice my steaming technique!
ReplyDeleteJaja do you have any photos of your project? Im glad you pointed out the height issue with Stefano's part. I'm in the middle of this mod, and will likely end up with everything inside the case (which apparently is the only way to make the wand usable due to ground clearance). Stefano's adapter has same hex profile as the original wand nut, and looks to be designed so one can lock it tight to the chassis (with the original wand nut outside the chassis), but if you do that, it is too low.
DeleteI posted some photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/vboacu8nSHpMXf6fA
Oops I accidentally pasted the link to Jared's gallery. Here's mine: https://timblaktu.smugmug.com/Gaggia
DeleteHi Tim. I don't have pics of the bending tool, as it was three years ago and long gone. Hopefully this explanation can help. I drilled a 3/8" and 1"hole in a small piece of wood. I left a space between the holes that was approximately equal to the diameter of the tubing to bend. Then inserted a short length if 3/8" and 1" wood dowel in the holes. By placing the tubing between the dowels the tubing can be bent around the dowels. As noted I filled with salt and proceeded carefully. BTW 3 years and my gaggia is still going strong.
DeleteThanks for your quick reply, Grinds. I see, you were using closely-spaced dowels fixed in place as leverage to wrap the tubing around. I did pretty much the same but pressed the tubing around whatever other strong cylindrical shapes I could find - a stainless turkey baster and a railing on my kitchen range, with the former providing the best results: https://timblaktu.smugmug.com/Gaggia/i-s7Mk4fq/A
DeleteAs you probably remember, this was an extremely tedious process, with dozens of "bend, put in place and check fit" iterations.
Even with it finished, I'm still having trouble getting used to frothing with this machine, since the new wand is so low - only the smallest of pitchers works, and even with that you cannot fill it fully without spilling after frothing because of the tilt required to clear the wand tip. Do you have this experience?
Glad to hear your Gaggia is running strong after 3 years! Did you end up putting a PID on this, or do you temp surf with the controls? Cheers, mate.
Yes tedious but worth it. Took a little practice and watching some YouTube's to get the frothing down. And I still use a thermometer when I froth. I didn't find the new wand to be any lower than stock wand and have learned to froth in single serve-sized pitcher and a double-sized. Thought I would, but never did PID it. I get very acceptable results and I have so many other projects. I do keep a schedule to descale every 6 months even though our city water is pretty good. I clean a little more frequently with Puly brand cleaner. Changed the brewhead gasket at about the 2 year mark. I was a little skeptical about this brand but it's worked out well after this wand change. I think it would have been frustrating with the original stock wand. I was very happy to find Ruslan's blog and generous info!
DeleteHey everybody, can anyone please post a link to the right brass fitting reducer 3/8 to 1/8 inch with the right inner diameter?
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I followed the instructions/pictures and my upgrade came out great! Thank You, Ruslan
ReplyDeleteNo probs, I am glad the guide was useful for you.
DeleteI think this modification might work on my Coffee Gaggia, the predecessor to the Classic. The bends in the copper tube would not match what I need so I would have to bend my own tube and buy those two nut fittings.
ReplyDeleteHi Ruslan. I successfully replaced Steam Wand Rancilio silva for New Baby Gaggia. But I can't make microfoam, boiled milk only.Have you got any advice for me?
ReplyDeleteAre you putting the nozzle right under the top of the surface to allow air to enter the milk? Don't stick it all the way under the milk.
DeleteBTW I use the Gaggia Classic, so not sure if it's different for the Baby model, but make sure you're allowing the steam to build up enough pressure.
Aw, Gaggia Classic what a masterpiece for brewing the coffee at the morning. I also used this piece for creating an espresso in my cafe, since Gaggia have a great Liquid Control for steam and hot water in processing the coffee. Thanks for share, it was nice hacking.
ReplyDeleteHi Ruslan, Hope you're still active on here ? I have a Gaggia Classic and like everyone else .. the plastic foam wand is hopeless, I took the plastic bit off and have been steaming my milk more successfully straight out of the remaining part of the metal wand, problem is it's too short like that. Jared's machining mods look good (that's from a guy who spent years machining as a job), well done Jared. I only just found this 'thread' by chance and for now I don't currently have access to a lathe BUT was wondering a couple of things ? If you have access to machining, why not make a new nozzle to simply replace the plastic foamer and fit it to the original wand in place of the plastic bit only ? That would save all the grief people seem to have bending the copper pipe inside etc. Secondly from my limited barista experience, the few pro machines I've used have 3 small holes in the steaming nozzle aimed radially outwards and not just a single central hole. I developed a little trick with the 3 hole nozzle machines I've shown other 'non foamers' who immediately picked up on it and started foaming like a pro. So thinking if the Gaggia had a 3 hole nozzle (small holes to match the boiler output though) it might be even better ? Your comments please on my thoughts ??
