OT: Can this coffee grinder be adjusted?

[helldriven]

I agree with WNC rider, disassemble and clean would be a great start. I also think it could be missing a star nut on the front as it looks like there is paint missing where the crankshaft enters the housing. From everything I have read, it should be adjustable.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by WNC rider

you should probably remove it and completely disassemble it for cleaning/inspection anyway.
the amount of space between the crank's shaft where it enters the grinder housing could be an indicator that the burrs are worn out or damaged. that space should be much more "tight". maybe a bushing is missing.
the adjusting wheel should be on the back side, and should be adjustable for various grinds, see below.

Well there ya have it, good info and interesting design. You need to disassemble to adjust is a bummer but it appears it's doable.

[smontanaro]

Apologies for the radio silence. It took me a while to get back to this project.

I think I managed to get it working properly, or at least better. Sorry, I took no pictures. Referring to WNC Rider's image, the back of the grinder mechanism comes off with the two screws you can see in the photo. That reveals the burr mechanism. I have/had two problems. One, there is a spacer underneath the mechanism which is like 3/4ths of a washer, the gap being oriented toward the top so it doesn't interfere with the beans as they fall into the grinder proper. Looking from the top into the hopper, it looked like a spring that was sticking into the bean space. This washer was bent, so I fiddled with it for a bit so it fit back where it belonged.

The bigger issue was that the star adjuster wouldn't move enough to tighten up the burr mechanism enough, hence the really coarse grind. I solved that problem by cutting off a machine screw and dropping the cut piece into place between the adjuster's shaft and the burr. The adjuster can now move the burr for a finer grind.

I'm sure both of these "solutions" are little more than bad hacks, but at least the coffee grinds. In any case, the risk of serious injury is low, as there's no chance the front wheel of my bike will spontaneously separate from the fork.