How to Refurbish your Hand Grinder

[BoldJava]

http://orphanespresso.com is a fun site.  Full of information.  Here is the best I have seen on refurbishing hand grinders.  My Zass will get the full treatment this Fall:

http://www.orphanespresso.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=15&chapter=37

B|Java

[donn]

My Zass will get the full treatment this Fall:

Minor point at best, but for me, if you strip the finish, stain & lacquer from a spray can is not the way to go.  I'd skip the stain, and try a penetrating oil finish on an inconspicuous spot.  It will bring out the character of the wood better, and will be easier to touch up later.  Usually takes a couple coats, though, not nearly as fast as lacquer.

[Tex]

I've a friend who cleans the mechanisms using walnut shell blasting. It just removes the soft debris, no metal. I also have a local chrome plater who replates my stuff cheaply.

For the wood I use a very soft plastic wool that's gentler than steel wool to strip the old varnish. Then I put a light coat of tung oil on them and buff like hell, followed by at least one more coat. Tung oil is a hardening finish and is great on wood that's meant to be handled and worked with.


edited: If there are labels you'd like to save and reuse, a heat gun or hair dryer will usually loosen the glue enough that a thin blade will remove them unwrinkled.

[RobertL]

There is a seller on eBay that restores vintage grinders, he does nice work. I picked up an Armin Trosser from him a few months back. The grind falls short for espresso which is why I bought it. But it is a beautiful conversation piece and I enjoy having it on display in my kitchen.

[Tex]

There is a seller on eBay that restores vintage grinders, he does nice work. I picked up an Armin Trosser from him a few months back. The grind falls short for espresso which is why I bought it. But it is a beautiful conversation piece and I enjoy having it on display in my kitchen.

By the time they're blasted, rechromed, and refinished, I have more in my grinders than they're worth - but they're nice display pieces for my daughter. There's no way in hell she'll let me have them back - something about them being part of my pre-death inheritance package? One day I'll have to visit them and shoot some pics.

The only hand-cranked grinders I have that I'd say qualify as espresso grinders by my standards, are a Zass Mokka & a Ha Ha. The others either can't grind consistently enough or can't hold a setting from grind to grind (common failing for most hand grinders)

[RobertL]

Pre-death inheritance package, I like that one. 

I noticed orphan espresso is now selling unrestored grinder on their site. They have a Ha Ha selling  for $35 and a Zass for $20. I had never seen a Ha Ha before but it caught my eye because it had a top adjustment.

[EricBNC]

I try to take the metal parts out and then clean them by hand.  Then I spend a little time tweaking the alignment to get as much out of the grinder as is left in them - some times a very shiny burr is just a well polished yet very dull item.  I track these mills here and overseas. Sometimes I will see a real POS sell for cheap over on eBay.de only to see the mill for sale here in the US a couple weeks or months later.  The thing that looked completely wore out has shiny metal (a grinder with the right disc does quick work on old metal - saw those powered abrasives purchased as well)   and the wood has been stripped and re-coated. 

I look for a clean drawer and a bottom free from warping or cracking.  I look at the drawer and handle knob - a well used mill shows wear best in these areas - I look for the least wear possible in these parts.  I look for some scratches and dings - too clean or refinished like new too often means someone is trying to cover up something. Patina is your friend. If you look at a mill's burrs in a photo, see how far the inner burr seats up in the outer burr - a well worn mill will seat very deep - good burrs seat evenly so when tight the bottom of the inner burr is parallel with the bottom edge of the outer burr.  There are exceptions but for most mills with an internal adjustment under the burrs this will hold true.

Cosmetic enhancements are wonderful if you want a shelf piece but all the polishing in the world won't add metal back to a dull burr set - these mills are 50+ years old and pre-date electric grinders so don't think they were merely conversation pieces - these were tools that saw daily use in most homes.  Buyer beware...