# Pimp my Major



## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Sooo the pimping grinder journey continues - having now pimped an MC2, Rossi RR45, 3 jollys , Macap MX, there was only one route to go next a Mazzer Major, bigger burrs on a budget - firstly many thanks to the member who arranged that this arrive at the front door - the postman is in hospital with a double hernia, but was looking forward to a couple of months off.

down to business - my wife suggests I get something appropriate to wear in the pimping bunker - I came up with this suggestion







this could be a whole new venture........

back to reality this major is perfect for me - unloved, but structurally sound, so these are the before shots









and that's where its up to so far, rubs hands together and quietly slips into purple satin outfit and reaches for some suitable music


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

What's the differences between this and the SJ?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

joey24dirt said:


> What's the differences between this and the SJ?


83mm burrs, same rpm 1400 - the next one up the royal runs at 900rpm - but same size burrs - both are a couple a CM taller - will do a side by side at some point

heres the gold - very kindly the burrs were pimped already


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> 83mm burrs, same rpm 1400 - the next one up the royal runs at 900rpm - but same size burrs - both are a couple a CM taller - will do a side by side at some point
> 
> heres the gold - very kindly the burrs were pimped already
> 
> ...


Titanium burrs? Very nice and yes I bet the postie loved delivering that one. I felt bad when my SJ arrived. The guy had a 25 steps climb to my door haha


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

The Major is awesome. it's my longest standing grinder. I did the Auber mod this year.

It works well single dosed too.

Looking forward to seeing what you do with it.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

I know that you are going to justice to this little beast


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

coffeechap said:


> I know that you are going to justice to this little beast


ive got a few orders to do first - and I'm trying to move away from black so having a think for a week


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

here is the side by side - major / jolly - the throat of the upper burr carrier sits flush with the adjustment ring, but it still will be a challenge to get a lens hood on - hmmm


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## The Asgard (Aug 1, 2017)

Looking forward to this. I have the Royal with Titanium Burrs and it's producing very consistent results. I have used 3 different coffee beans and they are all within a couple of notches of each other.

I have done the sweeper mod with duck tape which works very well. I have a stainless steel egg timer on order and use the lens hood for single dosing.

Thinking about doing the fudge funnel mod and replacing the doser. Will you be doing this?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

nope I will be using an octopus ball funnel ;-)

and paint wise I'm looking at bluey green colours maybe with a Godzilla stencil .


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

jimbojohn55 said:


> nope I will be using an octopus ball funnel ;-)
> 
> and paint wise I'm looking at bluey green colours maybe with a Godzilla stencil .


Not Godzuki?


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

I'd have thought, going with the pimping theme, why not metallic purple to go with the Gold TiN burrs









John


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

jimbojohn55 said:


> nope I will be using an octopus ball funnel ;-)
> 
> and paint wise I'm looking at bluey green colours maybe with a Godzilla stencil .


Green Godzilla sounds awesome. I had thought about a stencil on mine.


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## The Asgard (Aug 1, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> nope I will be using an octopus ball funnel ;-)
> 
> and paint wise I'm looking at bluey green colours maybe with a Godzilla stencil .


What be that?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

The Asgard said:


> What be that?


Its a fudge funnel - well exactly the same as a fudge funnel but called an octopus ball funnel so only £10 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Funnel-Octopus-Balls-Tools-With-Rack-Sauce-Funnel-Stainless-Steel-Kitchen-Use-/192162817274?epid=1091650292&hash=item2cbdcbe4fa:g:-bsAAOSwSypY9y97


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## The Asgard (Aug 1, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> Its a fudge funnel - well exactly the same as a fudge funnel but called an octopus ball funnel so only £10 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Funnel-Octopus-Balls-Tools-With-Rack-Sauce-Funnel-Stainless-Steel-Kitchen-Use-/192162817274?epid=1091650292&hash=item2cbdcbe4fa:g:-bsAAOSwSypY9y97


Do you know if this will work with the Royal?

Quiet fancy giving it a go.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

couldn't resist a Sunday tinker with the Major - lower burr carrier removal - slide something under the carrier so that the 3 bolts you insert don't damage the base of the grind chamber.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

The rough casting of burr carriers has always been an issue with stale coffee retention , glad to see this is better than the jolly's with at least an attempt to have a smooth face under it - however there are still a lot of rough edges so its an afternoon of filing and polishing.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

The Asgard said:


> Do you know if this will work with the Royal?
> 
> Quiet fancy giving it a go.


yes the diameter of all mazzer dosers are the same so will fit any mazzer


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

jimbojohn55 said:


> yes the diameter of all mazzer dosers are the same so will fit any mazzer


The Major and Royal have exactly the same size doser width and height.

