Thread Number: 54068
/ Tag: Small Appliances
Any coffee lovers with vintage chrome vacuum pots? |
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Post# 764370 , Reply# 1   6/18/2014 at 11:30 (3,571 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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The Sunbeam vacuum pots are probably the best ones out there and they made them for a long time, so you should have a good selection out there. I have a C20 (late 1930s) and a C30 (mid-50s). I use the C30 regularly and it really does make superb coffee.
Yes, there can be gasket issues, but it is possible to buy new-production versions of the original gaskets. I'll try to find a link to the place where you can get them.
One thing to keep in mind when looking for a Sunbeam: be sure the plating on the inside of the lower pot is intact. When the plating wears off and comes in contact with the metal underneath (a copper alloy, I think) the flavour of the coffee will be compromised.
To put things in perspective I have automatic vacuum pots by Cory, Knapp-Monarch, and Westinghouse. The Cory has a wonky thermostat (a common problem with these pots) and I find it a little too 'hit or miss' for regular use. The Knapp Monarch is good pot, brews quickly and has a 10-cup capacity, but the filter is not terrific and you wind up with a lot of sludge at the bottom of the pot. The Westinghouse seems to work well enough, but the gasket is in poor shape and seems to 'melt' a little more each time I use it, so I tend to keep it 'on the shelf'.
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Post# 764384 , Reply# 5   6/18/2014 at 12:25 (3,571 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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I love my coffee, and like Allen I have been loyal to a local independent roaster for nearly 30 years. I use a Cuisinart Burr Grind & Brew (automatic drip with glass carafe) daily.
The vacuum pots intrigue me, but I can't get past brewing a primo blend in a metal assembly and keeping it hot in a metal carafe. To me, it taints the flavor. If that doesn't bother you, then Sunbeam seems to be the way to go, unless you don't mind the stove-top method of a glass Cory. |
Post# 764390 , Reply# 7   6/18/2014 at 13:07 (3,571 days old) by kb0nes (Burnsville, MN)   |   | |
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If you intend to use this pot as a daily driver make SURE you seek out a C50. The C50 was the last iteration before Sunbeam got out of the 'sucking' (vacuum) coffee business.
The C50 differs from its predecessors mainly by having a totally different seal design. The earlier models had a molded rubber seal that tends to get hard with age. Once they get hard you will have trouble getting the unit apart (get it hot to soften the rubber) and sometimes the seal, wont seal and you end up with an unfiltered pot of coffee stranded in the top bowl. The C50 uses a large rubber O-Ring that is expanded by cam action clamping from 2 handles that secure the upper bowl. This is WAY superior to the earlier system. There is a guy molding replica seals now (www.dayseal.com...) but I don't think the C20/30 seals are as good as the OEM's were. I have a Dayseal ring for my C50 and its just a big silicone O-Ring and it works perfectly! The C20 had a cloth filter and the later models have a reusable fine stainless mesh filter. If memory serves the C50 was larger capacity then the 20 & 30. All in all the Coffeemasters were amazingly well made and most every one I have seen still works fine (seal excluded). The bowls are spun copper and chrome plated. Watch the plating in the bottom of the bottom bowl. Its often pitted and shedding, probably due to people allowing coffee to stand in the pot for extended periods of time. The photo (lifted from Google images) is of a C50. The C50 is the only one with the pair of black Bakelite clamping handles were the bowls join.
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Post# 764414 , Reply# 9   6/18/2014 at 15:53 (3,571 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Post# 764419 , Reply# 10   6/18/2014 at 16:10 (3,571 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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For those having brewing problems with their vac pots here are some tips.
First start with the grind of coffee. If you are using one of the glass Silex or Corey rods you want something not too coarse but neither very fine. Auto drip is about right maybe a big finer if you want stronger coffee. The glass rods all work on the same principle; as brewed coffee is pulled down to the lower chamber via vacuum action the slightly rough surface traps grinds. As the layer of grinds builds the coffee itself acts as a filter as well. This is why the type of grind is so important. If it is too fine the rods cannot filter effectively and you end up with a cloudy brew full of fine grinds. Also there is a risk that the force of the vacuum pulling grinds/liquid to the lower chamber will cause the latter to compact (as coffee grinds are want to do)and form a somewhat solid mass. Once this happens filtering slows down and or ceases because the vacuum force is not powerful enough to blast through what is becoming a hockey puck of grinds. OTOH if grinds are too coarse there is the risk of a weak brew as the surface area of coffee to water is not as good when finer grinds are used. Silex and Cory among others got around the jammed glass rods by inventing other filters such as fine SS mesh, and of course those cloth covered disks. Have used the cloth covered disks and yes, you can take the grind very fine and it still is sucked down forcefully. Problem is one like many others back in the day do not consider the things very sanitary. Leaving a used bit of cloth soaking in water over night to keep it "fresh" just isn't up one's street. Never mind that coffee oils soon will grow rancid ruining one's brew long before the thing wears out. Yes, one could wash the things but without careful rinsing residue from whatever detergent will contaminate your coffee. This is why so many switched over to and or preferred glass rods or other types of filters. To some extent all vacuum brewing methods will produce some sediment. But the finer your grind the more coffee dust is likely to end up in your brew. Silex promoted their cloth strainers as giving a "clear" brew because housewives no longer had to worry about serving cloudy coffee. The other major important thing about vacuum coffee brewing is it is vital that the seals are in good repair and that they mate properly. If there is not a good seal not only will steam escape from around, but the vacuum action required brewing will not be what it should. This results in poor extraction (if water ever reaches the upper chamber at all), and in general a bloody mess. |
Post# 764420 , Reply# 11   6/18/2014 at 16:10 (3,571 days old) by kb0nes (Burnsville, MN)   |   | |
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Opps I forgot to add that the C50 model attempted to seal the base making this model more resistant to water ingress into the base. This is why they went to the rotary control so the shaft could be O-ring sealed. They still shouldn't be immersed (or put in the DW) but you can run water over the base, which is not a good idea with the earlier models.
