2016-03-21 (M) Drip Coffee Maker

To prevent a vacuum from keeping water in the upper bulb a way of letting air into the bulb was necessary. Simply adding a hole at the bottom would allow water to rush out uncontrollably so a "snorkel" needed to be added which would put an air tube at the top of the bulb while it was installed in the coffee maker. A 6mm (1/4") brass tube (hollow rod or pipe) was purchased from a hobby store but a smaller size would have worked equally well. 6mm happened to be the least expensive brass tube because smaller diameters were only available in multiple packs.

Ideas for making a hole ranged from using a standard drill bit to a leather punch. Ultimately, the stopper was made of soft neoprene so it was simple enough to push and twist the brass tube through the stopper. Pushing took several minutes and running water over the tube helped to lubricate it while pushing. 12mm (1/2") was left between the back of the valve and the tube to ensure clearance.

Brass tube pushed through a neoprene stopper

After pushing the brass tube through the neoprene stopper it was important to remove the cut neoprene from the tube. Chopsticks were put into the brass tube to extract the cut neoprene. If a smaller tube were to be used a smaller diameter pusher would be necessary such as a wooden dowel.

Chopsticks next to tube

Partially extracted neoprene cutaway

Neoprene cutaway


To do:

  • Build stand
  • Build cylindrical coffee holder
  • Add filter
  • Build base
  • Design and build water jar holder
  • Add tube for water jar to prevent vacuum


The rest of the posts for this project have been arranged by date.

First time here?

Completed projects from year 1.
Completed projects from year 2



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2015-08-02 (Su)

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