What are you using as a back plate?


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

jimbojohn55 said:


> couldn't resist a Sunday tinker with the Major - lower burr carrier removal - slide something under the carrier so that the 3 bolts you insert don't damage the base of the grind chamber.
> 
> View attachment 29326
> View attachment 29327
> ...


Hats off to you. How did you manage to slide something under all 3 screws?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

urbanbumpkin said:


> The Major and Royal have exactly the same size doser width and height.
> 
> What are you using as a back plate?


make one to fit it as I did for my pimp my octopus funnel from aluminium flat sheet https://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?39641-Pimp-my-shelf-octopus-funnel-Mazzer-SJ/page2

or you can still buy the proper one for about £25 - but its designed for the mazzer funnel so might not be the right fit to a fudge funnel


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

urbanbumpkin said:


> Hats off to you. How did you manage to slide something under all 3 screws?


three bits of bent brass - or you could use some strips of metal tin can folded over


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

jimbojohn55 said:


> three bits of bent brass - or you could use some strips of metal tin can folded over
> 
> View attachment 29334


Ahh slid down side rather than under via the exit chute


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## The Asgard (Aug 1, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> yes the diameter of all mazzer dosers are the same so will fit any mazzer


Sweet, will give it a go. Would appreciate some helpful hints and tips with this mod, sounds like you have done this before


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

yep there is a big gap so easy- they can move around a bit, so keep an eye on them


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

urbanbumpkin said:


> Hats off to you. How did you manage to slide something under all 3 screws?


The lower burr carrier on the Mazzers is really a poor design IMO. Just on the finish and that it aluminium. I've seen the older ones made from brass


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

mazzer major bearings just for info as mine are fine but if anyone needs new ones you could pay £13 each or just read the code on the side

in this case -







6204DU NSK - pop it in ebay and the genuine deep groove bearing is just £4 a pop

that reminds me of a song... see post 1


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

urbanbumpkin said:


> The lower burr carrier on the Mazzers is really a poor design IMO. Just on the finish and that it aluminium. I've seen the older ones made from brass


agree - even the rossi rr45 carrier was brass - and the macap was a great taper fit - oh well back to the buffer


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Finished the burr carrier, took a while with filing and polishing, was also careful not to damage the seating for the burr, hopefully there will be less places for coffee to stick. if not then at least It will be easier to clean.


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Removing the sharp edges from the underside wiper arms and removing metal from the underside will increase the clearance between the floor of the grind chamber and the wiper arms possibly increasing retention and poorer ejection.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

El carajillo said:


> Removing the sharp edges from the underside wiper arms and removing metal from the underside will increase the clearance between the floor of the grind chamber and the wiper arms possibly increasing retention and poorer ejection.


I agree, which is why I did not file the three sweeper arms, those parts have only been polished lightly by hand - having said this there is a sizable gap between the arms and the chamber base, not to mention the big dip where he bearing cover sits. My aim is to just reduce coffee build up and retention.


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Measure the gap underneath then add ptfe sheet to mostly fill.

Non Stick, covers bearing (not shaft) and maybe glue it down some (specialist glue)

Available in 0.25mm to 12+mm you ought to be able to get within 1mm at least.

If anything does rub then low friction anyway.

Just a slippery l'il Idea for ya


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> Finished the burr carrier, took a while with filing and polishing, was also careful not to damage the seating for the burr, hopefully there will be less places for coffee to stick. if not then at least It will be easier to clean.
> 
> View attachment 29352
> View attachment 29353
> ...


That's some serious polishing right there! Love a shiny surface. Great work 

Looking forward to seeing the paintwork on this when you get that far.


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

jimbojohn55 said:


> I agree, which is why I did not file the three sweeper arms, those parts have only been polished lightly by hand - having said this there is a sizable gap between the arms and the chamber base, not to mention the big dip where he bearing cover sits. My aim is to just reduce coffee build up and retention.


Hi hats off to you, looks amazing. I'm always wary of messing around with the lower carrier as its easy to bend it.

Do you test it afterwards for burr wobble with a DTI gauge?

