Bought
A Vintage Percolator As Is

Question:

Bought a vintage percolator locally. Trying to decide how to use it. I think maybe the stem is not the one made for this maker. It seems too long, extends some into the glass bubble. Is this right? The parts inside shake and jump around some. I don't know anything about how it should work except distant memories of a quietly bubbling percolator that Mom had. Thanks!

Answer:
Sounds like they might have replaced some of the parts and they were not the correct items. However, it still should work, as long as the grounds can be held in the basket without falling out, and the stem fits inside the pot. As long as it doesn't hit the glass percolator top it should still work. The coffee has to have room to bubble up through the stem. If the stem hits the glass, you may have to use a hacksaw to shorten it, but not much. Try it as is, and see if it works first. If not, you might even be able to use a file and grind down the stem a bit. Since it is probably made of aluminum, it shouldn't take too much effort to shorten.