You can find me at LA-area electronics shop meets, milling in my workshop, or underneath a car.
Resume on request.
– James
Things I'm Doing
Projects and Pastimes of an Engineer
You can find me at LA-area electronics shop meets, milling in my workshop, or underneath a car.
Resume on request.
– James
Things I'm Doing 
THANK YOU!!!! for you Gaggia repair pics! I am embarking on repairing ours. after 30 years its not makin’ ice cream. So yeah…..you ROCK!! My dad is a tinkerer and you all are rare birds these days. Its a beautiful thing. Thank you a million ice cream cones worth!! Althea Duffy
Hi Althea,
I am writing because my ice cream maker Gaggia is broken, possibly the problem is the belt.
Where can I find a belt? Is it possibly to buy on internet?
Do you have any suggestions?
Many many thanks
Simona
The belt size is 120XL037 and can be bought on amazon, http://amzn.to/1N7YeVz, or McMaster-Carr PN 6484K222.
Thank you for this detailed information.
After removing the foam the error ‘Deve Home-sensor’ was solved.
Great repair of the Gaggia.
Where did you apply the grease on the Gaggia?
My ice maker is making horrible noise.
There are several bronze colored bushings on the white gears, I applied the grease to those.
Hi,
I just bought one of the Gaggia Gelato makers (identical to the one you worked on) and it freezes just fine but the blade doesn’t turn. Any thoughts on how to fix it? Also, I’m missing the top screw that keeps the blade on top—any idea of where to get one or something that might work?
Thanks,
David
If you’re comfortable taking it apart, you could check for any broken wires between the switch assembly and the dasher motor. If it looks okay, use a multi meter to check if you’ve got continuity to the motor from the switch. The thumb screw could be replaced with a M6x10 bolt and a washer.
Hi,
It’s working. I didn’t realize you had to turn the timer on to get the blade to rotate first 😉 I couldn’t get the top off the device even with all the screws removed—is there a trick to it? Also, the machine isn’t supposed to be dead quiet, right? Mine makes a loud sound when working (but it’s not annoying) but I think that’s normal—I have nothing to really compare it to. Thanks!
I SERIOUSLY need a modern day Mold Machine. I want to put these around petting zoos. I need 3-5 machines that will be reliable.
Any chance of getting a copy of the drawings for mounting the DRO’s on your mini-mill? I have the same setup and that was an elegant solution. It would save me re-inventing the wheel. 🙂
Howdy Asher,
Your mini molder looks awesome. What did it wind up costing you altogether?
Hi, I too am working on a Gaggia Gelatiera that appears to be the same model as yours. Any chance you have access to a parts list or know where I can find one? My machine is missing the gear on the motor. Any assistance would be appreciated.
Unfortunately it’s pretty hard to find replacement parts for these. The original gear was a plastic 10 tooth gear for a 8mm shaft with double flats, 6.2mm across the flats. Below are some photos from an eBay listing:
https://imgur.com/a/hyNnZ
You might be able to use an XL series timing pulley like this:
http://www.robotshop.com/en/10-tooth-timing-pulley-6mm-bore.html
The inner bore would need to be enlarged to fit the 8mm shaft. And of course 3D printing a new gear is always an option!
Thank you for sharing your bushing repair!
My IC2 DAK Breverra Gaggia paddle has been starting to stall under load and I replaced belt but did not help. The intermediate shaft upper bushing hole on the bowl assembly was elongated and was causing belt slippage as well as gear slippage.
Amazing work on the Mold-A-Rama! I have a friend that may want to have one built. He current owns 20 Mold-A-Rama machines in a private collection.
I followed your lead installing the scales on my mini-mill. It worked like a champ. Thank you so much, you saved me a ton of time and headaches.
Found your gelatieria repair having started to run into issues with my machine. It is a well written repair summary. Seems my bearing has seized as well. Do you know/remember what size the bushings are so I can order some before disassembly?
Hi Robin, the bushing specs are 12mm ID, 18mm OD, and 12mm length. It’s item number 6659K18 from McMaster Carr.
Many thanks.
Hi, I just read your mini lathe CJ0618 repair report. great job, unfortunately for me this repair is just as realistic as flying to mars on my motorbike. I have the same error code A001 on my CJ0618 and it is remaining after the replacement of the sensor. I have idea how to continue as I am just not qualified nor tooled to check and replace all these components. may be there are different solutions by replacing a whole module or unit. even if I do not get back all the function the control unit offered initially. what would you suggest?
Hi Stefan,
A popular upgrade for these lathes is a KB controller, you can find more information about this by searching online for “mini lathe kbic controller”. This would require a few more parts and the RPM display would no longer work. It also requires working with mains voltage so only attempt if you are comfortable with that. Before I repaired this controller I was using a KB KBWS-25D to operate the lathe.
Hi, I’ve come across your blog in doing my own research for building an apartment machine shop. I’ve started with a Taig lathe which I’ve found to be very sufficient for my little projects, but now I’m looking for a mill, and like yourself have also been looking at a Taig (manual version). I’m also deciding between that and an LMS micro mill and have been seeking feedback from users of both. How has working with a Taig been for you? I’m interested in learning about any limitations with mass and rigidity, power and anything else. I’d be grateful for any experience and opinions you’d be willing to share. Thanks!
Will
So far I’ve owned a Sherline mill and the LMS 3990 Hitorque mini mill. The Sherline is a great machine for small parts (think palm of your hand) made of plastic, aluminum, or wood. I would say it does best if you’re into hobbies with small parts like RC cars, watch making, or small steam engine. Once I started working on projects with larger parts the bigger travel and larger motor of the mini mill was necessary. One big thing I learned with these small machines is they often have columns with pivots on them. I would avoid those at all costs as they were very difficult to keep from moving, even when fully tightened. For that reason alone, I would lean more towards the LMS micro mill as the column and head are fixed.
Any idea where to get a lid for the Gaggia? Mine is split down the middle.
Mine did too! I used WELD-ON #16 acrylic cement to glue it together. It is still holding strong after several years. Unfortunately I’m not aware of anyone selling spare parts for this machine anymore.