Kudos to everyone!! JohnB. Thank for the link to the tool, it's ordered!! Randy G., You are partially responsible for my getting into being an espresso(kook) fanatic, I love your EspressoMyEspresso "blog".......and read all of it.;;;; Adam, thanks for the offer, but I am into doing all the restoration for this project, I mean that's the fun of it, eh? and also thanks again for the good pictures again of your file. Eric, no worries about the threads, I knew I would see the thread pitch once I got the right gauge to measure them with, and are you the guy who developed the thermometer that I have on my Vetrano, that I got at Chris's coffee? If so, that thermometer rocks!!! Anyway, sorry about no pictures yet, I have been busy with work(electrician stuff) because it is summertime here at Lake Tahoe and everyone wants their job done yesterday..... Hopefully I can take some pics tonight..... Happy Bastille Day! TDF is in the high mountains.

and are you the guy who developed the thermometer . . .

Yes - more info on that and on your V at my crude site below my sig.

I would be a little cautious on those threads - not that you are not thinking along those lines. When I took the mini-e apart to confirm the pitch, I took a second glance at the male threads and all of the crests were a little flatter than what I would have expected. I did not investigate further but the brief glance had me thinking something other than a standard metric thread form - sorta like an Acme thread on lathe lead screws.

claypriley wrote:Randy G., You are partially responsible for my getting into being an espresso(kook) fanatic

Hey, don't blame Randy for that. It was bound to happen!

Best laugh I've had today!
I'm proud to shoulder my share of the blame.
Right now, out on my workbench, there sits a Hottop, disassembled down to the frame and base. After today's thorough cleaning, rinse and dry, tomorrow it gets reassembled with the installation of some update parts.
FANATICS UNITE!

Yeah, you're right, I was initiated 32 years ago when I watched my Dad grind coffee beans and make filter coffee into a vacuum thermos. Or maybe it was when he took me to Murchies in Vancouver, BC to buy beans.....Anyway.....what a day with the grinder! I got an unexpected day off so it was out to the Man Cave to tinker with the grinder threads. The thread restoring tool didn't arrive yet, and now I don't really need it. I was able to work past the bad body thread and "re-shape" the groove using a little of some fine "grinding and lapping compound" and some car polish/scratch remover......... I used a little back and forth motion when I got to the part about 1 1/3 turns in and was able to get by the buggered thread without using gorilla type force or a Pipe wrench......The "grinding and lapping compound" I used is a water soluble paste of something gritty, carbide maybe? it is black in colour and pretty fine......... and now the DISCLAIMER: KIDS, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. I AM NOT A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL(although I play one in my mind) AND ANYTHING I MIGHT TRY IS PROBABLY/SURELY NOT ENDORSED BY THE POWERS AT MAZZER OR ANY OTHER ESPRESSO MANUFACTURER. So if you try anything I did/do, you do it on your own free will, and I am not responsible........ please sign, in espresso crema.... Okay and now I will try to up load some pictures. They aren't very good, definitely the camera, not me......ha....

Picture of semi-before..... I think I had tried to clean up the thread with my little triangular file at this point, again don't try this at home.....Well, sheeeesh....... I can't figure out how to resize the photos so they will up load......operator error........ sorry due to technology beyond my experience, pictures will have to wait until I can get some computer help.... in the morning. My apologies for the long wait for pictures.

UPDate: go to page 4 to see the pictures. Yeah I finally figured it out how to upload......my computer literacy is not great......

In the meantime, I took all the guts out of the grinder, and now I just have an empty shell to strip down and get powdercoated(thinking of black for the back, to make the gold Rio emblem really shine, and silver on the sides and front.) Thanks for all the good forum threads on how to take the monster down to pieces and that wiring diagram!!....
I will install new bearings while I have it apart. I noticed the top bearing is a German 6204 RSR rubber sealed one and the bottom bearing is a shielded one(I still gotta get that one out). Does that seem stock? Or had somebody already swapped one or the other? I read that the shielded bearings are quieter, anyone got any experience with this? Anyway, I know German bearings are good from my skateboarding days....... Maybe I can get some Swiss racing bearings........ or some ceramic bearings......

I unscrewed the top burr assembly in my new Wega 6.8 the other day and prior to screwing it back in I took a look at the threads. I noticed that the threads were actually chipped in several different spots. In some areas it was just the tup and in others the whole thread. I contacted Tom at Wega to get his take on it and he wanted me to take pictures for him to send to their head of service. He said he might just have to send me a replacement part.

Does anyone know how that could potentially happen on such a new grinder? I have only had it 2 or 3 days. i assume it was probably a miss somewhere in the manufacturing process?

Warrior372 wrote:I noticed that the threads were actually chipped in several different spots... I have only had it 2 or 3 days. i assume it was probably a miss somewhere in the manufacturing process?

I would think it was a bad casting, low(er) quality metal, poor machining practices, or other similar problem that cause it and not something you did.

claypriley wrote: I will install new bearings while I have it apart. I noticed the top bearing is a German 6204 RSR rubber sealed one and the bottom bearing is a shielded one(I still gotta get that one out). Does that seem stock?

Don't know but if I have a choice I always go with the rubber shielded bearings so I can pop off the shield & pack the bearing with some high quality grease before installing.