Hand (grinder) Jive - a photo essay - Page 14

by GB on Sat Sep 27, 2008 7:07 pm

Here is a link to some well photographed old coffee grinders:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki...ry:Coffee_grinders

The red Peugots are stunning!

Geoffrey

by **oofnik** on Mon Sep 29, 2008 10:44 pm

Very pretty!

Well, since this thread's still around, I figure I'll go ahead and let everyone know that my frankenstein hand grinder project is still working flawlessly. Couldn't be happier. I wonder if I inspired any more crazy ideas.. :twisted:

by GB on Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:21 am

offnik

I am curious, would you mind explaining your grinder project and maybe some photos?

Thanks
Geoffrey

by **oofnik** on Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:42 pm

Geoffrey,
There are pics and details on pages 7, 9, and 11 of this thread. Basically I cannibalized a La Pavoni Club grinder, which has conical burrs, and rebuilt a Trosser hand grinder with the modern burr set. I also added a worm gear adjustment knob for super duper fine grind adjustments. I can now grind to about flour consistency, even finer than turkish.

I'd be more than glad to help if you're interested in doing something similar!

by GB on Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:28 pm

oofnik

Thanks for your reply, offer of assistance, and for a somewhat embarrassing wake up call to revisit older threads more often.

Your grinder modifications are very ingenious, especially the worm fine grind adjustment. The fact that they result in flawless functionality is fantastic - kudos. I assume that much of your success is due to the grinder now having the mechanical precision necessary to get a precise and uniform grind that is essential for making good espresso?

I have several design concepts of varying complexity. The simplest is to modify an old Amin Trosser grinder that has an awfully eccentric inner burr and is in rather bad condition - not much to lose if I go wrong. So I will start with it. Curiously, I am also considering using the Ascaso conical burr set, but do not know if the inner burr has a left hand thread or smooth bore? At present I do not have access to machine tools so my grinder modifications will be simple, using much of the original mechanism. Including the original Trosser grind adjustment mechanism. Fortunately it has a fine thread pitch and combined with the effects of the burr cone angle the adjustment is quite fine.

Later, when I get access to machine tools I may try to further increase the grinder's precision by replacing the main wood block with a precision machined plastic or metal one and stiffening the upper bearing/hopper assembly with an additional bracket.

It will be a few weeks before I start, I will keep you posted, and look forward to your comments

Regards
Geoffrey

by **farmroast** on Sat Nov 15, 2008 11:57 pm

Thought I'd add a couple pictures of a counter mount Peter Dienes PEDE coffee grinder.

farm

by **farmroast** on Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:19 am

The burrs. Long path, seem to be designed to crack more than shave. Interesting concept and the grind looks real nice.
farm

by **peacecup** on Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:11 am

FR,

I love those cast iron Dienes grinders, but have always refrained from buying because of shipping and storage space. I've seen them referred to as poppy seed grinders, which it looks suitable for. It grinds well for espresso? How do you catch the grinds? Looks like it would make short work of 14g of coffee beans!

pc

by GB on Sun Nov 16, 2008 9:47 am

farmroast

What a beautiful old grinder. I am envious, and also curious, for it does not appear to have the secondary fine grind region on the burrs that are common with the old vertical hand coffee mills? Because of this I am curious as to how fine it will grind?

Thanks
Geoffrey

by **farmroast** on Sun Nov 16, 2008 10:32 am

The first defect I found with the grinder is the thickness of what it is clamped to must be 1" or less. I did a little test grind last night after cleaning the burrs(it just arrived from Canada yesterday) and it seemed to grind fine enough but will try a shot with it later today and report back. The interesting thing is that it doesn't depend on burr sharpness and the amount of fines seemed minimal.
farm

by **farmroast** on Thu Dec 11, 2008 12:28 am

Does anyone know if there's a reason why older hand mills were never lacquered on the bottom?
farm

by **Stuggi** on Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:41 am

Maybe to avoid lowering the friction of the bottom? Which would make it even more slippery?

