The S1 Cafe - Helping Your Espresso Dreams Become Reality

Here's two he made for me - same style, different woods. I also have an outstanding order with him to make me a couple more that duplicate the Bubinga handle shown on the Espresso Parts home page. I really like the way that style feels in the hand.

I'm not a fan of the style with the bulbous ends.

Here's a pic from another thread.

It shows 3 of the Thor handles, I have a 4th one made of Amboynia Burl which isn't pictured here.

So I just got mine. Olive wood. I'll work on a picture.

But how do I get the old handle off? Without damage or scratching? Any tricks?

If not, hell, I guess I'm replacing it anyway. I can clamp it and just take some pliers to it. Hate to scratch it all up though.

I wrapped a towel around the p/f, grabbed both ends & unscrewed the handle no tools required. Might help if you have one of those thin grip thingies used to remove jar lids that you could wrap around the handle so it doesn't slip.

blgros wrote:But how do I get the old handle off? Without damage or scratching? Any tricks? If not, hell, I guess I'm replacing it anyway. I can clamp it and just take some pliers to it. Hate to scratch it all up though.

No point in destroying something that may be useful to you sometime in the future.

There seems to be some variance in the ease of removing the original handles. Mine were awfully tight and seemed to have some sort of adhesive in the threads.

Here's what worked for me. Slide the rubber grip up toward the basket, and you then have a wrench hex. I removed the basket, removed the spout, put the portafilter down on the floor wrapped in a towel to protect it and the floor from scratching, put a Crescent wrench on the handle, put one big foot on top of the portafilter, and put the other big foot down on the handle of the Crescent wrench. A vise would be preferred, but I don't have one. A soon as the adhesive broke, the handles unscrewed readily.

Which way do the handles turn to come off. If you are looking at the handle end, does it turn counter-clockwise?

Yes, counter-clockwise is correct

Speaking of Thor handles I'm having Les make Cocobolo hopper & doser covers as well as a grind adjustment handle for my Super Jolly to match the p/f handle & tamper he sent me. Definite overkill but they should look very nice!

Niko's waiting for someone to be the first guinea pig and have Les made some nice wood side panels for the S1!

chas wrote:Niko's waiting for someone to be the first guinea pig and have Les made some nice wood side panels for the S1!

I've actually considered that but the thought of what it might cost has tempered my enthusiasm. You'd still be left with a black plastic tray sandwiched between them. Maybe a nice hand carved cypress tray would complete the make over??

What'd be really cool is some stainless side panels with cocobolo inlays
It's the tray that wouldn't match anything, again
All right, who's gonna be the first to fabricate some stainless panels?

I was thinking about them last night & I don't think it would be all that difficult but it would be time consuming. Do we really want to turn the Vivaldi into a SMB? If you want the woodgrain look buy some of that fake veneer previously seen on the 70's Chrysler K cars & big american wagons of the period! Just peel & stick to become the envy of the S1Cafe.

I think I'd rather pimp my ride with clear acrylic side panels, use some LEDs and other interior lighting on the S1 and then y'all will be so with envy.
'dats right...imagine my ride lighting up every time I activate the group