Frank (Elcarajilo) very kindly put a new lower carrier on my SJ for me using a puller rather than the 3 screws


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

REF. the bearing cover , to overcome the depression I used thin disc's of card to bring the plate flush with the chamber.

You do have to deepen the countersinks slightly as it brings the screw heads closer to the carrier.

Looking good, waiting to see the finished grinder:good:


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

El carajillo said:


> REF. the bearing cover , to overcome the depression I used thin disc's of card to bring the plate flush with the chamber.
> 
> You do have to deepen the countersinks slightly as it brings the screw heads closer to the carrier.
> 
> Looking good, waiting to see the finished grinder:good:


cheers good idea, I was wondering if getting a new bearing cover and

doubling or even tripling them up would work

afraid I'm laid up health wise in hospital this week but hoping to look this issue again next week, will also look at the ptfe sheet idea,


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## 9719 (Mar 29, 2015)

Take care, let them nurses give ee a rub down or two, and get well quick..... looking forward to seeing the pimp return soon


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

mines_abeer said:


> Take care, let them nurses give ee a rub down or two, and get well quick..... looking forward to seeing the pimp return soon


cheers, not sue if they are effecting blood pressure readings, or it could be the machines need a refub and a respray


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Having had a week of nurses, phsyio, Drs, consultants and two attempts to discharge me with an incorrect diagnosis, Finally I got a correct diagnosis and was declared well enough to carry on pimping

so back to the Major and the redundant safety switch that sits behind the hopper - no way to pimp it so a quick and neater replacement was required -

you get a lot of time to think about stuff in hospital - and plan your pimps


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## 9719 (Mar 29, 2015)

Welcome back


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

Yeah hope everything is ok  keep on pimping.


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Living proof then of the old adage "what do you get for the guy that has everything?" ....penicillin!


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Good to hear you are home - keep well









I really enjoying watching your progress and skill, thanks for sharing!


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## timmyjj21 (May 10, 2015)

jimbojohn55 said:


> so back to the Major and the redundant safety switch that sits behind the hopper - no way to pimp it so a quick and neater replacement was required -
> View attachment 29571


Ah, it was already sorted for you! That's where the adjustment gauge mounts! Since they are just sitting in a drawer taking up space, I'll sent you one.


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Have you thought about adding a laser cut gauge?

https://goo.gl/images/CgHyzQ

https://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?27103-Mazzer-Major-laser-cut-gauge/page3

https://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?27103-Mazzer-Major-laser-cut-gauge/page3


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## timmyjj21 (May 10, 2015)

Or this thread for better pictures (Shameless self promoting, sorry)

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?33197-Laser-cut-Major-and-Royal-grind-gauges


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Major bearing cover crapness - Far be it from me to cast stones at mazzer but the bearing covers that sit under the lower burr carrier are shocking as it sits in a deep recess and the screw heads sit up about a millimetre, perfect for retaining stale coffee. its a bit suspicious that this is hidden away and you wont see it unless your a pimper.

Sooo my plan is to level up the bearing cover with the bottom of the grind chamber and level down the screw heads to make them flush with the surface.

Here is the screw head sticking up, then filed down (while held in a drill) / the countersink in the cover is increased in size compared to the standard hole









and the finished flush plate


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

Excellent work. You're my kind of engineer ? I love these threads you make so keep them coming if possible.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

joey24dirt said:


> Excellent work. You're my kind of engineer 酪 I love these threads you make so keep them coming if possible.


Well I've just found out that Monty Don had exactly the same kind of Stroke I did so I thought f**k it I think I should be able to keep pimping for a long while yet!

- actually given this opportunity I would like to point out that the type of stoke me and my new mate Monty - or "M" as I now like to call him, had a partial blockage of one of the brain stem arteries - it counts for about 2% of strokes, certainly a much more exclusive and refined type of stroke , I believe suffered particularly by the artisan craftsman with a understanding and appreciation of the finer things in life such as the subtle restoration of the Mazzer Major or in Monty's case his ability to force his asparagus at will !

here is proof were best mates - just ignore the red nail polish that monty has on his lady hands









My advice - ladies and gentleman is to keep an eye on your work life balance and health before you join the Monty club.


