Niche Zero drifting coarser while grinding

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beanbrowner
Posts: 4
Joined: 3 years ago

#1: Post by beanbrowner »

My Niche is about 1.5 years old and has started drifting coarser while grinding. I tried ptfe tape on the threads as the Wired Gourmet suggested on YouTube, it worked great however the tape was always shredded when I pulled the grinder apart to clean it so I stopped using it.

I tried replacing the springs with the spare set in the base of the grinder. That didn't work.

I contacted Niche, they said I can sand the top of the burr carrier to create more friction with the adjustment collar which should eliminate the drifting. This got me half way there as it only drifts a bit now. My question is can I sand the metal on the bottom of the adjustment collar as well to create more friction? Has anyone tried this?

Any ideas?

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cafeIKE
Posts: 4704
Joined: 18 years ago

#2: Post by cafeIKE »

Piano tuning mutes cut to fit under the upper ring. Be sure to get good quality rubber wedges, not cheap plastic ones that rot.
eBay

My Niche is coming up 4 years old and hasn't moved since I added the stops. The stops look worse in the photo.



It's idiotic to suggest sanding the burr carrier. There is a gap between the carrier and the body. Niche should fix this problem once and for all.

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beanbrowner (original poster)
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Joined: 3 years ago

#3: Post by beanbrowner (original poster) »

Interesting fix.
I'll give this a try.

As far as sanding the top of the burr carrier, it does make sense. The top of the plastic burr carrier is in direct contact with the metal ring on the underside of the adjustment collar, and both are very smooth. If you rough up one or both there's more friction. It's the fact that both are smooth that the drifting happens.

Here's a photo of the part of the adjustment collar that contacts the burr carrier.


DaveC
Posts: 1743
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#4: Post by DaveC »

cafeIKE wrote:Piano tuning mutes cut to fit under the upper ring. Be sure to get good quality rubber wedges, not cheap plastic ones that rot.
eBay

My Niche is coming up 4 years old and hasn't moved since I added the stops. The stops look worse in the photo.
Did you get the revised stronger spring for your Niche...they made them available about 6-8 months after launch. If you did, just pop a hard drive mounting screw in the top of each spring (the thread goes inside the spring)....it won't move again.

If you don't have any, your local computer repair shop will probably give you a couple.

beanbrowner (original poster)
Posts: 4
Joined: 3 years ago

#5: Post by beanbrowner (original poster) »

A hard drive mounting screw. Interesting.
Do they just happen to be the perfect diameter to fit inside the spring? Effectively making the spring taller?

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cafeIKE
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#6: Post by cafeIKE »

I might have been the first to get springs. Also tried the screw in the spring. No sale on either.

The burr carrier is some kind of thermoplastic. If you roughen it, it will have less contact area. Not sure that this would increase the drag enough against the polished adjustment ring. Roughen the hard adjustment ring to grab the burr carrier might be more successful... for a while. Not about to try it.

scrane
Posts: 91
Joined: 12 years ago

#7: Post by scrane »

You need to re grease the threads with a heavy silicone grease.

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cafeIKE
Posts: 4704
Joined: 18 years ago

#8: Post by cafeIKE replying to scrane »

What viscosity?
What volume?
Test data?

It might work if one changes settings frequently and moves back and forth. However, grease and grit are seldom a good combination.

bpappas
Posts: 21
Joined: 7 years ago

#9: Post by bpappas »

Have you thought about buying a replacement metal upper burr holder? I have one and highly recommend it. It may solve your problem. Let us know if it works.
-Bruce
https://cbbplanet.com/products/niche-metal-base

Caffinator
Posts: 41
Joined: 2 years ago

#10: Post by Caffinator »

I was almost going to pull the trigger and get a Niche because of the glowing accolades from its users.

Then I wondered? Not if but when something breaks, how does it get fixed? While not expensive to me. It definitely is not a disposable blade grinder you pick on sale from Bodum.

Do you just get another one? Do you send it in for repairs? How long will that take? etc etc etc.

That is why I went for a company that has been around for 70 years because hopefully, they'll be around for another 70.

This is also the reason for not getting Monolith's etc. Who is going to repair them when, not if, they break down when Denis retires?

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