Orphan Kyocera/Skerton bearing mod on CM-50

[Mick]

I had a little free time today so I put in the Orphan Espresso bottom bearing mod on my Kyocera CM-50 hand grinder.

As Doug said.... It is "fiddly" to get the conical burr aligned properly on the shaft. Took me 10 attempts at assembly/dis-assembly to get it perfect but it happened and it was worth the time and effort. The grind is consistent which is all you can ask for

I made a 4 cup pot in the Chemex with a hand grind of beans and I can say that the bottom bearing mod is "da bomb" for getting that hand grinder to do a good consistent job at grinding a medium level grind for pour over. Not tried it yet on press grind but it was extremely consistent at a moderate/medium (grocery store) grind for the Chemex. The mod was intended for a consistent coarse grind for French Press brewing so I am looking forward to grinding for my press next!!!

40 grams of coffee to 750 grams of water gave me an amazing flavorful brew in the Chemex.

Sorry didn't take any pics of the process but Doug has a video on youtube that covers all of what is involved

 

[Mick]

I am thinking that this Kyocera is going into my little RV so that I can use fresh roasted with the Chemex when we travel.

the more I use it the more impressed I am with the grinder and mod. I've stopped using my Preciso for the last few days and only use the Kyocera hand grinder. Pretty nice moderate fine (Chemex) grind with it set 5 clicks above completely closed down. The wife thinks I'm nuts to weigh out the beans and grind away for that long (40 grams takes a while to grind) when I could press the button on the weight based grinder, walk away and let it do its thing

Made a 2 cup of press with it yesterday. No fines and only the slightest bit of powder at the last pour. Not bad at all in my book

 

[EricBNC]

I tried to get that adapter but at the time he was reluctant to release the kit - I made my own using the lid from a peanut can - my kid's safety scissors did a great job cutting the metal.

 

[Simcon]

I am thinking that this Kyocera is going into my little RV so that I can use fresh roasted with the Chemex when we travel.

the more I use it the more impressed I am with the grinder and mod. I've stopped using my Preciso for the last few days and only use the Kyocera hand grinder. Pretty nice moderate fine (Chemex) grind with it set 5 clicks above completely closed down. The wife thinks I'm nuts to weigh out the beans and grind away for that long (40 grams takes a while to grind) when I could press the button on the weight based grinder, walk away and let it do its thing

Made a 2 cup of press with it yesterday. No fines and only the slightest bit of powder at the last pour. Not bad at all in my book

Old threads necromancy , but it seemed relevant since I'm thinking about picking up a kyocera or a Hario Skerton
grinder, would you say that the mod is worth it? It sounds like it would since I'm going to use it to grind for use in a French press. (Well, I might be gifted a grinder for Christmas since I talked about it with my siblings, but then I have no idea what I might be gifted, but if not, then it's relevant).

 

[Mick]

Old threads necromancy , but it seemed relevant since I'm thinking about picking up a kyocera or a Hario Skerton
grinder, would you say that the mod is worth it? It sounds like it would since I'm going to use it to grind for use in a French press. (Well, I might be gifted a grinder for Christmas since I talked about it with my siblings, but then I have no idea what I might be gifted, but if not, then it's relevant).

I've used mine a number of times when I want to grind a coffee that I just roasted and don't want to wait until one of the brew grinders is empty or to clean out one of them to grind a little test of something new/different or when I am blending different coffees. It is nice to have another grinder that does not have the large footprint of an electric for those occasions where you want to do something different.

The consistency of coarse/french grounds is very decent with the modification. Without it there was a larger variation of smalls and large chunks. Now everything is pretty consistent in size with little to no dust.

If you plan on only grinding pour over, drip, and press in the grinder I would say that the mod was an improvement. It does make the grinder inoperable for fine grinding as the bottom bearing mod takes away the self centering feature necessary in grinding espresso and fine turkish grind and it just won't get close enough for a consistent fine grind.

Like everything in life, it's a trade off.

 

[RobW]

If you plan on only grinding pour over, drip, and press in the grinder I would say that the mod was an improvement. It does make the grinder inoperable for fine grinding as the bottom bearing mod takes away the self centering feature necessary in grinding espresso and fine turkish grind and it just won't get close enough for a consistent fine grind.

Like everything in life, it's a trade off.

Sorry for the old thread resurrection here, but this touches on exactly what I was going to ask...

I only make coffee with pour-over or french press techniques and am looking for something to replace my Black and Decker blade grinder (I know, I know...relax all, it'll be in the trash soon enough). I'll probably start saving up for an automatic burr like the Encore or the Bodum Bistro, but for a dedicated french press/pour-over grinder where I'm the only one really using it, this looks like a great option.

I read on the Orphan Espresso site that this mod only works for the older models of the Skerton though....so, if I'm going to use the new grinder solely for coarse french press grinds, should I just go with the Kyocera model to make sure the OE mod fits the bottom bearing, and not risk getting a "new" Skerton model with a different bottom bearing geometry?

 

[Simcon]

Sorry for the old thread resurrection here, but this touches on exactly what I was going to ask...

