tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post364926148792734029..comments2024-03-22T09:37:50.475-07:00Comments on The Uncarved Block: Repairing an Antique Soda SiphonAndrew Sigalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15497546378492997366noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-44206135182525120042020-09-04T11:24:13.453-07:002020-09-04T11:24:13.453-07:00Agreed! I just want to second this. Thank you for ...Agreed! I just want to second this. Thank you for leaving this page up. I got an invaluable amount of information and was also entertained by the problem solving enthusiasm!Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00752333352689991738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-45833004493610274402019-07-25T07:42:21.058-07:002019-07-25T07:42:21.058-07:00A very useful page, thanks for leaving it up.A very useful page, thanks for leaving it up.NickGreenyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12907467478000069615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-81030205016239561032017-11-04T08:10:05.101-07:002017-11-04T08:10:05.101-07:00Hi Andrew;
I'm really sorry but I dont have e...Hi Andrew;<br /><br />I'm really sorry but I dont have extras and I'm not really comfortable making parts for other people. Hopefully you can find one, or make one for yourself using techniques like those I've described here.Andrew Sigalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15497546378492997366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-14580656130493289252017-11-04T07:10:03.172-07:002017-11-04T07:10:03.172-07:00Andrew
I too need to replace the grey gasket - d...Andrew <br /><br />I too need to replace the grey gasket - did you, by chance , make a couple - willing to pay a good price!!!!Andrew McNeilis McNeilishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05823830788640510427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-47985871359257102222017-09-13T21:11:36.692-07:002017-09-13T21:11:36.692-07:00I would imagine that the same general technique co...I would imagine that the same general technique could be used, but I am not familiar with Liss siphons. I'd love to hear if it works for you.Andrew Sigalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15497546378492997366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-11205434056885451212017-09-13T20:58:32.780-07:002017-09-13T20:58:32.780-07:00The only gasket on my Liss soda siphon that is cor...The only gasket on my Liss soda siphon that is corroded is the one on the head that sits around the pin that punctures the charger. But I can't get any charge into the bottle. It all just blows out around the corroded gasket. You think the mold you created would make a gasket that fit thats part of the head? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-27583411833609311792017-01-31T22:46:23.055-08:002017-01-31T22:46:23.055-08:00Hey anon,
You need to search for pre 96 is parte...Hey anon, <br /><br />You need to search for pre 96 is partes. I got a new bulk for my charger (1985) and have been using it for around 8 years. <br /><br />I wish I could give you a link but I can't figure out who I purchased the bulb holder from.<br /><br />They are out there though.<br /><br />Good luckUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11318371488545760939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-27307186664084330572016-11-16T09:26:59.330-08:002016-11-16T09:26:59.330-08:00Hi everyone, I am patricio, and live in Buenos Air...Hi everyone, I am patricio, and live in Buenos Aires. I also have a C model, with the original top assembly. I removed the soft metal cap, carefully, so as not to damage it badly, and was able to, once I replaced rhe gastekts, asembly it again with the same cap. What I did was to buy a similar piece of rubber por the bottom gasket, the one that closes the valve, and worked it to fit exactly, and (as I hadn't read this article) made the top gasket (o ring type) with several rounds of teflon tape. Previously I polished the inner surface of the top assembly, and the cylinder, to remove some rust. It works perfectly. I also bought (just yesterday) the gasket for the top of the bottle and for the charging canister, to have a like new, working syphon<br />regardsPatriciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09493014056226875916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-1093409433985476182016-07-09T16:34:23.589-07:002016-07-09T16:34:23.589-07:00I have an ISI from the 1980's which I just ord...I have an ISI from the 1980's which I just ordered replacement parts from them that are supposed to be for all models. They didn't fit. Supposedly according to them, my model is pre-1996 and they don't have those parts. I wish I could fix mine. To me, it's not that old. The plastic insert that fits in the mouth seems to be the problem, but what do I know. I may just have to buy a new one. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-23804673629878443802015-01-13T02:11:59.688-08:002015-01-13T02:11:59.688-08:00Hi Jean-Samuel and expertpc,
