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HELP !... Moka pot advice needed ....

Just received
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my NOS VEVE Vigano "KONTESSA" stainless steel moka pot . Absolutely new condition with original papers , no box and one tiny problem . The unused rubber gasket is 40 plus years old. After a very thorough cleaning I cannot use the pot . The old rubber gasket is not only discolored but hard as a rock . Factory NOS rubber gaskets are available , but the latest manufacture would be 1984 when the company folded and I don't want rubber since silicone gaskets are available . My problem and my question to you that have moka pots , will 1 or 2 centimeters in circumference make that much of a difference ?. I see a few ads for silicone gaskets to fit my "2 tazze" little pot , but none of the circumferences match . Yes , I can take the old one out and measure it , but after sitting unused 40 years I'm sure it has shrunk. Any advice or links to proper size silicone gaskets for this pot will be appreciated ! GRAZIE !
 
Silicone gaskets
 

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Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Silicone is your best bet, I think. You may have to Google around a little, but I'm thinking there are manufacturers of other brands that may use the same size gasket.

Failing all else you may be able to source a piece of silicone sheet and carefully cut your own.

Sweet lookin' moka pot, BTW!

O.H.
 
Silicone is your best bet, I think. You may have to Google around a little, but I'm thinking there are manufacturers of other brands that may use the same size gasket.

Failing all else you may be able to source a piece of silicone sheet and carefully cut your own.

Sweet lookin' moka pot, BTW!

O.H.
Thank you Old Hippie !.... Using an exacto knife to cut a perfectly round gasket is last on my list !.... I will try gaskets a centimeter or 2 larger and also smaller . I think silicone will "stretch " a little better than rubber , now it's just a matter of finding a U.S. vendor , most of the silicone gasket vendors are in PRC .
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Thank you Old Hippie !.... Using an exacto knife to cut a perfectly round gasket is last on my list !.... I will try gaskets a centimeter or 2 larger and also smaller . I think silicone will "stretch " a little better than rubber , now it's just a matter of finding a U.S. vendor , most of the silicone gasket vendors are in PRC .

Let's not do the caveman solution before it's time...:)

My experience of those white rubber moka pot gaskets is that they don't actually shrink much. They get hard and no longer have the "squish" to seal, but they tend to stay pretty much the same size. My thought is that maybe you can find a similarly sized pot in a store, using a silicone gasket of the correct size. Then it's a matter of going online (or looking in that store) to find the replacement gaskets that will fit your moka pot. Might get lucky that way.

You might also get lucky and the original maker is still in business.

Some machine shops and auto shops have the tools to cut custom gaskets. I wouldn't use an Xacto knife on it. A nice pair of aviation snips (yellow handle) will do the external curve, and with a little fiddling you should be able to get a clean cut on the inside too. Use a compass to lay out concentric circles in the appropriate width.

O.H.
 

Legion

Staff member
Is there a brick and morter shop that sells coffee equipment near where you live?

I remember chasing a slightly odd sized one years ago. I went into a shop that specialised in such things (luckily Melbourne is a coffee mecca and there are a few of those), and they presented an assortment that I could compare and match my original with until I found the right one.

Obviously cost more than buying online, but at least I knew what I was getting.
 
Let's not do the caveman solution before it's time...:)

My experience of those white rubber moka pot gaskets is that they don't actually shrink much. They get hard and no longer have the "squish" to seal, but they tend to stay pretty much the same size. My thought is that maybe you can find a similarly sized pot in a store, using a silicone gasket of the correct size. Then it's a matter of going online (or looking in that store) to find the replacement gaskets that will fit your moka pot. Might get lucky that way.

You might also get lucky and the original maker is still in business.

Some machine shops and auto shops have the tools to cut custom gaskets. I wouldn't use an Xacto knife on it. A nice pair of aviation snips (yellow handle) will do the external curve, and with a little fiddling you should be able to get a clean cut on the inside too. Use a compass to lay out concentric circles in the appropriate width.

O.H.
Italian VEV is long gone although the PRC is reproducing imitations . You can buy NOS VEV rubber gaskets , but they are " vintage " and rubber does not flex for long . I hope I got lucky , I ordered 8 gaskets made with food grade silicone and are the same size as the original VEV rubber gaskets ... 3.9cm x 5.1cm... They'll be here soon , I'm hoping for a perfect fit !.
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
I hope I got lucky , I ordered 8 gaskets made with food grade silicone and are the same size as the original VEV rubber gaskets ... 3.9cm x 5.1cm... They'll be here soon , I'm hoping for a perfect fit !.

With any luck that'll be enough gaskets to last through your next two lives. :) Then you'll have to think about where to stash the spares, since I've heard you can't take them with you.

Snark aside, sounds like you've got it sorted. Even if they're not quite the same as long as they cover the parts that need to be covered you should be good.

O.H.
 
With any luck that'll be enough gaskets to last through your next two lives. :) Then you'll have to think about where to stash the spares, since I've heard you can't take them with you.

Snark aside, sounds like you've got it sorted. Even if they're not quite the same as long as they cover the parts that need to be covered you should be good.

O.H.
I sure hope so... That pot keeps begging for fresh coffee!
 
Those are the same dimensions of the gasket used in the Bialetti Moka 1 cup, available on Amazon and other online stores.
If the ones I ordered don't fit I'll try those ..... by the way , as for variances from vendor to vendor the 5.1cm x 3.9cm gaskets I bought were listed as " 1 cup " and my pot is a 2 cup ,I ran into that a few times in my searches . Great to know the Bialetti is that exact size . Thanks for the info Omega48 .
 

Legion

Staff member
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Excuse me if you have just put it that way for the photo, but on most moka pots the gasket goes around the strainer part (like in your bottom pic), not directly into the top half of the pot (like in your top two pics).

Thank you Legion!... I was wondering why the bottom wouldn't close all the way . Nice tight fit now . Should I remove the gasket for rinsing ( and drying ) after every use ?
 
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