The pouring lip of the bottom bowl is unevenly formed and there are some pinch marks around the lip. I gave it a test run with just water this evening to be sure that the gasket would hold and that all was generally well. When the water started a light boil I put the top section on and happily as can be, in a few seconds nearly all the water rushed up to the top chamber where it stayed until I removed the assembled unit from the heat. The water hurriedly rushed back to the bottom and the sucking sound of vacuum could be heard. Let me take a minute to talk about how these pots work.
Water is placed in the lower chamber.
Place this pot on the heat source and wait for the water to come to a low boil. While that is going on, take the upper chamber and after wetting in water, insert the glass filter rod. The portion of the rod that seats in the upper bowl is textured with precisely made little bumps. The space between the filter rod and the upper bowl is the filter to keep the grounds in the upper chamber. Many folks bought the Silex rod which has a spring and chain attached.