ReplyDeleteHey Kiwi! That's another reason to go for the V3 wand upgrade, there are readily available 3-hole wand tips for sale :)
ReplyDeleteYou are right though it would be a quick job to make one, maybe one day I will give it a try but I've got the foaming down-pat now, just wish I could say the same for my 'latte art'..
We're into coffee roasting at home now too, my better half ordered me to build one so I obliged and cobbled together a roaster, which is working like a champ but honestly it's a bit agricultural looking, I just tell people its a 'proof of concept' and the next one will be better.. haha
Hey Jared. Wow you are really getting hooked! My list of things to do is already too long to add coffee roasting to it. More just a means to an end for me, drinking a nice coffee has a lot more attraction than all the drama of making it but as with many others I wanted a nice coffee at home and started by stepping into the minefield of crappy espresso machines. I'm still shocked at how just a few basic well known functions are what's needed to make an ideal machine, yet there's dozens of machines and hardly a single one combines all those ideal features ? Let's face it a better steam wand on the Classic wouldn't have added much to it's price.
DeleteHey good work on the roaster and don't worry what it looks like. I've found the backyard looking machines are the best to work with to develop, you're never worried about chopping or altering something that doesn't look so flash. If you build it all shiny from the start, your pride makes it hard to chop it later. So you're on the right track, besides rustic is a fashionable look anyhow !
Just found this wand - https://www.amazon.com/Rancilio-Silvia-Steam-Additional-3-Hole/dp/B01N8Z4H9U/ref=pd_sbs_79_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01N8Z4H9U&pd_rd_r=995BXWRC8XC221E7N7D3&pd_rd_w=6cFzY&pd_rd_wg=sk59M&psc=1&refRID=995BXWRC8XC221E7N7D3
Seems to be a million versions of how to steam milk but when you get a nice dense foam with bubbles so tiny you can hardly see them and it has a shiny appearance, then you're on the money. Now when your coffee has a crema with that same consistency, latte art becomes much easier. After I found this by experiment, I eventually figured simple physics would suggest mixing or blending 2 liquids of different consistencies would always be difficult = trouble with latte art. I also found it's easier to froth a larger volume of milk than a small one and easier again in a bulbous shaped jug rather than the common straight sided jug.
You've got me all fired up to fix the Classic now, one big advantage of changing to the V3 over adding a tip to the original wand that I can see is getting the full swivel for the wand and that alone makes going to V3 a better option. Trouble for me is NZ just doesn't have the ready and cheap access to parts like USA does. Hey thanks for the reply, Cappucino Kiwi
I was also very surprised that the Classic came with such a pathetic steam wand, I think we used it twice before I was pulling the machine apart! My experience with the V3 wand is to use plenty of steam, really open the tap, and milk for 2 coffees. And 'real' milk not cheap supermarket branded crap with sneaky fine print about using milk solids in times of low supply..
DeleteSpeaking of the creamy coffee, I can't speak highly enough of using a bottomless porta-filter, it's amazing! Check some youtube vidoes, you will be hooked.
And I know what you mean about cheap parts etc, we aren't too well provisioned with coffee parts in Tasmania either..
Here's a look at the coffee roaster, very basic but does work! Effectively just a BBQ rotisserie unit turning a wire basket inside an old tin. You fire a heat gun into it and stop when it's dark enough!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RGYofurhp5F8mhhz2
Also another good excuse to fabricate something on the lathe :) The BBQ rotisserie unit takes a square shaft so I turned up that mounting flange and milled a square spigot. Next projects when I find the time are a custom steam knob and a custom coffee tamper. I never knew owning a coffee machine would be such a rabbit hole but I do enjoy it!
Never did get to Tazzy, everyone told me it's just like NZ so I left it off the list. Hey that roaster is a bloody little ripper, it really shows that you've taken the engineering side of coffee seriously. Ignore the knockers until they show you a better one they made themselves. I reckon yours is better than most new stuff out of China now anyhow. Often wondered about the bottomless porta filter ? Sounded a bit gimmicky and also if it was that good surely manufacturers would be all over it saving metal and price but I've never seen it commercially available ? I've never tried one either. How do you go aiming it into an expresso cup, imagine that might be a challenge ? Also splitting a double shot into 2 cups would be impossible perhaps ?
