Tamper handle shape

#1: Post by **mwynne** » September 14th, 2020, 5:19 pm

I'm going to get some custom woodwork done including a tamper handle and I'm trying to decide what kind of shape I want.
I'm using a LP Europiccola (51mm), and I've been finding that I only need a fairly light tamp. Really what I've been doing has been placing the tamped in top of the grounds, and just using my index finger and thumb right on the tamper base to tamp - I like being able to feel the edge of the tamper/basket to feel for tamp depth - so I really only use the handle to lift and place the tamper, not to tamp with.

Maybe that's weird, but does anyone do something similar? Have a favourite tamper shape?

#2: Post by **ira** » September 14th, 2020, 5:22 pm

When I use a normal tamper, that's exactly what I do, helps me make sure the tamp is level. And given that, I'd pick a shape you think is beautiful or compliments the handles on the machine, just make sure it doesn't get in the way of reaching the base..

Ira

#3: Post by **TenLayers** » September 14th, 2020, 5:34 pm

I had custom tamper made a few years ago and the maker, Dana Paul, first had me go through a series of measuring my hand in various ways and then made the handle to fit.
Check out his microphone tampers.
https://tamperista.com

#4: Post by **Jeff** » September 14th, 2020, 6:15 pm

Not weird at all. I still prefer my c. 2005 tamper from Chris Coffee because my fingers comfortably touch the base when I tamp. I never really liked the c. 2012 Espro I bought as it was too tall to be able to just feel that I was square to the basket and how the grounds compressed.

September 14th, 2020, 6:26 pm

TenLayers wrote:I had custom tamper made a few years ago and the maker, Dana Paul, first had me go through a series of measuring my hand in various ways and then made the handle to fit.
Check out his microphone tampers.
https://tamperista.com

Oh wow, some of those are amazing! Love the bike-oriented ones. What kind of handle did you end up with?

#6: Post by **TenLayers** » September 14th, 2020, 6:39 pm

Mine is still on that opening page. The one with old transit token "K" embedded in the top of the handle. The wood portion is made from a Mexican wood called Chechen. I bought a huge portion of Chechen years and years ago for a deck I made out of it and this was the last teeny tiny bit of it left.

September 16th, 2020, 5:27 pm

Extremely quick and dirty with what I had on hand, but I think this mini knob might work for me. Needs to be a little bit bigger.

And a little video of it: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dVEYdoAuXN4PLQJB8