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> Well I've just found out that Monty Don had exactly the same kind of Stroke I did so I thought f**k it I think I should be able to keep pimping for a long while yet!
> 
> - actually given this opportunity I would like to point out that the type of stoke me and my new mate Monty - or "M" as I now like to call him, had a partial blockage of one of the brain stem arteries - it counts for about 2% of strokes, certainly a much more exclusive and refined type of stroke , I believe suffered particularly by the artisan craftsman with a understanding and appreciation of the finer things in life such as the subtle restoration of the Mazzer Major or in Monty's case his ability to force his asparagus at will !
> 
> My advice - ladies and gentleman is to keep an eye on your work life balance and health before you join the Monty club.


Wow I had no idea other than past reference to nurses lol. Hope you're ok now. Here's to you being awesome and to a big F you to that 2%. Keep on pimping


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Wow, bloody hell! Hope you're on the mend soon.


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Glad you are on the mend, all you have to do now is redress the W / L balance to much more recreational "pimping":good:


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Yikes Jimbo! Glad to hear you're still tinkering with coffee kit in defiance of such obstacles.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Major foam bearing pimp and checking the burr carrier end float fun.

Started with building up the bearing cover by cutting out a foam gasket made from the stuff they sell sheets of in card shops or the Range, took two layers as it will compress when you tighten the screws


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Major carrier refit - as the motor spindle has roll pin through it to fit in the carrier cut-out notches in its base, keeping the spindle and the carrier cut-outs lined up is critical as its refitted.

To facilitate this I marked the spindle pin location on the spindle end (blue lines) then carefully lined up the carrier marking its position with a couple of bits of tape.

I would note that the burr carrier top washer and bolt are machine finished to ensure they are flat as they press down the carrier.

You can stop the spindle rotating as the carrier goes on by holding the motor fan with your thumb (make sure you unplug first - although hospital food is better than you would think)


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Using a dial gauge to measure alignment - I should point out that I'm using my gauge at 45 degrees - les than desirable , but mehh , the gauge reads 0.01mm so I'm looking for half of that on the gauge 0.005 mm - the edge of the gauge is resting on the outside top edge of the burs and dips in and out if the burr grooves to make the gauge flutter, anyway bingo all seems fine.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

You got luck with the condition of those burrs


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> Using a dial gauge to measure alignment - I should point out that I'm using my gauge at 45 degrees - les than desirable , but mehh , the gauge reads 0.1mm so I'm looking for half of that on the gauge 0.005 mm - the edge of the gauge is resting on the outside top edge of the burs and dips in and out if the burr grooves to make the gauge flutter, anyway bingo all seems fine.
> 
> View attachment 29917


Should I have done this with my SJ? I'll have to pinch the DTI from work lol


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

coffeechap said:


> You got luck with the condition of those burrs


yes but ive had to get a kitchen refit


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

joey24dirt said:


> Should I have done this with my SJ? I'll have to pinch the DTI from work lol


You can - but what I'm yet to do is put a line of whiteboard marker around the edge of lower burr then turn on and adjust till they just touch - remove and see if they have just touched on one side or consistently around the whole edge, then pop foil under the side or the burr that needs bringing up.


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> You can - but what I'm yet to do is put a line of whiteboard marker around the edge of lower burr then turn on and adjust till they just touch - remove and see if they have just touched on one side or consistently around the whole edge, then pop foil under the side or the burr that needs bringing up.


Cheers for the tip. I'll have a look soon as I'm due to be changing beans anyway


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

major burr levelling - sooo having checked the lower burr is level time to see where the top burr touches - in theory everything would be level, but taking into account the variables of thread pitch, mating surface of upper burr carrier to threaded adjuster there are a number of things that might be out.

First I inked up the outside edge of the lower burr with white board marker - the ran the grinder till the burrs chirped and backed them off - result just touching on one side, Pic2

so adjusted with aluminium foil under the opposite side of the burr -Pic3 - took 3 layers of foil and it was level - will keep checking this as time goes on as not 100% I've got it right:waiting:


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Question:

There are 4 ways to insert top carrier into machine. Does orientation change anything?


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

grumpydaddy said:


> Question:
> 
> There are 4 ways to insert top carrier into machine. Does orientation change anything?


Yes it can and does , I found a variation and after that always replaced the burr and carrier in same clock face position.

