New K3 touch.... Can't get it to work?

[13bob]

Why don't you simply put the black plastic collar 1/3 or 2/3 rotated forward/back with respect to the top metal assembly?

Ok, thanks for your help.

can we start from the beginning. I have the collar off completely.

I have rotated the top metal assembly anticlockwise until it can't go any further, I'm assuming this is max fine grind.

Now what do I do next?

[demq]

Why don't you simply put the black plastic collar 1/3 or 2/3 rotated forward/back with respect to the top metal assembly?

[13bob]

Trial and error? See when the grind is close to what you want the button should be close to the front.

Ok, the problem I'm having now is the stopper screw. My stopper screw underneath the collar is 1/3 of a turn to the right from the front... And the screw under the silver button hits it with only a 1/3 of a turn of the collar?

[13bob]

Trial and error? See when the grind is close to what you want the button should be close to the front.

Thanks! I will give that a go.

[demq]

Trial and error? See when the grind is close to what you want the button should be close to the front.

[13bob]

Yeah my silver button sits just too the left of the chute. Maybe about 1cm left. My K3 is only 2-3 weeks old so not a lot of bur wear as yet.

Hi nabsie, my silver button is at the back completely 180* from where it should be.

[13bob]

It sounds like they put the cover in wrong.
There is a screw underneath the button that restricts the adjustment to a range of one full turn of the collar. In principle you might still be in range for espresso grind if they only missed 1/3 rotation (there are 3 screws holding the collar to the top blade assembly). Thus you might simply try and find the correct grind point moving from the coarse to fine.

You can take the collar off and put it in correct position by removing the hopper and undoing the there black screws on top of the collar. Then it comes straight up.

Yeah, thanks it looks like they put the cover on wrong - it's out by more than a 1/3 so I will take the collar off like you suggested and put it in he correct position.... By the way, how do I know what the "correct position" is?

[nabsie]

Yeah my silver button sits just too the left of the chute. Maybe about 1cm left. My K3 is only 2-3 weeks old so not a lot of bur wear as yet.

[demq]

It sounds like they put the cover in wrong.
There is a screw underneath the button that restricts the adjustment to a range of one full turn of the collar. In principle you might still be in range for espresso grind if they only missed 1/3 rotation (there are 3 screws holding the collar to the top blade assembly). Thus you might simply try and find the correct grind point moving from the coarse to fine.

You can take the collar off and put it in correct position by removing the hopper and undoing the there black screws on top of the collar. Then it comes straight up.

[13bob]

Hi,

The "contact point" of the blades on my K3 is between 35-40 mark on the collar, so screwing past that means you will lock the blades together and at best will grind them, not coffee. See the attached photo for my approximate setting for espresso (the metal knob should be aligned with the chute, but this changes slightly from one coffee to another......

Hi demq, in your pic you also have the silver button facing the front sitting over the chute. Mine is around the back of the grinder and no matter how I rotate the collar I can't get the silver button over the chute?.

[13bob]

I have no idea what you mean by the half way mark (do you mean the point at which the silver 'button' is above the chute?). Are you running the grinder while moving towards the fine setting? If not, best to do so. Does the noise that you refer to sound like 'burr on burr' contact? You may have actually reached the zero point on the grinder. Empty the grinder, back the grind setting off a little from the point of 'resistance' or whatever it is that you are observing, check that there are no stuck beans, and then try grinding some beans.

Hi barry, thanks for the reply.

I see the problem I'm having is that the little metal silver button is around the back of the grinder and no matter how I rotate it I can't get it around the front so it is sitting above the chute. It's almost like its been put on the wrong way round?

[demq]

Hi,

The "contact point" of the blades on my K3 is between 35-40 mark on the collar, so screwing past that means you will lock the blades together and at best will grind them, not coffee. See the attached photo for my approximate setting for espresso (the metal knob should be aligned with the chute, but this changes slightly from one coffee to another). I found when going finer past about 40 mark, the machine chocks - the grinds become so fine that they don't come out and block the machine. This might be slightly different on your machine due to difference in the blade wear and (of course) the coffee you are using.

In general, as Barry said, always have your grinder running while adjusting it. This is especially important when you make the grind finer, as if there would be any coarse coffee grounds left between the blades, they might compress and even seize the grinder. Also, you should not need much force adjusting this grinder, which tells me that you probably have interlocked the blades. It is a good idea to find the "contact point" of your machine when you first start to use it, there are youtube videos explaining this.

The best way to correct it would be to unscrew the blades all the way to the very coarse setting without turning the machine on (cause the blades are locked). Then turn it on, listen if it rotates freely and see if you can grind any coffee. Then, while the machine is running, turn it slowly to the finer setting until you get the desired grind. Note, that it takes a couple of seconds for the old setting grinds to clear out and the grinds at current setting to come out of the chute. If you have seized it, the grinder needs to be opened and cleaned of the fine grinds inside.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

I have no idea what you mean by the half way mark (do you mean the point at which the silver 'button' is above the chute?). Are you running the grinder while moving towards the fine setting? If not, best to do so. Does the noise that you refer to sound like 'burr on burr' contact? You may have actually reached the zero point on the grinder. Empty the grinder, back the grind setting off a little from the point of 'resistance' or whatever it is that you are observing, check that there are no stuck beans, and then try grinding some beans.

[13bob]

Hi, just got my new K3 touch grinder, and feel really stupid because I can't get it to work. The tiny instruction manual is not very helpful at all.

it rotates easily to the coarse setting and grinds no problem, but when I rotate it toward the fine setting it won't go past the half way mark. If I twist it really hard it rotates a bit further but then I try to grind coffee and the machine makes a straining sound and no grinding happens at all....

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! I hope it's something simple and not a faulty machine.