There have been a number of posts here and at CG regarding using Super Jolly burrs in a Mazzer Mini (http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/espresso/machines/135689 and
Grind quality of Mazzer Mini E vs. Super Jolly?). It appears that the Mini motor has enough power to drive the larger SJ burr set for low duty cycle home use, so I decided to do a burr swap on my standard Mini. It is not too difficult if one has access to a lathe to fabricate adapters for fitting the 64mm burrs to the existing carriers. I understand that Mini-E burr carriers also fit and could be used without modification.

The modification seems to work great. I have not noticed any motor stalling or overheating in the home use environment. I also like the SJ performance in a Mini package and cost.

Here are the details:

Machine two centering rings (2.175 OD, 2.047 ID, 0.075 thick) that press into the SJ burrs to center them on the Mini carriers. The rings need to be filed slightly for clearance at the mounting holes. The photo shows the standard burrs above the SJ burrs with the centering rings installed.



Drill new mounting holes in the lower burr carrier. Use a turned drill guide and the SJ burr to locate the holes.



Drill new mounting holes in the upper burr carrier.



Tap the new mounting holes for the burr mounting screws.



Mount the SJ burr to the upper burr carrier.



Mount the SJ burr to the lower burr carrier and install on the motor shaft.

Eric, I was hoping to hear how your mini has been performing with the sj burrs. Is there a noticeable increase in consistency of pour and/or quality in the cup? Have you had any issues? Stalling? Motor heating? I read somewhere that the super jolly use to have a motor of equal power to the mini. Do you know if this is true?

I am very pleased with the performance of the modified mini. It is solid, fast, and consistent yet an appropriate size for home use. I run a little less than a pound of beans per week and have found that the grind just needs to be adjusted when I change coffee and is remarkably consistent through the batch. There has been no evidence of the motor bogging down or overheating even with lightly roasted beans. I am not sure if this motor was used in the original SJ but it seems fine for home use.

I have progressed through various grinders (Krupps, Capresso Infinity, Cunill Tranquilo) and finally can say that I have no desire to move on to a more expensive grinder.

OK, who's going to step up and fit 155mm Mahlkoenig burrs on a Mazzer Major in place of its normal 83's?

It will require some major Major modification (tip of the hat to Joseph Heller). In addition to to the rejigged burr-mounting arrangement, the grinding chamber will need to be expanded.

Hmmm. Then the plundered Mahlkoenig will be crying out to have that big stone grinding wheel near the base of our birdbath installed. Wish I was good with Photoshop.




ben

Haha, Ben, what about the 80 mm mahlkoenigs for the the smaller 803/4 series.?

Jonny, I'm glad I amuse someone besides myself!

Unfortunately, I only have experience with the gargantuan R2D2 MealKing whose upper burr I exhibited at the last get-together.

It's still up for grabs if anyone wants to conduct monstrous hybrid experiments. Or possibly adapt the motor to power a winch or chain hoist.

Our grinding stone is NOT available, however.

cheers,

ben

(edited)

Ben, have you looked into the cost of getting those burrs sharpened? I think Mahlkonig sharpens burrs up to three times. I wonder what the cost is though.

CONFIRMATION:
I wanted to confirm some things about the mini. I messed around with a mini for a couple of months. I ended up dropping in a set of super jolly burr carriers with burrs (taken from a super jolly I bought) just to see how to would react. The carriers dropped in without a hitch! I ran this set up for about a month and did find a good improvement in the consistency of my shots probably similar to someone moving from a mini to an sj. I loved the setup but I'm on a tight budget so, it wasn't exactly economical to keep two grinders just to make one, so the mini was sold (bought for 175, sold for 350, bought the sj for 275) and now I'm about to be running a polished super jolly with fresh bearings. Anyways, I just wanted to confirm that my mini with like-new (but broken in) super jolly burrs worked flawlessly. Absolutely no startup issues or stalling, even on light beans. It still chewed through my 14g shots like no tomorrow! I usually used it for 2-3 shots a day spaced out, but I did try it once at thanksgiving to serve about 5 shots in 15 minutes. This is still a low duty cycle but is probably about the worst any home user would put a grinder through. It still performed with flying colors, no over heating. I just wanted to add a +1 to this mod and if kitchen real estate is top dollar, consider a mini, buying a used sj for the carriers and burrs, and selling the rest for parts. Not a bad deal and used minis are generally in better condition than used super jollies!

I never get tired of looking at the photos in this thread. Lovely!!!

Jonny, no, I've not looked into sharpening the Mahlkonig disks. I have a vague memory of reading something like what you describe (and also that they give a certain fixed trade-in credit toward a new grinder if one wants to go that route), but haven't been able to find any solid information substantiating either.