OLD MATE (formerly Medgrind)

[Timps27]

with finer coarser plate

FIFY

Joking aside, does the top “fall off”? Meh, I mean I suppose in a strict literal sense if you were holding it by the base and grabbed the top while simultaneously completely letting go of the base, sure. And of course if you drop it (I pity the surface that bares that impact), or loose pack it in a bag it will fall off.

Will it ever happen in practical use? Absolutely not, IMHO. It’s a heavy piece, so you will either use it sitting in a friction surface, or with the base firmly in hand. In those uses there is no way, bar extreme misuse or accident, for the top to fall off, as it is itself a heavy unit.

If you want it secured in place for storage or travel, yes the magnet makes sense. For practical use if you will just have it on the table at your vape station, the magnet is more in the way than anything IMHO.

YMMV as always, and it is a fantastic unit no matter what options you go with!

 

[Shit Snacks]

FIFY

Either way it would be a custom order so we can each get what we want! I would kind of have no use for coarser really here

 

[DHV8654]

Either way it would be a custom order so we can each get what we want! I would kind of have no use for coarser really here

I ordered the Aroma-3 then the next day I get an email about the large ss bcg. Geez not sure I need a 6th grinder. I have a large & small herb ripper, large and small aluminum bcgs with an aroma-3 the way in pre order. I need to sell the herb rippers.

 

[dimmusp]

Joking aside, does the top “fall off”?

Reminds me of:

 

[onesixty2]

Reminds me of:

Yep, can't help but get a watch everytime this comes up..

 

[bhasma]

There are two things I use every day: the Anvil and the Aroma. Both require minimal maintenance and should last forever, and their results never fail to please. The Old Mate Grinder really deserves an OMG!

 

[southeastbay]

So I unknowingly used mine to grind up some bud that had mold in it. I've soaked the bottom 2 parts in ISO, unsure if that's enough to sterilize it properly, opinions seem to differ. How on earth would I clean the top part? I don't want to damage the bearing, and I'm not sure how to remove the bearing without damaging it. Any advice on this?

 

[Shit Snacks]

So I unknowingly used mine to grind up some bud that had mold in it. I've soaked the bottom 2 parts in ISO, unsure if that's enough to sterilize it properly, opinions seem to differ. How on earth would I clean the top part? I don't want to damage the bearing, and I'm not sure how to remove the bearing without damaging it. Any advice on this?

Oh dear that sounds upsetting, such a fear but I've never actually seen molds there, anyway if you use a q-tip with the alcohol you should be able to scrub well enough without soaking?? Just be very careful

 

[mcscruffy]

So I unknowingly used mine to grind up some bud that had mold in it. I've soaked the bottom 2 parts in ISO, unsure if that's enough to sterilize it properly, opinions seem to differ. How on earth would I clean the top part? I don't want to damage the bearing, and I'm not sure how to remove the bearing without damaging it. Any advice on this?

I've been lucky to not have moldy flower (that I know of....) but you can put the top in a small container teeth down the full length of the teeth in iso, just as long as the bearing isn't submerged (unless it's a PEEK one which is fine). Q tip dipped in iso carefully around the bearing housing as Shit Snacks said above.

You can get a bearing remover from a sporting goods store or Amazon that should work to remove the bearing for better cleaning (and maybe bearing replacement if you prefer) but I was planning on using a small socket and tapping it out with a 2x4 and rubber mallet.

Related note, I've yet to clean my top piece but I noticed there was what looked like grease on the post that when I touched it some loose plant material came in contact and fell into the chamber (yuck).

Has anyone else experienced this? Is the lubrication on the color bearings black or could that have been something else? It certainly smelled like grease.

 

[bhasma]

Carefully sitting the teeth only in iso and q-tips for clean up is best, or removing the bearing for a full soak if you have the right tool and you're really fussy.

I'm pretty sure there's no grease coming out of the bearing, but around the post does get a slight dark coating over time. It's not in the grinding area, and the only movement is when sliding the lid on and off. And I assume it's normal oxidation.

 

[southeastbay]

Thanks for the replies, usually whenever I use ISO I then thoroughly clean with water. Is that not necessary? I imagine it would be impossible without removing the bearing. I don't know what I'm looking for when it comes to a bearing remover, based in Australia so options are limited and I can't afford to be paying $150 like some of the ones on amazon. I'm already out about $600 on replacing other items due to the mold.

 

[bhasma]

Thanks for the replies, usually whenever I use ISO I then thoroughly clean with water. Is that not necessary? I imagine it would be impossible without removing the bearing. I don't know what I'm looking for when it comes to a bearing remover, based in Australia so options are limited and I can't afford to be paying $150 like some of the ones on amazon. I'm already out about $600 on replacing other items due to the mold.

You'll probably need to brush or wipe the teeth and upper surface to finish, dip once more in clean iso, then briefly in water if you like. I've used my Old Mate every day since the first general release and only cleaned the lid twice. And OM has a bearing press for $5 AUD, but it's currently out of stock.

 

[southeastbay]

You'll probably need to brush or wipe the teeth and upper surface to finish, dip once more in clean iso, then briefly in water if you like. I've used my Old Mate every day since the first general release and only cleaned the lid twice. And OM has a bearing press for $5 AUD, but it's currently out of stock.

