I couldn't resist. I tore the mill apart last night.
Gross but in good shape.
The components were pretty well seized to the shaft. Since the wheels were too big to fit in the shop press, I had to resort to the trusty hammer and smashing block routine. A bunch of old coffee beans spilled out of that grinder plate once it came off the shaft. (Note the heavily grease stained welcome mat as a direct result of a month of Dana 44 rebuilding going on there. The wife is thrilled....)
I wire wheeled all the internal parts then scrubbed them down with hot soapy water. The inside of the housing also got a thorough scrubbing. The outside only got a very gentle damp wipe-down as I was afraid of damaging that paint.�
Pretty neat constant lubrication system here. This is an oil reservoir that originally had a small wick protruding up and in contact with the shaft. You can see the old congealed grease after I pulled out the remains of the dried wick. I'll have to find some new wick material and proper grease. For now, I've just lubed it with a small amount of silicone spray.
This key allows one to adjust how fine or coarse the grounds are. Tighten the key and it pushes on that silver collar increasing the outward load which pulls the two internal grinding plates closer together. There's a spring loaded collar on the opposite side of the axle which helps maintain a constant steady pressure.
First attempt and it worked like a charm. This thing has been a decorative lamp for at least 60 years, probably much longer. Today I'm drinking fresh ground coffee as I type this.
