Introduction: Restoring a Coffee Grinder.
I hate electric coffee grinders and conversely love the reliable old mechanical ones. I found this one in an antique store and here restore it to functional.
Step 1: Take It Apart.
Bunch of old woodscrews needed to be removed.
Step 2: Dremel Clean All the Metal Internals
The dremel wire brush was definitely the big winner here. Got the rust out of the bean bowl, the grinding wheel, and the other moving parts. For some of the bowl i used a larger wire brush on an angle grinder.
Step 3: Sand the Wooden Components.
It was useful to lay 120 grit sand paper on a flat surface and sand the flat surfaces of the box.
Step 4: Paint Wooden Components.
I used two coats of polyurethane "SPAR VARNISH" - worked a treat.
Using the nail painting board (instructable project XX) makes it much easier.
I used the board from: https://www.instructables.com/ex/i/BD38D1F2819B1028A786001143E7E506/
in order to do the painting.
Step 5: Reassemble
Here is the reassembled grinder. Looks good eh?
Step 6: Add Beans, Grind, and Test (drink)
Peet's (if you must know) beans for the first test run. Worked like a peach. A great cup of brew.
11 Comments
8 years ago on Introduction
Thanks a lot! There's more and more detailed instructions like this out there, and this really helped me a great deal. On youtube there's some good stuff posted too, like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95w2ZjynANU
11 years ago on Introduction
Thank you so much for posting this!!! I bought an Armin Trosser coffee grinder and there are clubs and folks who restore them, but they act like it is a state secret!!! I got this off of ebay and did not want to mess up the grinder mechanism. It's not like I paid a fortune, but I hate paying for something more than once. I am amazed that you were able to strip the finish and keep the logo - gives me courage... Thanks you rock!
11 years ago on Step 4
The instructable about the paint board in now gone, but with a little more info we could get see that you have laid out a pattern, etc...
12 years ago on Introduction
Better even than coke for stripping is the Schweppes Russchian - but never drink this stuff afterwards, as suggested above. Another technique for freeing small pieces is to dunk in the gunk in an ultrasonic bath. Sometimes caustic or wash soda can do the job.
14 years ago on Introduction
I cleaned and refurbed a girlfriend's decorative piece, and found that it is the BEST coarse pepper mill on the planet! Two or three turns, and pinch the pepper onto a nice steak, and you're rockin'!
15 years ago on Introduction
Believe it or not,plain water will loosen rust. Put the parts in a container of water over night,longer if they are really rusted.Then use all the usual clean up methods.
15 years ago on Introduction
This is a great thing I hate electric grinders also
17 years ago
I can't get the arm (the part that turns apart on top) apart from the rest of the iron work. Anyone has an idea? Do you have to go couterclockwise or something like that?? By the way, I would never strip the paint off that far. Apart from that, its nice.
Reply 16 years ago
Try adjusting the burrs as close together as possible so that the grinder handle cannot turn. This will provide the needed resistance to unscrew the handle from the rod.
Reply 17 years ago
some are left hand threaded... look carefully, otherwise soak the whole thing in coca cola - it acts like a WD40 that you can drink later (ie, non toxic (or only mildly toxic) corrosive that will free up the rust.
17 years ago
Wow! Nice restoration. I have a similar coffee grinder which could probably use some similar love. One tip: that nut on the top of the handle is 9/16, so if you're ever in a hurry but like how the burr grinders work, attach a 9/16 socket to a variable speed drill and grind away. Thanks for a nice instructable!