Removing burred edges from SSP Red Speed burrs?

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

I've just acquired a Monolith Conical 1 (2nd series) from a fellow member, who thankfully kept great care of it (thank you @cpreston!). It is equipped from factory with SSP Red Speed burrs.

Now, to the question. I've searched this quite a bit but couldn't find the answer: Is it possible to remove the 'burred' edges from these types of burrs with TiAICN coatings? If so, how?

It seems the burrs are new enough that they still have - minimal but noticeable - 'burring' on a couple of edges. By 'burring' I mean the traditional machining meaning of it, which is an accumulation of excess material at the very cutting edge of the burrs. It seems with the coating, these got covered and, therefore, protected against natural removal by using the grind. My instinct is that these coatings are so strong that coffee alone won't do the job in the next few hundred years (it doesn't get a ton of use at home). Sanding came to mind but I've no idea how TiAICN will respond... for example, it may chip instead of 'sand away', or 'sand away' to the point where I've then uncovered the steel under the coating at the very edge? No clue.

Any feedback will be appreciated!
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Pressino
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#2: Post by Pressino »

Is this a functional or aesthetic issue? :?:

Marcelnl
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#3: Post by Marcelnl »

A burr is definitely not aesthetic, when sharpening a knife on a whetstone you aim to raise a burr and remove it in order to reach final sharpness.

My 83mm red speed burrs took quite a while to reach the consistency they now have, my vote would be to feed the grinder some minute rice to season the burrs. First question IMO is, how may Kg went through that grinder?

I just looked up and see that i bought my burrs in 2019, it was not until mid last year (21) that the results became very consistent, which means that I ground approx 80-90 Kilo's to 'break them in' completely..
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Pressino
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#4: Post by Pressino »

Marcelnl wrote:my vote would be to feed the grinder some minute rice to season the burrs.
My understanding is that minute rice is much softer than ordinary rice, which is the reason it is preferred as a Grindz substitute. I suspect therefore that minute rice won't be very effective to wear down the "burrs" on the OP's burrs, especially given their coating.

I understand the need to remove burrs from a sharpened knife edge, but I'm not sure exactly what the OP's burrs look like. They might or might not have any effect on grind quality depending on where they appear.

_Ryan_
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#5: Post by _Ryan_ »

I just confirmed with the SSP leaflet in the box next to me on my desk, they recommend 3-5kg of coarse grinding with full city or french roasting beans to coat the burrs with oil for the 'seasoning' period.

The surface hardness for red speed is listed as 3500 with a co-efficient of friction of 0.6 - units not listed.
I doubt minute rice will do much.

If you have a consistent grind, I wouldn't worry about it. If you're worried, I'd contact SSP for clarity.

Can post a photo of the leaflet from the box if needed, just quote the post so I get a notification.

erik82
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#6: Post by erik82 »

That 3-5kg to coat the burrs in coffee oils is to reduce static when grinding which is something different then seasoning. For seasoning these big burrs you need to grind around 30kg to get full consistent results.

PIXIllate
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#7: Post by PIXIllate replying to erik82 »

This was my experience. 20-40 pounds before things really started to settle in. This goes for most nigh end coated large burrs. Just use coffee beans.

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Feca (original poster)
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#8: Post by Feca (original poster) »

Thanks everone for the responses. I'm definitely not worried about it, I haven't even used it for coffee drinking yet (I've only ground a half bag of cheap DD coffee just to test it out after purchase), and visually I have no reason to suspect an inconsistent grind.

I'll soon be receiving a new PV Export, so I'll have something to report back then, but I don't expect to be able to spot grind inconsistencies based on my newbie espresso skills. Plus, the HB member who sold me the grinder seems very experienced and he was happy with it, so that's good enough for me until proven otherwise. Which I don't expect will happen based on the quality of the grinder and the very slight 'burrs' I see, they are really nothing dramatic.

Given that not one of you has even acknowledged the possibility of sanding these edges, I'll take that as a strong signal that it is not a good idea :lol: and will just enjoy whatever period is left for the burrs to smooth out by themselves. I will, however, re-read the whole 'rice for break-in' topic across threads, otherwise what fun is there in espresso if we're not going to obsess over it?
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PIXIllate
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#9: Post by PIXIllate »

Really what you experience is a smaller and smaller adjustment range for dialing in your shots as things break in. Everything just becomes more predictable but it does take a good amount of coffee to really settle in, for me it was about 6-8 months. I ran ~5lb through to start with and then just made shots as normal.

AMac
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#10: Post by AMac »

I think there is some confusion. The MonCon came with Compak Red Speed burrs. Not SSP burrs. I won't say that it changes how to season but a MonCon that came from the factory with Compak burrs is at least three years old so doesn't need additional seasoning.

http://www.compak.es/en/f10-conic-fresh-od-3.php

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