did anyone of you suc...Hi Jean-Samuel and expertpc,<br />did anyone of you succeed in replacing the crimped top? I am ahead of the same problem, mine is an old London Sparklets from the twenties. I didn't open the top yet, but I was thinking about using copper caps made for heating tubes and hammering them in the right shape.<br />Any ideas?<br />Best<br />Thomastasomhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04938003132668268060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-72732774699055346792014-11-22T21:31:48.394-08:002014-11-22T21:31:48.394-08:00Thanks for the links. I dont think the ISI or LISS...Thanks for the links. I dont think the ISI or LISS parts will work with an old Sparklets soda syphon, but they may work with other, newer syphons. Unfortunately the PrairieMoon page notes that they are sold out and no longer able to get these parts.Andrew Sigalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15497546378492997366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-27480234031453133682014-11-10T12:29:17.210-08:002014-11-10T12:29:17.210-08:00Much enjoyed your info re molding of parts. I hav...Much enjoyed your info re molding of parts. I have several of these bottles and like you, have been looking for some parts. <br /><br />Most of these soda bottles (CO2 charger style) were made by ISI or LISS and have interchangeable parts. Many others were just labeled with different brand names. Others are Mixi, Kaiser, Mr. Fizz.... There were changes made around 1996. See links below for differences. The bottle in your photo is of the pre-1996 variety, but otherwise almost identical to the pre-96 ISI bottle that I own. <br /><br />Some parts are very similar to some whipped cream chargers. Might be worth a try if you can get a whipped cream charger for parts at a good price. <br /><br />Adding some links to put them on record for others who happen by here. <br /><br />Prariemoon lists parts, new and old, including a complete replacement head.<br /><br />http://www.prairiemoon.biz/cltaclrososi.html<br /><br />ISI list parts, mostly post-96<br /><br />http://www.isi-store.com/product_list.asp?SKW=isispare-parts&SEARCH=&HDR=&PGN=2<br /><br />Lissamerica lists the small parts. Not sure if they are old or new style. <br /><br />http://www.lissamerica.com/store/seltzer-parts-new.html<br /><br />Ezychargers (Austria) has nice drawings and parts, but not clear how much to ship to U.S.<br /><br />http://www.ezychargers.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=28_39&products_id=413&osCsid=t4medo992ggkehc6tapdrad0g4<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-79233952191211737072014-11-02T09:06:40.280-08:002014-11-02T09:06:40.280-08:00Hi Matthew. Thanks for reading the post and checki...Hi Matthew. Thanks for reading the post and checking in. I'm afraid I'm not able to make parts for other people, but if you are in Oakland, CA, I could lend you the molds ;-)Andrew Sigalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15497546378492997366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-29444678664373328172014-11-01T16:43:01.626-07:002014-11-01T16:43:01.626-07:00Hi Andrew,
Would you be willing to sell a set of...Hi Andrew, <br /><br />Would you be willing to sell a set of your gaskets? I too have a Sparklets bottle and am pretty sure what you have would do the trick. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03212548576365336942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-10183790460874051342014-04-22T18:40:22.673-07:002014-04-22T18:40:22.673-07:00Hello Andrew,
Thanks so much for this post. I rec...Hello Andrew,<br /><br />Thanks so much for this post. I recently picked up a Sparklets soda siphon at an estate sale and found so little information online about them. I particularly enjoyed your get it down approach and will be creating my own gaskets it soon.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02282001136721757271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-22091545826624218112014-04-22T18:37:42.843-07:002014-04-22T18:37:42.843-07:00Hello Jean,
Like mine, yours is a crimped top. To...Hello Jean,<br /><br />Like mine, yours is a crimped top. To remove it, you will have to destroy it. Take a look at the following video to see how a restoration company handles it...http://www.siphonmanufaktur.de/en/die-manufaktur/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02282001136721757271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-54181160733242168572014-02-28T13:49:54.086-08:002014-02-28T13:49:54.086-08:00I have a very similar model (but in much worse con...I have a very similar model (but in much worse condition). If you have water leaking out of the handle, then you will need to fix the plunger gasket as above – but the very top of the top assembly is a piece of plated metal (copper in my case) which is formed and swaged over the top of the assembly. You can remove it with screwdrivers or a tiny crowbar, but it won't go back on easily. You'll have to come up with some other way to fit it on, as it holds in a spring. I haven't worked it out yet for my own one, but I may try hammering a new piece of copper over it (maybe using a harder coin of metal over the spring to prevent deforming). Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-46988334934318932452013-12-21T16:47:23.601-08:002013-12-21T16:47:23.601-08:00Hi Andrew: I have as a middle name also Andrew; by...Hi Andrew: I have as a middle name also Andrew; by the way proud of it as you surely are; but I'm now congratulating you because you are an authentic American self sufficient citizen, and very useful to humanity. The skills that you can share are much more than anything else on the arsenal of our beloved country. Happy Holidays. Henry Andrew.Henry Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08876204081850841301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-60597316072623309492013-11-25T18:56:41.927-08:002013-11-25T18:56:41.927-08:00Hi Jean-Samuel;