The C50's don't seem to pop up on eBay as often as the C30's do. Perhaps vacuum pot sales were already starting to dwindle by then. I don't want to talk about easiest, that would be my auto drip pot. It runs every day and needs a lot less cleanup. The vacuum pots for me are only driven on special occasions. |
Post# 764450 , Reply# 13   6/18/2014 at 17:30 (3,571 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)   |   | |
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Actually this is a perfect place to ask this. I found a C30 recently at a rummage sale which is complete except for what I gather would be a piece of stainless steel mesh. The plunger is stainless steel with the spring-loaded hook on the bottom, but the "plug" is only a flat plate of stainless with four cutouts. The unit came with a supply of round filter papers which just fit under the flat plate and are perfectly sized, but they seem to need support (i.e the stainless steel mesh?). In trying the unit it bubbled and sucked fine, but it pulled the grounds into the bottom (don't recall if it tore the filter paper, but although tight, it was not very sturdy. My grandmother used a vacuum stovetop Silex (with filter cloth) for most of the time I remember, so I'm familiar with the concept. Is there a round screen which is used in this case?
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Post# 764452 , Reply# 14   6/18/2014 at 17:42 (3,571 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas)   |   | |
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If you look on Ebay those Sunbeam cloth filters (which last a long, long time) pop up from time to time. I think I bought 100 of them for $12.95 or something like that. You are supposed to keep them in a cup in the refrigerator, but I always rinsed mine out with very hot water and hung it up to dry. Worked just fine. |
Post# 764460 , Reply# 15   6/18/2014 at 18:09 (3,571 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 764462 , Reply# 16   6/18/2014 at 18:11 (3,571 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)   |   | |
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I have a C30 and I use the filter frame that you are speaking with a small wire mesh filter from a french press. You can order these online thru Fantes I believe, or find them on ebay. If you want extra filtration just put a 3 1/2" paper filter on top of the wire mesh filter. I found that this worked just a well, or better that the cloth filters, was much less of a hassle and easier to clean. For real easy cleanup, try using a Cory glass filter rod. You can find these on ebay too. The coffee will taste more like french press coffee as there will be a little more sediment in the finished brew. And to cleanup you just remove the rod, rinse the grounds down the garbage disposal and wash the upper bowl and rod. I also have the Sunbeam Coffeemaster wire mesh filter, but it has a rubber ring that holds the filter mesh to the frame and I find that the coffee gets a slight rubber taste when I use it. |
Post# 764482 , Reply# 17   6/18/2014 at 19:33 (3,571 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Up until the C-50 Sunbeam sold cloth filters one could use in addition to the wire mesh that came with units. Have some floating about that came with one's first C-50 that we used until it quite literally died. Since that unit came with the original box and quite a few other bits (some of which belonged to other Coffemaster models) we were able to understand the purpose of the cloth filters.
IIRC even the C-50 recommends use of said cloth filters if one wishes a clearer brew than what comes with the mesh. Personally never bothered for reasons/complaints listed above regarding Silex's cloth filters. However did take one of the Sunbeam cloth filters and using it as a template cut a bunch of paper filters from the larger sized cone versions used with drip pots. Using paper along with mesh makes cleaning up a bit easier as one just carefully removes and throws the thing away. It also helps keep the mesh filter a bit cleaner from grinds and coffee oil residue. After awhile even the best routine cleaning of mesh filters won't be enough one finds. That is when the thing must be taken apart and given a good scrubbing/washing up with very hot water. The residue becomes more of a problem for those that allow the filter to stand for long periods after use and full of grinds. |
Post# 764504 , Reply# 18   6/18/2014 at 22:42 (3,570 days old) by rickr (.)   |   | |
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We use a Sunbeam C30 here, and it gets a lot of use. It was my grandmothers. We always remove the top part as soon as the coffee is drawn back into the bottom part. I think this saves the rubber gasket, not to let it sit there and "cook" with the heat of the lower unit. I have never replaced the gasket in all these years, so it must have helped preserve it to a great extent. The lower unit gets VERY hot, and this coffee maker brews the best coffee I have ever had. The chrome is very good condition, and we are careful on how we take care of it.
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Post# 764512 , Reply# 20   6/18/2014 at 23:32 (3,570 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Among design changes is that Sunbeam did not plate the insides of the pots as deeply on the last of the Coffee Master series. Thus you often see the plating inside the lower container of C-50's worn away over time, especially around the nut/stem that hold the metal upper of the pot to the *plastic* lower housing. Over time this wearing down can allow small leaking of water into the base. This sooner or later will cause the thing to short out/stop working.
OTOH the C-30's are heavy and built like tanks even though the C-50's aren't lightweight either. |
Post# 828451 , Reply# 22   6/18/2015 at 00:50 (3,206 days old) by stan (Napa CA)   |   | |
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have a C30 that I just ordered a new seal from DaySeal.
For those of you that have replaced their seal.. Did you re use the embedded metal part with the teeth. I don't see how or why its necessary? I had a hell of time getting the old one off and the new seal dose not come with metal ring embedded? Put it together with out and seams to work.. But am I missing something? |
Post# 1145728 , Reply# 23   4/2/2022 at 19:18 (726 days old) by elmo (Tennessee)   |   | |
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I just received a response from Lee at Day Seal informing me they were still in business |
Post# 1145737 , Reply# 25   4/2/2022 at 20:32 (725 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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