SERVICE: Refurbishing Miss Silvia

Let me say first that a regular maintenance schedule is a great way to avoid little things from sneaking up on you.  The past several weeks have been quite an adventure into the mechanical world of my espresso machine, one in which many probably would have given up.  My original purpose for this saga was simply to perform regular maintenance, but, as many mechanics will tell you, working on anything that hasn't been kept up may open a Pandora's box of problems . . . and this was the case for me!  About $100 later and lots of tinkering and time invested, I finally have a well-working espresso machine.  I want to share with you the wisdom of my journey, so you don't have to feel alone when you take this road.  Read more of my story after the jump.