Author Topic: Arcade "X-Ray" Coffee Grinder  (Read 9434 times)

talesofthesevenseas

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6124
  • Karma: +35/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Arcade "X-Ray" Coffee Grinder
« Reply #15 on: February 26, 2010, 01:04:43 pm »
Yet another good excuse for using antique grinders (and the graters also discussed on another topic today), is that these old kitchen devices are kind of a fun way of "going green". Not only are they 100% off the grid and draw no electricity, but by recycling an antique back into a functional item, there is no pollution produced by the manufacturing process.

I also think it would be fun to have more of these kinds of working antiques available for kids to try (with supervision of course) at museums and living history events. Kids would get a kick out of grinding, grating, pumping water and churning butter, like their ancestors did.
Antiqueaholic in recovery

talesofthesevenseas

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6124
  • Karma: +35/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Arcade "X-Ray" Coffee Grinder
« Reply #16 on: March 13, 2010, 09:25:51 am »
I wanted to post some follow-up information since some of you were interested in these old grinders.

Definitely invest in a reproduction catch cup if your grinder comes without one. They are worth every penny. It is really hard to hold a paper filter under the grinder, turn the handle and not whack your knuckles! The catch cup makes it very easy to use. These are readily available online or with the glass canister type, you could probably find a nice little glass at a thrift store that would do the trick too.

A little reading on the canister grinders shows that like mine, they do require a little manual assistance, because several times during the grinding, one bean will block the flow of the others. This is easily helped with a jiggle or a tap, but that doesn't work with the wooden type like mine since it is fixed to the wall. I have a metal shishkabob skewer that works great. I just put it in the canister when I'm grinding and give the beans a little swirl when they get stuck. These take a little more effort than a modern grinder, but I am really enjoying mine and love how it looks in the kitchen.

I got the following info on cleaning the interior of a grinder from a person who has a business online restoring and selling old coffee grinders:

"Take the metal grinder off (two screws on the sides) and wire brush the interior."

On the wooden box:
"The nails will pry out with a small flat tipped screwdriver so you can remove the glass and lightly sand the interior with a fine sandpaper."

Since mine had been in constant use, I decided against it, since there were no signs on the grinder of it ever having been opened and I didn't want to mar the old screw slots or the metal lip of the box. It was in such solid, tight condition, it seemed best left alone.

Antiqueaholic in recovery

Dean Perdue

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 567
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Arcade "X-Ray" Coffee Grinder
« Reply #17 on: March 13, 2010, 12:46:58 pm »

I got the following info on cleaning the interior of a grinder from a person who has a business online restoring and selling old coffee grinders:

"Take the metal grinder off (two screws on the sides) and wire brush the interior."

On the wooden box:
"The nails will pry out with a small flat tipped screwdriver so you can remove the glass and lightly sand the interior with a fine sandpaper."

Since mine had been in constant use, I decided against it, since there were no signs on the grinder of it ever having been opened and I didn't want to mar the old screw slots or the metal lip of the box. It was in such solid, tight condition, it seemed best left alone.


Great choice not to mess with it TOT7S.What a cool item.
Are there fights over who gets to make the coffee in your house now? :)

talesofthesevenseas

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6124
  • Karma: +35/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Arcade "X-Ray" Coffee Grinder
« Reply #18 on: March 14, 2010, 08:19:37 pm »
Nope. I am the undisputed Java Goddess of said household.  ;)
Antiqueaholic in recovery