Zassenhaus 496 Mokka won't grind fine enough

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
fede99123
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#1: Post by fede99123 »

Hi, (first sorry my english) I have recently purchased the model in Germany Zassenhaus Mokka is very old but is in good condition. I have disassembled for cleaning, and how it works, but I have a problem, I can not grind fine enough for espresso. Try adjusting the inner screw but no case. I want to know if anyone in the forum has this mill and can tell me their experience with it for grinding espresso.
Greetings!

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[creative nickname]
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#2: Post by [creative nickname] »

I don't own that particular model, but my experience with buying vintage grinders is that sometimes they still function well at very fine grind settings, and at other times they just cannot be made to work. I have a beautiful Zassenhaus (a different model), which I restored as well as I could, but some combination of burr wear and subtle alignment difficulties that I cannot resolve mean that it grinds reasonably well for filter brewing, but cannot do the job for espresso. This is just part of what goes along with hunting for these special finds; you simply cannot tell how well many of these will work before you have restored them.

With that being said, sometimes when you put them back together you can introduce subtle alignment problems that make even an excellent grinder unable to be adjusted fine enough for espresso. I would read some of the tips posted on the Orphan Espresso website, and make sure that you have aligned the grinder as perfectly as you can, before giving up hope.
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summer
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#3: Post by summer »

Yup, I have a model 580 that also grind too coarse for espresso. Looks like the badge is the same...
I bought a 38mm Rossi burr that I had a friend install in the grinder, and this helped. Nowadays the Rossi burrs lives in my Lehnartz, so the Zass is back to the original burrs and used only for drip.

bakafish
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#4: Post by bakafish »

[creative nickname] wrote:I don't own that particular model, but my experience with buying vintage grinders is that sometimes they still function well at very fine grind settings, and at other times they just cannot be made to work.
Yes. I have a almost new Zassenhaus 531. Unfortunately it cannot grind fine enough for espresso, but some of my friends also have this model and theirs can.

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grog
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#5: Post by grog »

Your 496 looks like it has the dial-on-top adjustment. It might be worth your time to disassemble it and make sure the adjustment assembly is put together properly. It's surprising how often these old grinders have been tinkered with before we acquire them. Someone may have put it back together incorrectly or the mounting screws that affix the top burr to the burr mount slab could be loose. Either of those issues could contribute to the grinder's inability to go as fine as you need it to.

Of course, as others have noted, sometimes these vintage grinders simply won't go fine enough for espresso, no matter what.
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EricBNC
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#6: Post by EricBNC »

If it was mine I would tighten the burrs till they no longer turned, then back off a quarter or half turn - you will hear burr rub but it will probably grind fine enough for espresso. See if the results taste OK.
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peacecup
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#7: Post by peacecup »

I always meant to try "seasoning" the burrs with an electric drill, by removing the handle and running the grinder with the burrs rubbing for a period of time. My theory was that the would wear together and allow for finer grinding. But I never tried it, and would only recommend it if you were sure you were willing to sacrifice the grinder in case the burrs were made worse, not better.

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EricBNC
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#8: Post by EricBNC »

I don't think grinding beans by hand with a bit of rub from the burrs will hurt the burr set, probably would take years to create any helpful or harming wear. The steel is pretty high quality.
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fede99123 (original poster)
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#9: Post by fede99123 (original poster) »

Thank you all for the answers. I could not get the grinder grind finer, I have adjusted the screw as much as I could but still the same, I've disassembled and everything works fine and is in place. I am interested in getting an electric grinder and leave this for Mokka pot. Again, thanks for taking your time to answer me. greetings

fede99123 (original poster)
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#10: Post by fede99123 (original poster) »

I've tried but there comes a limit where you have to use excessive force and ground in the same way.

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