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Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

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  • #31
    Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

    Originally posted by 6D6E71757B1E0 link=1204007644/29#29 date=1251503831
    Once it is damaged, the grinds become uneven, and the grinder is permanently useless.
    Yep,

    I think this applies in particular to Conical Burr Sets whereas the Flat Burr-Plates have a flat ground section around the circumference of both burr-plates so that in the event of getting "too close" it is just steel rubbing on steel; not cutting edge on cutting edge...

    From the little play around Ive done with a Conical Burr grinder I owned, if the burr set is adjusted so that they touch, cutting edges do in fact make contact with each other and cause damage as a result. So, be very careful that you never allow the burr sets to come into contact with each other, your coffee may suffer...

    Mal.

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    • #32
      Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

      It took some time for me to get around to doing this mod. The hardest thing was getting the outer casing back on - a bit of jiggling sorted it out in the end. I noticed that there is a second stopper about 30mm from the tab that I cut off. This prevents the "ring" from turning too far, preventing the burs from making hard contact.

      The result: Same beans, same dose, same tamp 40 minutes apart: Before the mod - 30 ml in under 15 seconds. After it took 25. The creama was what I expected from good coffee (as opposed to being about 1 mm previously). The flavour was so much more intense - it was like drinking a whole new coffee. Im glad my new CS order arrived in the post this morning - I think Im going to enjoy it even more than the last lot somehow!

      Breville Ikon BES400 / Breville Grinder BCG450

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      • #33
        Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

        Update: Ive managed to achieve 30 seconds for 30ml using a Breville unpressurized basket. This requires a heavy dose, and a hefty tamp. My last two coffees have been my best ever (using CS Espresso WOW).

        Thanks for documenting this grinder mod. Cheers!

        Breville Ikon BES400 with unpressurized basket / Breville Grinder BCG450

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        • #34
          Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

          Well done WRJ. Thanks to excellent instructions, I managed the modification and even got the beast back together without any left over parts. After a couple of fine grinds and much improved coffee, the machine jammed up and I have not been able to remove the grinders. >

          On the strength of this I wass able to use this as an excuse to get anew Rocky and Silvia ;D but I still have a jammed BCG 450 - any advice?

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          • #35
            Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

            Hi all, I just tried this mod and after about half an hours effort I have a machine with a noticeably finer grind - the hopper turns now 5.5cm past its previous limit. Thank you to all of the posters about for the fantastic diagrams and instructions!

            One small tip from my experience - when reassembling the case, gravity is your friend. Rather then trying to wedge the start button between the body and the housing, simply place the button into the housing, turn over so upside down, the slide easily back over the body.

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            • #36
              Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

              Also, one quick question - several of you have mentioned placing electrical tape over the top bur in order to reduce variability in the grind (which I am now noticing).

              Is the top burr the one that mates immediately with the hopper - which you can actually access and unscrew by hand while the grinder is fully assembled but the hopper is out? If so, where exactly did you place the tape? Would anyone please be able to post a photo or diagram?

              Thanks again to you all

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              • #37
                Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

                BUMP... anyone??

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                • #38
                  Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

                  Thanks for the instructions and the photos, Ive just chopped off that annoying little piece of plastic after 2 hours of hard work.

                  One question: Is it safe to now turn it all the way until it hits the 2nd stopper? I am doing it a tiny bit at a time but would love to hear from others who have done it before!

                  Thanks heaps.  

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                  • #39
                    Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

                    Originally posted by 14050E1409030C055556600 link=1204007644/35#35 date=1257151581
                    Is the top burr the one that mates immediately with the hopper - which you can actually access and unscrew by hand while the grinder is fully assembled but the hopper is out?
                    Yes, the top burr is the one you can take out normally.
                    If so, where exactly did you place the tape?
                    Sorry, never tried!

                    I just modded mine recently.  I havent gone "all the way" in case the burrs meet and I grind metal!  But a few clicks passed the old limit is giving better results.

                    I figure they put the limit there because thats as fine as you can go with the Breville dual-wall baskets.  If they sold a machine that backed up whenever you used one of their grinders on "finest" Im sure theyd have a lot of people who think they had broken machines, and tried to return them.

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                    • #40
                      Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

                      I just thought Id add that the triangle screws come straight out using a 1.5mm hex key. Ive got a set called Monster Grip and the smallest is 1.5mm, it fits straight between the triangle and comes out just like any other screw.

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                      • #41
                        Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

                        hello mayhewga and all,
                        many many thanks for this post (especially for the pics mayhewga ! )Have done all as explained, worked a treat and now between this mod BCG450 and a saeco with mod unpressurised basket am pulling great 30ml shots.
                        I put white marks (with white out correction fluid) on the hop just past the "Turkish" fine grind mark. Just using the slight clicks you feel as you rotate clockwise I marked out two more stops (at 4 clicks each) in this clockwise direction.

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                        • #42
                          Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

                          Uh Oh!! I bought this grinder AFTER reading this thread in the knowledge it can be modified. It arrived this morning and I performed the mod after one test grind - the finest Turkish grind was useless for espresso.

                          But sadly, even after the mod the grind is still nowhere near good enough.

                          What now?

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                          • #43
                            Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

                            I bought a Sunbeam EM6910 on the weekend and modded my old Breville grinder; no problems at all - the wife suggested a bread knife to slice off the bit that had to go!

                            I wind the grinder all the way around to where it now stops, 20 seconds on the timer for the double shot, a fairly hard tamp and I hit dead centre on the gauge on the Sunbeam.

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                            • #44
                              Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

                              Thanks to everyone for their input into this thread. I recently purchased a Silvia and was given a BCG450 for my birthday. Performed this mod last night and while it was 100 times better, it still wasnt quite fine enough. I ended up removing the tab that sits about 2cm on from the original one we removed. This gave me about 2cm more rotation (but I only adjust about 1cm of that to avoid getting the burrs to close). The Align inidicator now almost lines up with the grind line. That extra centimetre has now given me a pretty good grind and was able to pull some very nice looking shots. Very happy now and this should do me until I become a massive snob

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                              • #45
                                Re: Breville BCG450...modded...now excellent grinder!

                                Woo Hooooo! You guys totally rock!   [smiley=cheesy.gif]  Im a student and have a Gaggia Classic, and have been relying on the roaster to grind my beans. Finally took the plunge and bought a discounted grinder (BCG450) today. Happy right? Wrong! Got home and made my first coffee - totally destroyed! (should have reviewed/researched grinders!). Thought the grind looked pretty suspect, but no appreciation for HOW suspect it really was!
                                Was about to take it back & thought I should check out alternatives online, came across this posting and 20mins later, PRESTO! Not perfect but the best grind my $79 can buy.
                                To those looking for perfect - Go spend $750+ and get a proper grinder. To the rest of us more budget conscious folk, do the modification, and enjoy fresh espresso @ home.
                                Awesome work everyone, thanks for making my day!  [smiley=laugh.gif]

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