by **kopko** on Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:46 pm

oofnik wrote:Well, it's about time my hand-made hand grinder prototype gave me some problems!
Recently I've had issues with the main bearing (highlight red) seizing up. I think it's mostly due to my decision to do away with the intermediate bearing that was present in the original design. My guess would be that the larger diameter allowed the force pushing downward from the bottom burr on the adjustment shaft to be distributed over a greater distance, reducing friction. My bearing isn't very happy. It's been making squeaky noises and seizing up during grinding more and more often until the adjustment mechanism couldn't handle the torque and gave way. Well, I fixed that part, but now I need to figure out what to do about reducing bearing friction. I don't really have access to machinery at the moment, so I was thinking I could just lubricate it with something like graphite powder, most commonly used to de-squeak old locks. Any other suggestions guys? Thanks
<image>

I'm not sure if you can retrofit it with the way this is set up but, maybe you could use a cartridge bearing to keep it smooth. I think you would probably have to use something to bigger to press the outside onto instead of the threaded rod and get it to fit the outer diameter of the surface below the burrs.

I can't help but think of a bicycle hub and the bearings in them to keep the rod free from flexing. If I get my hinds on one of these grinders maybe I'll have to modify it with some hub parts.

by **peacecup** on Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:30 am

Well, time for a little update. Dan and others have been discussing hand grinders lately, so I thought I'd give a few short notes from my new home. I trio of "new" pocket rockets:

a KYM on the right and a pair of PeDe's. These are three of the nicest mills I've ever owned, from the aesthetic standpoint. I love the shape, size, etc. The KYM is fruitwood (cherry?) and have lovely grain and figuring. It came in neglected condition, but it grinds very well. The metal top has a small break where the hinge is - this is a design flaw, because the metal is too thin. Its newer, probably 1950's-60's. Not as massive as the old KYM I recently sent to an HB's dad in Slovakia:

Amazing solid beechwood, beautiful carved sides and fitting drawer, wood top. Very old, probably 1920's - simple mocca label, not even a camel.

The Dienes' are my favs. The "88" has always been on top my list. Very "modern" design, carved drawer pull holes, fitted drawer, angled crank top, special lid to prevent the upper axle from wobble. Really the culmination of the PeDe grinder line - must have been 50's-60's? More images to come...

The "550" is the smallest, tightest little wood grinder I know of. The metal drawer fits perfectly, it is easy to hold and grind with despite its diminutive size. That's a NP 2-oz demitase next to it and its big sister, a typical later-production Dienes Mokka box mill. The 550 has no problem in the burr department, however. It packs a full-size burr, but only fits 20g of beans in the hopper. I've never seen another just like it, but it is really another of my most cherished.

by **peacecup** on Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:43 am

The promised photos of the 88:

The angled handle actually sits just right when between the knees. The handle shaft is extra long for leverage. A lot of thought went into the design of the 88.

Oh, and the 550 in the back is next to a 6-oz NP cappa cup!

by **farmroast** on Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:06 am

Jack
That 88 is absolutely beautiful! You really do live in hand mill heaven. Been waiting for the day you score a big box of assorted never used Dienes burr sets! There are just so few mills available here in the US and the prices have been steadily rising. About double what they were just a year or so ago.
I've been attempting to smooth up a couple burr sets. Using a dremel with diamond mount points of different sizes and shapes. Mainly smoothing up the burr channels of any rust development to keep a smooth flow through the burrs. Then just a slight hollow ground swipe across the cutting edge. Been doing it under a nice magnifier.

by **Bushrod** on Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:58 am

The 88 is nice but the 550 rules all.

by **uscfroadie** on Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:39 pm

Peacecup,

I have the small PeDe, but the bottom of mine sure looks like it says "530". Not sure what the difference is, but for 22 Euros (~$26), it was a bargain, especially given the condition. And it is quite easy to hold in-between your legs when grinding.

I will go out shopping for another this weekend just to see if I can add to this one to start a collection.

by **peacecup** on Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:32 pm

I think the 530 has a little lip of wood around the top rim. Its a little bit bigger therefore, and I think it uses the same metal top piece.

PC

by **uscfroadie** on Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:21 pm

PC,

You are correct; my 530 has a slightly larger top cap. Sadly I decided to clean it up a little when I got home from work and damaged the logo...oh well, lesson learned.


Contact Us	Legal disclaimer and copyright: This content and all its parts are copyrighted, all rights reserved. Content including all text and images in part or in whole may not be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission. Home-Barista, Home-Barista.com and related logos are trademarks of Home-Barista.com, LLC. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. By accessing this site, you agree to the terms of service. Overall speed: fast, current page: 0.4s, avg: 0.6s, max: 2.1s