Posted Sat Sep 1, 2012, 8:30pm Subject: Teflon Tape Disaster
Hey all,
I went and screwed up my espresso grinder but good. In an effort to stave off upgrade-itus, I wanted to modify my flat stepped grinder (akin to a NS MCF) to be stepless by way of teflon tape around the threads of the upper burr carrier, but of course I wrapped it too many times. As I attempted to screw the upper burr carrier back down, it jammed up, and then it jammed again as I attempted to retreat, and so it is irrevocably jammed in both directions. All I can think of to do now is try to completely dissemble the entire machine until there's nothing left connected but the upper burr carrier and the column its jammed into, then put that in a vice and try to somehow pry or knock it loose. I have no idea whether I'll succeed or ruin the parts or what, but it's useless to me anyway if I don't even try. Anyone got any tips or tricks to un-sticking a heck of a teflon jam? Thanks!
Pardon me, but if the Victoria Arduino MCF is identical in construction to the Nuova Simonelli MCF (which again is the same as the Eureka Mignon), as far as I know it'll already be stepless by design.
*** "This drink of the Satan is so delicious that it would be a shame to leave it to the infidels." (Pope Clement VIII on coffee)
Therein lies the rub, my friend. This old grinder vs. current models = similar but not identical. Even the similarities remain speculative at the end of the day. I did some snooping to try to figure out exactly what model this grinder is, as I purchased it used and it does not correlate exactly to any of either NS or VA's current line-up. Here's a post detailing my findings:
It's performed quite satisfactorily over the past year or so. I've always considered it a sort of stepping stone, though, and while the inevitable upgrade-itus has been creeping in as well, now's really not the time for such an expenditure. I figured going stepless and replacing the burrs ought to jazz things up enough to keep me happy for another stretch.
I can't believe I'm the only schmoe that's ever overdone it on the teflon, though, considering how common a mod it is. Anyone else have this problem?
I see. That might be a different story, because the recent model of the Victoria Arduino MCF looks like this, which is more or less identical to the Nuova Simonelli exept for the dented casing.
*** "This drink of the Satan is so delicious that it would be a shame to leave it to the infidels." (Pope Clement VIII on coffee)
One Aussie specialist estimated that mine is an example of the bygone original NS-made line of VA-branded grinders intended for pairing with a VA machine. It could very well be over 20 years old, and despite some cosmetic differences of shape, hopper, etc, the internals were at that point identical. (See my HB post for details.) There's no mistaking the stepped adjustment, though, which has always been the drawback to this otherwise fine grinder. From what I gather, a lot of Rancilio Rocky owners go the route of taping the threads of their upper burr carrier in order to go stepless, and that it's a common method of upper-burr stabilization even for some factory stepless grinders... Is my grinder ruined? Is my only hope hinged upon a total teardown? Or could there be an easy fix?
All I can think of to do now is try to completely dissemble the entire machine until there's nothing left connected but the upper burr carrier and the column its jammed into, then put that in a vice and try to somehow pry or knock it loose.
No, certainly don't pry or try & knock it loose unless you want to damage things. Teflon tape is a thread sealant medium (it takes up the play/slack between the male & female threads) & also performs a lubricating function.
Strap wrench, eh? I guess if I can find one on the cheap I'll give it a whirl. I've got nothing to lose, after all. Thanks, CraigA. Do you really think I'll be able to force my way through some serious teflon clumping?
Yes, you'll never achieve with your bare or gloved hands the grip & extra leverage & torque you'll get with the extended length of the handle on the strap wrench that acts like a "breaker bar".The upper burr carrier should hopefully be able to slice/cut through the teflon tape.
If the strap wrench isn't long enough, you could just slip a longer piece of pipe over the handle to extend the length for even more leverage/torque. {;-)
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