Something else that can cause a variance is varying lengths of springs ( also grounds in spring holes ) and varying tension in springs themselves.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

El carajillo said:


> Yes it can and does , I found a variation and after that always replaced the burr and carrier in same clock face position.
> 
> Something else that can cause a variance is varying lengths of springs ( also grounds in spring holes ) and varying tension in springs themselves.


good points - I marked up the upper carrier legs and tried turning it 180 deg but got the same result, may try moving the springs around, although the amount of force that the burr carrier is under when the adjuster is tightened down must be considerable so you would think that spring length and tension wouldn't make much difference, but there is only one way to find out - more tests.


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

That looks simple to do. I think I'll have to do it with mine.. A few variable wouldn't make it 100% aligned I guess, but as long as the carrier was taken off and put back the same, and the springs were left in their original holes it shouldn't be too far out.

The only thing that would affect complete adjustment though would be a wobble on the bottom burr carrier, if someone had prized it out with a screwdriver through the chute for example?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Rhys said:


> That looks simple to do. I think I'll have to do it with mine.. A few variable wouldn't make it 100% aligned I guess, but as long as the carrier was taken off and put back the same, and the springs were left in their original holes it shouldn't be too far out.
> 
> The only thing that would affect complete adjustment though would be a wobble on the bottom burr carrier, if someone had prized it out with a screwdriver through the chute for example?


I agree - the tell-tale signs of previous removal by screwdriver are usually there as marks on the surface at the start of the exit chute - mine had some but fortunately was not affected, hence checking with the gauge - I should mention that the gauges are only about £12 - so not too prohibitive and I know I will use it again.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Major hopper stopper - Ive had this in mind for a while so mocked up a hopper stopper from some scrap wood - will need some more weight on it, and will need to be a closer fit or have o- rings to make a better seal - also will it fit under the cabinet


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

jimbojohn55 said:


> Major hopper stopper - Ive had this in mind for a while so mocked up a hopper stopper from some scrap wood - will need some more weight on it, and will need to be a closer fit or have o- rings to make a better seal - also will it fit under the cabinet
> 
> View attachment 29943
> View attachment 29944
> View attachment 29945


Bit of Iroko ?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

El carajillo said:


> Bit of Iroko ?


Well spotted, - it was an offcut from my front gate - if I go with the idea I might see if I can get something a alot denser dependant on cost , or drill it out and add some lead.


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

I think you will struggle to find something appreciably denser / heavier. Iroko is about 690 kg m3 , other common hardwoods around 700 kg

Karri 929 kg m 3 Greenheart 1057 kg m3 Lignum Vitae 1241 kg m3 best bet. Look for old mallets at carboots, sometimes made from Lignum.

PS I would not use lead to load the mass as contact is VERY undesireable.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Lignum vitae was on my list - might have to leg it from the local bowing green -


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

How much does it weigh?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

very little, could put a tamper base on it - or can get a piece of leadwood for about £10



urbanbumpkin said:


> How much does it weigh?


update just weighed it 62g - in comparison if it was a 49mm tamper = 275g or a 52mm = 320g


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## wishbonethighs (Oct 2, 2017)

Do the majors come with Ti burrs factory installed or would this have been a replacement set?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

wishbonethighs said:


> Do the majors come with Ti burrs factory installed or would this have been a replacement set?


Hi @wishbonethighs (welcome and great forum name by the way ) as I understand it they come with standard burrs the titanium ones are really designed for a commercial setting where they would be taking a pounding standard major burrs last around 600KG so at 1KG a month - they would last me 50yrs and the grinder will be left to my kids or with Titanium burrs you can leave them to your grandchildren.

Taste wise there is no evidence of taste improvement as far as I'm aware although my brother in law @Stevied62 has 83mm standard burrs in his ceado and mine are therefore much better as they are gold coloured


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## wishbonethighs (Oct 2, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> Hi @wishbonethighs (welcome and great forum name by the way ) as I understand it they come with standard burrs the titanium ones are really designed for a commercial setting where they would be taking a pounding standard major burrs last around 600KG so at 1KG a month - they would last me 50yrs and the grinder will be left to my kids or with Titanium burrs you can leave them to your grandchildren.
> 
> Taste wise there is no evidence of taste improvement as far as I'm aware although my brother in law @Stevied62 has 83mm standard burrs in his ceado and mine are therefore much better as they are gold coloured


Hi @jimbojohn55, thanks for coming back to me so quickly, appreciate the info.

Very much enjoyed reading your thread (had to do some googling before I understood what all the octopus talk was all about).

Looking forward to seeing finished paint job on your new major; best of luck with it!


