Londinium L1-P seals, sleeve, and a helpful tool from Stephen Sweeney

First a few images of a typical group piston seals change done on the piston out of the Londinium L1 which is identical to the one on the L1-P:






For replacement seals I got two slightly different sets from Peter at www.kafko.nl
In the picture below you see the three on the left (Astoria type) are just a bit thinner than the Cimbali type on the right. I decided to use the Astoria seals which are more flexible. They are very much like the ones I am used to on the Londinium machines.
 
When I took out the piston of the L1-P, I also took out the sleeve so I could see the inside recess:

The inside of the group with the sleeve out:

Re-inserting the sleeve after cleaning and lubricating:

It goes in a little bit  deeper than this:

Then on to the seals. I use a little spoon without any sharp edges to take off the old seals:

I could use the same spoon or an allen key to put the new seals back on but I took the opportunity to try out a tool that Stephen Sweeney made. This makes it extremely easy to slip on a seal. Just lubricate the shaft well, slide it over to the place on the piston you want the seal to end up in, and smoothly slip the seal over the shaft into the groove.

Similar tools have been developed for the Olympia Cremina in the past. This picture is shown on
http://www.home-barista.com/levers/olympia-cremina-piston-service-tools-t3580.html :


I'd say anyone with patience and a careful approach can easily change the seals with an allen key but if one is a bit nervous about damaging any seal, the tool makes it a complete breeze.