Elektra Nino Grinder - Page 59

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

I can say without a doubt the burrs are not worn out. They could be damaged if they chewed a rock or something, but in terms of coffee usage they are only barely worn in.

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Whale
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#582: Post by Whale »

I cannot tell you that it is the burr anymore than Chris but the symptoms are telling...
The very long life that is advertised by the manufacturer are not taking into account single dosing or usage of SHB and no rocks.
Since you roast you may have introduced more of these than the average Italian coffee shop.
Nonetheless 63 kg is not a lot!
LMWDP #330

Be thankful for the small mercies in life.

Theodore
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#583: Post by Theodore »

Thank you very much guys.Can you tell me how can I proceed to find the cause?
Regards,
Theodore.
Espresso uber alles.

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Whale
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#584: Post by Whale »

When I purchased my used MXKR, I inspected the burrs and decided that they were good and sharp. Nonetheless I was having a very hard time getting good results with the grinder. Don't ask how but a 1/4 inch steel nut got mixed in with some of my coffee. :shock: It luckily did not jam the grinder but did put a few little dents in the burrs.
The decision to change the burr set had been made for me. This turned out to be a very good thing because the results were much improved from the start and after a little break in period the grinder started being very consistent in term of speed (on a timer) and grind.

To this day I cannot honestly tell what was really wrong with the old set (before the nut of course! :roll:).

Other then the burr set, an offset or wobbly burr shaft could also produce very inconsistent sized grind but this is easier to spot by looking at the burr from the top.
LMWDP #330

Be thankful for the small mercies in life.

Nettaiya
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Joined: 12 years ago

#585: Post by Nettaiya »

Anything to look out for when removing the lower burr / carrier in this grinder? Safest way to hold it in place while unbolting? Hate the idea of jamming a rag covered screwdriver blade into this beauty.

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Bluecold
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#586: Post by Bluecold »

Set the grinder very fine and put non preboiled rice between the burrs. This will probably give enough resistance to unscrew the burr since unscrewing is done by turning it in the direction of the grinding action and non preboiled rice is quite hard to grind.
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"Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death I Shall Fear No Evil For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing."

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Whale
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#587: Post by Whale »

You already got the best idea just above: Rice! Because the grains are very small they will go and wedge in all around and give you good resistance.
Best is to fill with rice with the burrs slightly apart and then adjust down the upper burr to squeeze the rice and the burr in place. Even it moves a bit when you first try to release the bolt continue. After a few grains have been broken the grabbing force will increase even more. Or just tighten the upper burr a bit.
Once the bolt is loose release the rice by removing the upper burr and clean it out.
One could use just about anything between the burrs. Rag, rubber, wood, as long as it wedges well it is evenly distributed so as to not created damaging stress on the shaft bearing. Rice is nice and food safe! :wink:
I have used screw driver inserted from the chute and I do not recommend it.
LMWDP #330

Be thankful for the small mercies in life.

Nettaiya
Posts: 36
Joined: 12 years ago

#588: Post by Nettaiya »

Thanks guys rice worked wonderfully to loosen the burr but not for tightening :cry: I've tried rags too they just spin in place. Really don't want to stick a screwdriver in there.... Not that it would fit through the chute anyway. Any suggestions??

Theodore
Posts: 240
Joined: 17 years ago

#589: Post by Theodore »

Hi.
Trying to correct the not very fine coffee problem of the Nino,I called a friend,who is technician,to have a look on it.
He opened the rear aluminum plate,and cleaned all over.He took off a bolt to permit the grinder go to finer results also.
Then,we tried to have the coffee I need,but we saw that coffee was a disaster,with abnormal flow,many rocks of coffee on,and half the dose I had with the same time passed.
We opened again,and we saw that coffee, was pressed and stacked all over,even in the inclined road ,likenI had put glue in it.
Now,I wait for another technician to have. look hoping for the best.
If from the other hand,some guy from you,can help,he is welcome.
Espresso uber alles.

icke
Posts: 50
Joined: 14 years ago

#590: Post by icke »

icke wrote:some time ago i had to start going finer and finer with the grinding. grind time increased quite a bit too. initially it took around 3.5 - max 4 seconds for about 18g. now it's up to almost 7 seconds and the burrs are almost touching... mouthfeel and flavor are quite a bit off too. coffee tastes harsh but still does produce good crema.

so i opened the nino up and this time managed to remove the bottom burr too. there is that brass disk with the sweeping vanes sitting underneath the bottom burr. the underside of that disk was to about 2/3 covered with a tight layer of coffee. after cleaning it all and putting it back together i have now better tasting results but the grind times haven't changed really.

so i'm wondering if something has happened to the burrs and if they perhaps need replacing? i can't see anything obvious but someone else might have more experience?

in case i need replacements, does anybody know where to best get those burrs from in europe?

thanks,
olaf

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responding to my own old rather old post...

i finally gave in and ordered n new set of burrs and it makes a huge difference.

grind times for 18g came down from 4.5 - 5 seconds to 3.3 - 3.7 seconds and my extractions are way better now even though those new burrs are clearly not broken in yet. i just ground 2 kg of cheap stuff from a local roaster through it for at least a bit of a break in before trying some real coffee. that cheap stuff which allegedly was 'fresh' was yet another reminder to me why i'd become a home roaster. it was impossible to grind this stuff fine enough to get a decent extraction going with it. 18 - 19 g in the basket with the grinder set so fine that after two doubles at that setting it would just jam the grinder and still i was getting total gushers with plenty of spritzing left right and center. once i changed over to my own roast all is working fine now.

taste wise i can see quite a difference too. so i suspect that the old burr set must either have touched while running, grinding itself down a bit (is that possible at all?) or that i might have ground a piece of rock together with some beans without really noticing it.
LMWDP #386