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## Stevied62 (Jun 19, 2016)

The ceado doesn't require ear protectors during grinding lol


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Stevied62 said:


> The ceado doesn't require ear protectors during grinding lol


If I had plain burrs I would keep quiet too


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Satin Copper metallic - having thought about this a lot over the past few weeks I've finally decided on a colour - I was going with a blue green for a while but the test samples looked sickly - Ive been quite fond of some of the early metallic colours that were used in the 60,s particularly on pavoni lever bases, and after prodding several cans decided to go with a coper metallic overlaid with a clear satin to stop it getting too blingy.

it will be a few days before any colour gets near it as prep will take a while, not that im in a rush


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Nice colour choice


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Good choice, I like it:good:


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Finally had some time to work on this over the weekend - the sanding was taking a long time so fired up my multicutter with a sanding head on it which quickly removed the worst of the dings and levelled up the surface.

then back to filling with knifing putty and hand sanding with 600g wet and dry, then onto 4 coats of primer with a quick sand with 1200g between coats , finally to the colour - at last ;-)


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

The cables on these grinders seem to come in for a battering and the one is no exception with a nick hear and there and a bit squashed - so another chance for an aesthetic upgrade - and sooo many choices for three core double insulated fabric wrapped cable







went for the silver gray after a lot of pondering - 3down 3 accross


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

looking more of a copper colour in real life , but not far off, after 4 coats of copper just need to add three satin clear coats, also it reminds me of gold Olympic post box's ....


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

So after 5 coats of satin clear coat the paint work is done - just needs to sit for a day or two to fully harden off before I do the funnel - and I'm looking at some kind of grinds catcher SS dish thing built into the porta filter holder, but while I'm waiting ive done the ritual pimp the mazzer badge thing









Before - then cleaned with pullycaf - then touched up the black with spray-paint and a cocktail stick - then a quick couple of sprays of satin clear coat


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

Pimped!! Looks great. Doing the badge was my favourite part.


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## Obnic (Jan 14, 2014)

Yeah Baby! That's Johan Van dear Smut's grinder right there. Absolutely love it .


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Obnic said:


> Yeah Baby! That's Johan Van dear Smut's grinder right there. Absolutely love it .


I would be totally up for a staring role James Bond remake - although my script - "The Man with the Golden Grinder" may take some time to get funding









or as the theme song goes -

He has a powerful Grinder

He charges a million a shot

A barista that's second to none

The man with the golden grinder

Lurking in some darkened doorway

Or crouched on a roof top somewhere

In the next room, or this very one

The man with the golden grinder.

Love is required whenever he's hired

It comes just before the shot

No-one can catch him, barista can match him

For his million dollar skill.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Mazzer badge curve - the back of mazzer grinders are interesting in thatv they have compound curves - they curve slightly in both directions. the standard mazzer badge as it is supplied does not which makes it a bad fit - I like to think there is a bloke called luigi who carefully shapes them using a soft face hammer, however I think Luigi likes to leave it to owners to carefully bend them by trial and error with their fingers... it makes a difference and closes up the gaps


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Mazzer switch refurb - the black circular backing dial on this major had been in the wars and needed a repaint, it also bugs me that the edge of these disks are unpainted, so a rub down and spray with satin black (inc edges) covers over the white on off marks - but its something I can fix later with a white letraset

The on off knob had also been in the wars, so again a sand down with 600g then 1200g before 3 grades of buffing brought it up to look new - ish

also ive just realised that ive been putting these knobs on upside down for years


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Just love these jimbojohn refurbished threads, excellent work!


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Agree, I really like the attention to detail. I never even noticed the badge not fitting to the curve on my old Mini (or at least never paid it any mind) but nothing escapes the eagle eye of Jimbo.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

hotmetal said:


> Agree, nothing escapes the eagle eye of Jimbo.


its my ninja and SIS training -


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Ha! I wish I was as confident taking things apart and making them better. No amount of black clothing and face masks seems to help!


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## G.F. (Dec 21, 2015)

Awesome work!


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Now to cut down the tube hopper or put fish in it - the acrylic tube is 60mm dia fortunately with just 1 wrap of felted wire tape (its the sort they bind car wiring looms with to make them look pretty) anyway with one wrap it makes for a perfect fit and holds the tube nicely while still making it removable for cleaning.


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Mmmm cutting down the tube....

Did you see the "Port" thread?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Port ? - my plan is to roll it through the bandsaw then sand the end o n a disc sander



grumpydaddy said:


> Mmmm cutting down the tube....
> 
> Did you see the "Port" thread?


