Hand (grinder) Jive - a photo essay - Page 135

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
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Eastsideloco
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#1341: Post by Eastsideloco »

Rare, indeed, especially in that condition. PeDe has a similar model (and KyM and others to a lesser degree). But the production runs must have been small as compared to other models. I suspect most of the mills with this form factor were designed as wooden versions of Turkish mills. But some look like they might have been designed with travel in mind.

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peacecup (original poster)
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#1342: Post by peacecup (original poster) »

I actually never saw that Zass model, but I've always wanted one of the Dienes versions with that little chromed catch cup. I saw one once stripped of the white paint down to the original beech wood which was quite nice also. In all, I've loving my hausgrind so much that I have not been shopping ebay very often. But I do keep an eye out for that special deal.

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Hand-ground, hand-pulled: "hands down.."

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kaldi61
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#1343: Post by kaldi61 »

Are you sure it's not a pepper mill?
-Nelson

LMWDP #506 "It's not just for breakfast anymore."

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grog
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#1344: Post by grog »

Definitely a coffee grinder. The listing had about a dozen photos and as David mentioned above, appears to have been a wood adaptation of the Turkish mills. This one has some really cool elements of the Dienes mill Jack mentions as well as a two part mill that Alexanderwerk made.
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maxbmello
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#1345: Post by maxbmello »

When purchasing a Pharos (#1004) this weekend from a fellow HBer, he was kind enough to throw in these two beauties with the sale. Proof that there are still great people in this world!



An Armin Trosser that is in great shape - barely needed any cleaning. Marked 750 on the bottom, and Made in Western Germany. It is a bit of a nibbler and takes a lot of turns to get through a grind, but does a good job. Not fine enough for espresso, but no complaints here!



A PeDe made in Holland - maybe before the split to De Ve? This one had a little more use, but still overall in good shape. Doesn't grind fine enough for espresso, but a worth addition to my collection.

Overall, I couldn't have been more thrilled by the generous addition to my purchase.

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Eastsideloco
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#1346: Post by Eastsideloco »

I've always assumed that the switch to from PeDe to DeVe was a rebranding effort associated with the fact that Germany wouldn't have been very popular in the Netherlands in the wake of WWII.

The Dutch factory was established by a son-in-law of Peter Dienes, well before the war. There was a family connection, and they shared some technology. But the Dutch factory did have some unique design and build features. They weren't just copying the German products.

That actually looks like a relatively late-model Dutch PeDe. I suspect it's newer than (or of the same vintage as) my DeVe mills. So maybe they used DeVe for a while, then phased it out. Or maybe they used DeVe as a "luxury brand."

The Dutch PeDe mills (and DeVe, for that matter) do seem to stop short of an espresso grind, in my experience. Future collectors take note. If you are shopping for espresso-capable mills, the ability to discern Dutch from German PeDe mills will save you some time and money.

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jzuzphreek
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#1347: Post by jzuzphreek »

Eastsideloco wrote:
The Dutch PeDe mills (and DeVe, for that matter) do seem to stop short of an espresso grind, in my experience. Future collectors take note. If you are shopping for espresso-capable mills, the ability to discern Dutch from German PeDe mills will save you some time and money.
With which being the more capable? The Germans?

Is there a post or thread which succinctly summarizes the differences? I'm hitting the antique shops this weekend, and would love to stumble across a gem!

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Eastsideloco
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#1348: Post by Eastsideloco »

If you are using the mill for brewing purposes only, they are likely equally capable. But you are more likely to find a German DeDe that grinds for espresso than a Dutch PeDe. Most of the Dienes mills that show up in the US are German in origin. Within the German Dienes mills, models with a 6-pointed burr seem more likely to grind for espresso than models with a 5-pointed burr. But that's a loose indicator.

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Eastsideloco
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#1349: Post by Eastsideloco »

Vintage wooden coffee grinder restoration notes

After I restored a vintage Dienes coffee mill for a colleague, his wife contacted me about contributing to a woodworking journal for Highland Woodworking, where she works. The piece ran a couple years ago and is just a summary of some emails we exchanged:

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/wood ... mills.html

From time to time, I get random emails from people who have read this article and want more detail about the products I've used for these projects. So I put together blog post for anyone masochistic enough to take on one of these restoration projects.

http://www.coffeebos.com/workshopping-v ... storation/

I haven't had time to take on a frame up restoration for some time, but you can get impressive results in a long weekend:



(Of course, it's easier and less expensive to just stalk vintage grinders in excellent original condition and pay the premium they command. :roll: But if you just like a good woodworking project, these are pretty simple projects to manage.)

Nonprophet
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#1350: Post by Nonprophet »

Picked up this little beauty over the weekend--a really nice and very clean Lehnartz CAL. The bean hopper cover has some light surface rust (which came right off with steel wool) and the bottom of the drawer needed re-gluing, but all in all it's in really excellent condition. It does grind nicely for espresso, which I find interesting given that it is a 4 star burr, and folks seem to suggest in this thread that 6 star burrs (at least with Dienes/PE DE mills) are preferred. I had noticed that Doug from OE had given the Lehnartz grinders high marks for the way their burrs are mounted/stabilized, so I was looking to find one in nice shape.

"Chop your own wood--it will warm you twice."

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