130 Year Old Coffee Mill Restoration --- AF inventions

10 months ago
7

This restoration video has a bit of everything: Sandblasting, lacquering, wood working, fabrication, metal turning, tapping, welding, and more.
Restoration of a very old Imperial Coffee Mill manufactured by Arcade Manufacturing Company of Freeport Illinois, USA in the late 1880s. These coffee mills were a practical kitchen implement and were never intended to be antiques. The top and coffee grinding mechanism are cast iron but the body is made from some species of Fir, a softwood.
The cast iron was originally Japanned. Japanning is a European version of a Japanese lacquer common at the time. I replicated as best I could with high quality instrument lacquer. The finish turned out very very close to what it would have looked like when new.

Loading comments...