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)




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## timmyjj21 (May 10, 2015)

Loving the work, and secretly loving the little glimpses of the man cave you have...slightly jealous of all that space and tools!


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Mazzer major portal cover size - the jolly and major have different length dosers but the same diameter - so I was hoping that the jolly template from previous builds might fit but no such luck, so out with the callipers and ruler - interestingly they are the same width at the base but the major is taller and narrower, I'm using 1.2mm aluminium plate - easy to cut shape and sand.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Mr Major gets some balls - to go rollerblading - well sort of, a bit of an experiment, the grinder will sit under wall cupboards so will be pulled out for adding beans and cleaning. The easy solution is to put some felt sliders under the feet but I wanted to try these first - obs if I replace all 4 feet I woud end up with a 15kg grinder on my feet at some point so the idea is to just lift the front of the grinder to roll it out and use the front feet to stop it moving around once in position.

Now ive got Sir Cliff R singing wired for sound while roller blading in my head - not a good thing



















Kill me


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Would have thought that straight in out would be best using wheels/rollers


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

grumpydaddy said:


> Would have thought that straight in out would be best using wheels/rollers


I would have but couldn't find any small enough without having to recess them into the base- these are just a tiny bit thicker than the standard feet. - I was looking for some tiny rubber casters, but to no avail so far


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

It's like the sage DB. That has a little dial that lifts the machine for ease of movement. Great idea looking forward to seeing this finished


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Funnel on and portal cover - decided to polish the hole cover as it goes better with a metallic colour , bolted a piece of wood to the opening then fixed the plate in place with a couple of SS screws. just need to sort out the portafilter/ coffee catcher next


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## Stevied62 (Jun 19, 2016)

Looks excellent that Jim


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

Awesome awesome awesome.

Sorry to hear about the health issues @jimbojohn55 and hope you're 100% now - or soon.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Jon said:


> Awesome awesome awesome.
> 
> Sorry to hear about the health issues @jimbojohn55 and hope you're 100% now - or soon.


Cheers Jon - I'm doing fine - got my driving license back last week so I'm 90% back to normal- joke is that the dog (14) had a stroke last Saturday WTF I said loudly however a week on and she is doing ok and walking again and enjoying life - personally I think she was taking the piss !









Oh yeah - the consultant said the cause of my stroke was a random neck injury in the month before it happened - not heart, alcohol, cholesterol, smoking, or blood pressure - for info 2% of strokes are in the arteries in the neck that affects the brain stem and of those 50% have no obvious cause like mine - so I like to think I have a good chance of becoming a grumpy old man.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Major portafilter fork coffee catcher thing - the issue with funnels on grinders and even dosers is the stray coffee that works it way across over the worktop creating a mess, particularly with funnels as there is always a sprinkling of coffee that fall out after you have finished using it - the solution below isn't the be all and end all but goes some way to address this by catching the stray coffee on an SS dish before it falls on the machine or worktop.

The idea is to use SS dish off a mechanics parts dish (magnet adhesive removed with heat gun) sitting just under the fork - being held in place with magnets on the bottom portafilter shelf (cheaper SS is magnetic)

I would see this as an idea in progress as the dish needs to sit closer to the machine- it will do for a Mk1 for the moment.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

With SS dish in place


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Taller piece of wood maybe ?? Something more akin to a bag filler on end of cone that drops into portafilter ??

Edit: Google "sanitary stainless concentric reducer"


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

grumpydaddy said:


> Taller piece of wood maybe ?? Something more akin to a bag filler on end of cone that drops into portafilter ??


ive get a doser ring that sits in the portafilter so that its a couple of MM under the funnel when in use - its a mk 1 at the mo and will need to be used for a week or two to test out, but will have a think about the bag filler idea, cheers


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Edit above


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Looks Fantastic @jimbojohn55. Do you get any issues without the doser?


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

Looks good so far. Was wondering whether to try and put a funnel on mine, what was yours again?


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

I still need to complete my funnel mod. Hopefully seeing how good yours is will spur me on


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Rhys said:


> Looks good so far. Was wondering whether to try and put a funnel on mine, what was yours again?