I really cant be certain, but my ...Hi Jean-Samuel;<br /><br />I really cant be certain, but my guess is that it must have been openable at some time. I know that some manufacturers produced bottles that were filled at a bottling factory and couldnt be opened by the user, but yours doesnt look like that from what I can see in the photo.<br /><br />My guess is that it is stuck on by corrosion. I would try letting it soak in a liberal amount of 3-in-1 oil, or other penetrating oil. Another possibility is run the top under hot water, possibly even boiling water. That could cause the metal of the top to expand slightly (hopefully more than any expansion of the lower part) allowing removal. Finally, you could try searching for "removing corroded parts." That produces a number of potentially useful hits.<br /><br />Best of luck, and please do let me know how it goes.<br /><br />AndrewAndrew Sigalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15497546378492997366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-18448020072521651802013-11-25T17:50:47.284-08:002013-11-25T17:50:47.284-08:00Hi,
I'm trying to repair my Sparklets bottle ...Hi,<br /><br />I'm trying to repair my Sparklets bottle too, but the I have this model (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A5bIw5ZaUGw/TqhyWO9BPuI/AAAAAAAAADs/5XT72nHS3QQ/s1600/spark4.JPG) and I can't unscrew the top. It seems to be plied in place. Is there a way to go around?<br /><br />ThanksJean-Samuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06668976159887647408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-49475830966179387582012-04-02T07:57:16.977-07:002012-04-02T07:57:16.977-07:00Great work, Andrew! This reminds me very much of m...Great work, Andrew! This reminds me very much of my first encounters with those vintage Soda Siphons. And I ended up refurbishing and selling them.<br /><br />Everybody out there who isn't as adventurous as Andrew, check out our website, we sell those gaskets, bulb holders, glass tubes and also offer full repair.<br /><br />Martin<br />Die Siphonmanufaktur<br /><a href="http://www.siphonmanufaktur.de/en/" rel="nofollow">www.siphonmanufaktur.de/en/</a>Martin Gräbeldinger, Die Siphon Manufakturhttp://www.siphonmanufaktur.de/en/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-31050832588632320522011-08-17T23:57:47.221-07:002011-08-17T23:57:47.221-07:00Great story! It's a pretty siphon, love the co...Great story! It's a pretty siphon, love the color. Hang onto those molds just in case...karen Kenneynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-38925060572591999782011-08-09T09:31:07.270-07:002011-08-09T09:31:07.270-07:00Wow, so I was hoisted on my own petard by using Va...Wow, so I was hoisted on my own petard by using Vaseline! Thanks for letting me know. Next time I need to make new gaskets, or do anything like this, I'll use something other than Vaseline. However, it's interesting to note that the cornstarch trick does appear to let the silicone set even with the Vaseline.<br /><br />On my Sparklets siphon, there is a pair of holes on top of the metal crown on the siphon’s top. These holes allow you to unscrew the metal crown. At first I attempted to use a pair of lock ring pliers to untwist the crown, but they are not designed for that kind of torque. I remembered that I had a "watch case wrench" that came with a watch repair kit I purchased a while back. I bought the kit because I wanted a watch band pin remover tool, but discovered that it was cheaper to buy the full kit than just that one tool. I had bought it on Meritline.com, but it appears that they don't sell it anymore. It looks like the exact same things available on Amazon.com here http://www.amazon.com/16-PCS-Watch-Tool-Kit/dp/B000T9VK56/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1312906780&sr=8-7 for a whopping seven bucks.<br /><br />Even with the case wrench, I wasn't initially able to get the crown off. I scraped some gunk out from the seam where the crown met the siphon top, gave it a bit of 3-in-1 oil, and waited. When I returned an hour later I was able to get the crown to unscrew. I was happy that I did, because inside the crown there was a lot of accumulated goop from a century of use. I think that was worth cleaning out regardless of whether I needed to replace the seal inside.<br /><br />The handle was held in place with a simple pin. I found an appropriately sized finish nail in my "coffee can of miscellaneous nails." Using that and a hammer I was able to knock out the lever pin and remove the lever.<br /><br />Easy, huh?<br /><br />Hope that helps.Andrew Sigalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15497546378492997366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700793314658085909.post-23221046566607616552011-08-08T16:37:31.298-07:002011-08-08T16:37:31.298-07:00Andrew,
The reason the silicone didn't set up...Andrew,<br /><br />The reason the silicone didn't set up wasn't related to air, but the vaseline. Silicone will not set up in the presence of sulfur, which Vaseline contains. Any part of the liquid silicone that comes into contact with Vaseline will not set. If there is enough of it present, the sulfur can prevent the entire thing from setting up. Next time use a water based lubricant (like KY jelly) and you won't have that problem.<br /><br />Now: can you tell me how you got the head assembly apart? I've got the same problem of water coming out of the lever and I'd like to fix it.<br /><br />Thanks<br /><br />Robert SmytheRobertSmythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625540907860221415noreply@blogger.com