DeleteYeah I agree to use real milk, quite surprised you'd get reconstituted crap in Tas, don't you have a dairy industry there ? Stupid though we have more cows than the environment can handle but milk in the shops is all standardised with most of the cream taken out and replaced with Lactose (I used to work for Fonterra). Straight out of the cow is best and more cream makes for much more taste and a much smoother and rich coffee.
mmm that Classic steam wand is a real 2-bob after thought, just doesn't belong on that machine at all. Where did you get your V3 wand from ? Saddens me to say but NZ is falling into the mindless tunnel vision of rules and procedures and now common sense is illegal here, it's bloody hard to go somewhere and say "can I have a look thru the parts and see what I can find to modify" which was just normal. Now all you get is a list of reasons why you can't do that .. very frustrating for anyone like us who wants to fix or improve stuff. The world goes on about re-cycling yet you can't even scrounge thru stuff at the dump anymore ?? Lot's of treasures have been rescued from the dump in the past and rebuilt or altered to re-use. A good heavy tamper is a worthwhile project, something like this is good http://www.bluestarcoffee.eu/la-marzocco-beechwood-coffee-tamper-41-2191-p.asp Most have a much lower angle taper on the bottom which always seems to get some grinds on it and then transfers them to the counter top, just a little annoying. Here's an example of the annoying low angle type http://www.bluestarcoffee.eu/beechwood-coffee-tamper-57mm-1701-p.asp Whatever you make I'd suggest using stainless for the bottom and least, nice and heavy and shiny smooth works best. Heavy is good for that gentle knock on the side of the porta filter to knock the un-tamped side crumbs down. Straight sides on the tamp part, longer is better and should be longer than the depth it goes into the filter when tamping. Trust me it makes much less annoying little mess that way. Most are the length to match the depth of a good tamp as a kind of ruler but the top angle should be much steeper regardless.
I couldn't have done it without this blog. Thanks Ruslan! I ordered a pack of 4 BSPP brass 1/8 x 3/8 male male fittings on ebay and received 5 in the package. They fit the Gaggia Classic and the Silvia wand perfectly with just the right space for the spring and spacers. Happy to send one to the first 4 people who respond for the price of postage to wherever they are.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Josh - I bought the wrong fitting and went to all the effort of boring it out, and then realized the threads were wrong. I would happily pay for shipping on one of your spares. Please let me know. Thanks!
DeleteI am glad you found this post useful and also thanks for being so kind with regard to offering surplus fittings you have to other people!
DeleteHey Josh, I'd love a fitting, If you use paypal or cash app I can reimburse you. That is incredibly generous of you to offer by the way.
DeleteIt's Chile too far ?
ReplyDeletehi josh. i'd like to take you up on your offer.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.wholelattelove.com/products/gaggia-classic-pro-full-steam-wand-assembly
ReplyDeleteExcellent work. I really appreciate to your quality work. I hope for more help best price gaggia classic espresso machine will best.
ReplyDeleteI was able to upgrade my pre 2015 gaggia classic with "Rancilio Silvia V3 Steam Wand Kit" my coper main pipe was moved down a bit, because my previous wand V1/V2 was stuck and I had to pull it down to come off. After this I was able to install the new wand and man does it steam fast. I ordered a two whole tip which should arrive soon.
ReplyDeleteI just bought the latest model Gaggia Classic Pro. It came with a two-hole tip, not the panerello.
ReplyDeleteFor 20 years I made perfect micro foam with 2 different Saeco machines that I bought at Starbucks. They were both single hole. I simply cannot do it with the two-hole tip. Does your method work with my machine? model RI9380/ 46
I'm aware this is an old post so may not be serviced too often, but hopefully someone can offer some advice, i have made the upgrade to a sivia rancillo steam wand, this has a single hole, at the same time i reduced the opv to app 8-9 bar, the new wand doesn't froth the milk at all it just end up hot, also seems very noisy so i refitted the original to make sure it wasn't a pressure issue, old wand still fine, have i fitted the wrong wand or tip? TIA
ReplyDeleteAbout 5 years ago these details helped me swap the wand out on my machine. I left the pressure as set by the factory and the machine has frothed milk ever since without issues. I suspect that lowering the pressure on your machine may have slowed down the steam production and flow.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post! I just finished reading it up and am very excited to xelsis espresso machine the following series. Just wanted to let you know that your posts/thoughts/articles give me invaluable insights! I cannot really be thankful enough for all that you do! Currently finishing up your Narratives & Numbers as well. What a Gem as well!
ReplyDeleteOn further consideration I have to reverse my comment about pressure affecting steam quality. I don't think it does on my Gaggia Classic. If I'm not mistaken the pressure referred to is that of the pressure relief valve while pumping. The pump doesn't run while steaming. Also, since my last comment I have fitted a pressure gage to my portafilter and adjusted the pressure down on my 6 year old machine from factory setting of about 12.5 to 9.5 Bar and it has not affected my steam quality. I hope this is helpful to someone.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such an informative post.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI am also considering this mod - altough I have the 2018+ version with the new steam wand. Could you please confirm that the water tank can be pulled out without any cutout on it? I mean there is enough space - okay the wand should be tilted - but that is okay for me.