Thanks unfortunately I stuffed it up, iso level just too high. More money in the bin...

 

[LesPlenty]

More money in the bin...

Let the iso dry off and you will be fine, if you did manage to remove a little bit of bearing lube the only bit that will be damaged is the bearing balls over time due to rust or premature wear. I fully submerged my OG bearing in iso suspended in an ultrasonic cleaner and that OG bearing is still fine but does not spin as fast as it once did. I have swapped to a PEEK $5 bearing off Aliexpress so I can chuck the lot in iso without worry.

 

[southeastbay]

Let the iso dry off and you will be fine, if you did manage to remove a little bit of bearing lube the only bit that will be damaged is the bearing balls over time due to rust or premature wear. I fully submerged my OG bearing in iso suspended in an ultrasonic cleaner and that OG bearing is still fine but does not spin as fast as it once did. I have swapped to a PEEK $5 bearing off Aliexpress so I can chuck the lot in iso without worry.

Thanks Les. I'll see how I go. Is something like this suitable? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002495821395.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.409b8a0dLonJfT&algo_pvid=5d41eaff-9ebc-4a91-9983-9b0b70d17fd2&algo_exp_id=5d41eaff-9ebc-4a91-9983-9b0b70d17fd2-0&pdp_npi=4@dis!AUD!11.97!7.3!!!7.59!!@2103247016951773994208504e2d25!12000020874182491!sea!AU!0!ABS&curPageLogUid=FlLp66TKXluf


Also any idea on a cheap bearing puller, I'm lost with all the different varieties, I saw this, unsure if it's suitable or if it's the right size?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...5586793560e1258!12000030185596361!rec!AU!!ABS

 

[bhasma]

And I wouldn't over-think the mould problem. Just a few seconds in contact with alcohol (70% or higher) will sterilise any surface and a simple iso swab should suffice.

 

[marduk]

I have swapped to a PEEK $5 bearing off Aliexpress so I can chuck the lot in iso without worry.

Hey, thinking about trying PEEK for my bearing... I checked out the Aliexpress link you posted earlier and going by the description, everything is PEEK, but going by the pictures it seems like the balls might be ceramic like the more expensive VXB bearings. Can you confirm if the Aliexpress bearing balls are ceramic or PEEK?

 

[LesPlenty]

Also any idea on a cheap bearing puller

Just use a bolt of a size that will fit (I used the inside of a 12mm DynaBolt) to knock it out from the inside once you get a replacement, my PEEK bearing,

The OG bearing will need hammering to get out whereas my PEEK is easily pushed in/out by hand if needed but it has no lube so is safe to submerge in Iso anyway. The PEEK does not get the dark metal shaving dust either like the OG did

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32833334751.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.503918026AHakI

 

[bhasma]

I remember reading that @OMD couldn't replicate the black "metal shaving dust", but perhaps the gentle sliding on and off could wear the bearing's inner ring. I have often found a similar black deposit when cleaning other steel items that definitely suffer no wear, so I'm not sure.

 

[southeastbay]

Just use a bolt of a size that will fit (I used the inside of a 12mm DynaBolt) to knock it out from the inside once you get a replacement, my PEEK bearing,

The OG bearing will need hammering to get out whereas my PEEK is easily pushed in/out by hand if needed but it has no lube so is safe to submerge in Iso anyway. The PEEK does not get the dark metal shaving dust either like the OG did

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32833334751.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.503918026AHakI

Thanks, just to clarify I won't need some sort of bearing puller, just a 12mm dynabolt like this(https://www.bunnings.com.au/ramset-12-x-100mm-galvanised-dynabolt-plus-hex-nut-bolt_p2262721) plus a peek bearing? Sorry this is not in my wheelhouse whatsoever

 

[bhasma]

Sorry this is not in my wheelhouse whatsoever

If your bearing is ruined and you don't want to replace it yourself, perhaps you could ask Ben for assistance. I know he's busy, but he is very helpful, and if you're in Australia the postage won't be much.

 

[southeastbay]

If your bearing is ruined and you don't want to replace it yourself, perhaps you could ask Ben for assistance. I know he's busy, but he is very helpful, and if you're in Australia the postage won't be much.

Yeah he's great, but I think he's just far too busy, as I reached out to him a couple of months back and got no reply. I will see how I go but was hoping to just sort it out myself

 

[mcscruffy]

Also important to point out going to the PEEK bearing will make the lid non-magnetic!

 

[southeastbay]

Just an update, emailed Ben and already heard back. He's going to sort something else. What a great bloke!!!

 

[LesPlenty]

I remember reading that @OMD couldn't replicate the black "metal shaving dust"

My white ceramic bearing would also grind the black dust from the center post and why I ended up going with the PEEK I listed...this is on my OG and Ben has since changed the design of the center post to negate this wear.

Thanks, just to clarify I won't need some sort of bearing puller

I only said the Dynabolt as it was the first thing I found in my 'bits and pieces' parts bin, anything with the right diameter will work but it seems Ben has got you covered.
edit to add PEEK update video,