Octopus ball funnel - there a lot cheaper than the fudge funnel or dosing funnel -exactly the same thing but call it and octopus ball funnel and its cheaper - no idea why - they all come from china and take a couple of weeks to arrive. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Funnel-Octopus-Balls-Tools-With-Rack-Sauce-Funnel-Stainless-Steel-Kitchen-Use/192162817274?epid=1091650292&hash=item2cbdcbe4fa:g:-bsAAOSwSypY9y97

£11.50 instead of £20 - god knows why!


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

urbanbumpkin said:


> Looks Fantastic @jimbojohn55. Do you get any issues without the doser?


the grind time is easier to manage on a jolly with a doser as its slower - I found that I could get it to 13g just by eye watching the portafilter fill up then blip it and use a pastry brush to clear the grind chamber exit chute to get the final weight I was after - ended up wasting about 0.2g of excess grinds that was about it. With the Major we shall see but as its quicker I may end up weighing and single dosing.- see what the retentions like.


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Sorry that should have read do you get any issues with clumping without the doser.

I fitted an Auber timer to my Major. It allows you do grind much more coarser as the grind consistency is much better compared to single dosing.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

urbanbumpkin said:


> Sorry that should have read do you get any issues with clumping without the doser.
> 
> I fitted an Auber timer to my Major. It allows you do grind much more coarser as the grind consistency is much better compared to single dosing.


not as yet, but the beans tried so far have been quite light roasts and not oily, - certainly the auber or GitHub timer is the way to go if the guys trying the GitHub ones can get it sorted. -


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

major grind retention test - am I doing this right? - weigh set amount of beans in container 13.6g - grind into same container - brush out exit chute and funnel pulse grinder for a second to get last of grinds out -and weigh again - 13.5g ?

update this am weights went from 13.6 to 13.1 then noticed the weight still going down, time for new battery / scales


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

I'm trying out different approaches to grinding with the Major - at the moment single dosing into an SS cocktail shaker lid seems the best solution so far, and it fits inside the filter basket for easy transfer. after trying this all week I'm getting about 0.1g retention - no idea where all those 0.1g disappear to!


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Thanks to @Jim bean a kit of parts arrived this am to put a timer and display on the major once weve worked out the major wiring, may need a hand with this @Stevied62 !


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## Stevied62 (Jun 19, 2016)

jimbojohn55 said:


> Thanks to @Jim bean a kit of parts arrived this am to put a timer and display on the major once weve worked out the major wiring, may need a hand with this @Stevied62 !
> 
> View attachment 30629
> View attachment 30630


no problem

cost st you a coffee thou:coffee:


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Curious to see your thoughts on mounting display/buttons... look forward to this as I have a timer here to play with


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

Would that be compatible with an SJ? Excited to see the outcome. Currently I have the on/off switch in one hand and a digital timer in the other. Would be nice to combine the two


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## Jim bean (Aug 16, 2014)

joey24dirt said:


> Would that be compatible with an SJ? Excited to see the outcome. Currently I have the on/off switch in one hand and a digital timer in the other. Would be nice to combine the two


yes it will work with any grinder


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

Jim bean said:


> yes it will work with any grinder


Do you have a link to purchase one? Will be nice to add another coffee project to the list haha


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

joey24dirt said:


> Do you have a link to purchase one? Will be nice to add another coffee project to the list haha


Its based on this - but will need some adapting as the code is a bit out @Jim bean - has fixed it and put it for download,









https://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?41143-arduino-grinder-project-help-required-please/page3

still working it out - will hopefully get it sorted


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

jimbojohn55 said:


> Its based on this - but will need some adapting as the code is a bit out @Jim bean - has fixed it and put it for download,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you. I'm eagerly watching to see you iron out the creases. That way I can fit mine easier haha.


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## pgarrish (May 20, 2017)

Based on this excellent thread, I need to get you a few miles down the road to Pimp My Santos (TM, rights sold to Dave)









Is it finished yet????


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

pgarrish said:


> Based on this excellent thread, I need to get you a few miles down the road to Pimp My Santos (TM, rights sold to Dave)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just waiting on a set of terminal crimps from china - we know it will work, but the only thing were not 100% on is if the motors emf will interfere with the electronics - it might be a question of just shielding it- should be doing it soon


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## lucvan (Jan 18, 2020)

Did you manage to finish off the timer install? Would be interested to see the results.
Currently restoring a Major myself and this thread will be very useful!


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Not really the timer project stalled following a lot of fiddling and trying different things, in the end it makes sense to pay for a pre assembled unit from Aubins 

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk


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