SOLD – Conti Prestina

Posted on November 23rd, 2014

Conti Prestina

single group lever machine

For sale is my Conti Prestina single group lever machine, fully restored. These machines are very rare in Australia and is the only one I have ever seen. The Conti group is unique, using a series of linkages to convert the lever action to a vertical piston movement. This machine has an incredibly small footprint for it’s capability and boiler volume, Conti used an innovative compact construction to place all the necessary components on the massive boiler flange.

This machine has been rebuilt from the ground up with OEM parts sourced directly from Conti in Monaco, who still make spares for the group. Replaced parts include the group spring, pressurestat, wiring, silicone boiler insulation, nuts and bolts where mild steel was used, and all gaskets and seals.

Operationally the machine is in perfect condition, and cosmetic condition is excellent. There are a few spots where the protective lacquer is lifting off the brass plated panels, and a few minor blemishes in the front panel and base.

This is a 10 amp (standard household power) machine and requires a plumbed mains water supply or flo-jet pump.

Price: $2,900 including GST.

SOLD – Bo-Ema single group lever

Posted on November 23rd, 2014

SOLD – Bo-Ema A3

single group commercial lever

For sale as a completed project is my Bo Ema lever machine from the late 60’s, made in Revesby, Sydney. This is one of the only two single group machines I have ever seen, and has been restored to better than new condition.

Starting with a powdercoat for the aluminium base, this machine has been fully rebuilt with new seals and gaskets, and functionally improved with an autofill controller and solenoid valve, plus a modern pressurestat/SSR combo for perfect reliability. It’s had a new element, new group spring, new boiler insulation, new paintwork, new gauge, new tap handles and many other practical improvements, all together totalling roughly 100 hours of labour.

The final touch is a thorough bench test to fine tune pressure and temperature characteristics, this machine behaves exactly as a big commercial dipper style lever group should, with effortless consistent pours back to back once everything is properly warmed up.

If you’ve been looking for a vintage lever that’s ready for a new lifetime of service, this might be the one. Get in touch to arrange a demo if you are interested.

This is a 10 amp (standard household power) machine and requires a plumbed mains water supply or flo-jet pump and drainage.

SOLD

Nic’s Bo-Ema

Posted on September 21st, 2012

Nic’s Bo-Ema

Vintage two-group lever machine

This beautiful lever dates from 1964, and represents both Australia’s manufacturing and cultural history as it was in Sydney in the 60’s. Espresso bars were gaining popularity, and at that stage the only commercial machines available had to be individually imported from Italy, or brought over as cargo by emigrating families. The story goes that two enterprising continental chaps named Bordignon and Emer got together in their Revesby factory, which at that time churned out terrazzo polishing machines, and decided to have a go at producing a machine locally. The result found it’s way into a few choice locations, and Bo-Ema still produce espresso machines in Sydney, though the company has changed hands a few times, and modern bo-ema’s are not exactly a thing of beauty.

The current owner wanted to give it a thorough restoration to working condition while preserving the patina of a lifetime of hard work.

With most restorations, the machine is completely stripped down to it’s component parts, everything is meticulously cleaned, polished and reassembled with new parts where necessary, then tested and tested some more. In some cases there are hundreds of hours of labour involved, particularly if parts that are no longer available have to be made – in this case the seals for all the valves had to be custom wound from a mixture of oldschool hemp fibre and modern PTFE.

Other major jobs included:

Custom made powdercoated chassis brace including new feet to replace the missing originals
Drilling out rusted steel studs from boiler flange and replacing with stainless/brass hardware
Replacing rusted group springs to achieve full 10 bar pressure
Complete re-wire with modern pressurestat and thermal cutout for safety and reliability
Hand polishing valve bodies, lever handles, fittings

The result was a machine that is working better than when it left the factory 50 years ago – there’s nothing quite like a commercial lever machine and Nic is lucky enough to have one that is a significant part of Australian espresso history.