I only make coffee with pour-over or french press techniques and am looking for something to replace my Black and Decker blade grinder (I know, I know...relax all, it'll be in the trash soon enough). I'll probably start saving up for an automatic burr like the Encore or the Bodum Bistro, but for a dedicated french press/pour-over grinder where I'm the only one really using it, this looks like a great option.

I read on the Orphan Espresso site that this mod only works for the older models of the Skerton though....so, if I'm going to use the new grinder solely for coarse french press grinds, should I just go with the Kyocera model to make sure the OE mod fits the bottom bearing, and not risk getting a "new" Skerton model with a different bottom bearing geometry?

I purchased a Skerton recently and got the new one with the "X-pattern" (thus the mod won't fit). Ensuring that you get one that fits would be advisable.

 

[RobW]

Good deal, Simcon. That's what I was afraid of, since I think I can source the Skerton+OE mod for the same price as the CM-50. Will try to track down a deal.

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

Same here, x pattern screws. Mod won't work.

 

[sonofjon]

Same here, x pattern screws. Mod won't work.

Hi. New here, and I'm about to purchase a Hario Skerton and apply the OE upgrade. But I don't understand how to determine if the Hario is of the old or new kind, in other words I can't make sense of what this "x-pattern" would look like. Could you please elaborate? Also, are your burrs white as described here:

http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-Lo...kerton-Kyocera-CM50-Hand-Grinders_p_4066.html

Thanks very much.

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

My burrs are grey. Just like the pictures on the website. Their screws are x patterned, so I'm not sure why they say it won't work for it? I'm not doing any coarse grinds now, so this isn't really an issue for me. I'll probably get a different (electric) grinder in time.

 

[sonofjon]

Sorry for being dense, but I still don't understand what you mean by x-pattern. The picture on the OE web site shows screws that are 180 degrees opposite to each other, so I assume that the mod would work for the model shown there.

Are the screws not directly opposite to each other on the new Hario, the model you guys have? If so, I'm not sure why that would be likened to an "x-pattern"?

In fact, if the four screws all are 180 degrees opposite to another screw on the other side (which is mentioned as a characteristic of the old model) those four screws would outline the shape of an "X". So bolts that are 180 degrees opposite each other and bolts displaying an "X pattern" are equivalent statements to me!? I am confused.

 

[Simcon]

Sorry for being dense, but I still don't understand what you mean by x-pattern. The picture on the OE web site shows screws that are 180 degrees opposite to each other, so I assume that the mod would work for the model shown there.

Are the screws not directly opposite to each other on the new Hario, the model you guys have? If so, I'm not sure why that would be likened to an "x-pattern"?

In fact, if the four screws all are 180 degrees opposite to another screw on the other side (which is mentioned as a characteristic of the old model) those four screws would outline the shape of an "X". So bolts that are 180 degrees opposite each other and bolts displaying an "X pattern" are equivalent statements to me!? I am confused.

Honestly now I'm not sure either, will have to check for pictures of both and compare.

 

[sonofjon]

This what the Hario I was planning to purchase looks like. Bolts are 180° opposite to each other across the center bolt, so that would indicate the old model. However the four bolts also form an X together which would indicate the new model. See why I am confused?

Can somebody see if this is the old or new Hario Skerton model? Thanks.

 

[StillShaving]

I am a bit confused as well, as I think (not sure) your photo matches the one on the OE website. And I think the OE picture shows the bolts in an X-pattern, but the description says the X-pattern grinder will not work, which is confusing.

This CoffeeGeek thread has a few pictures of a DIY Hario Skerton mod, but it is unclear how well it works.

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

I am a bit confused as well, as I think (not sure) your photo matches the one on the OE website. And I think the OE picture shows the bolts in an X-pattern, but the description says the X-pattern grinder will not work, which is confusing.

This CoffeeGeek thread has a few pictures of a DIY Hario Skerton mod, but it is unclear how well it works.

Fantastic. I knew there had to be a cheaper way to make this mod. Thanks for posting it.

 

[sonofjon]

I received some clarification from Orphan Espresso, copied below. I think it means that the photos I posted above are depicting the new model, not compatible with the upgrade. The new model also comes with a lid, which the old model did not include.

"If the bolts are at 4 equidistant points around the circle, it should fit. If they are not equidistant, but rather more like this : : then it will not fit."

 

[sonofjon]

Another interesting looking mod produced with a 3D printer is available for purchase here:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/1115330/hario-skerton-coffee-grinder-bottom-bracket.html

Looking at the bolt distances, it would seem to me that this mod only fits the new Hario, but I haven't tried it.

 

[Simcon]

Another interesting looking mod produced with a 3D printer is available for purchase here:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/1115330/hario-skerton-coffee-grinder-bottom-bracket.html

Looking at the bolt distances, it would seem to me that this mod only fits the new Hario, but I haven't tried it.

That seems like it would do it, unfortunately I don't have access to a 3D printer. Checking out the first page in the thread linked earlier seems more interesting than page 2.

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

That plastic bracket looks great, except shipping is as almost much as the bracket. I'm going to look at the sleeve tubing/o ring solution.