My antique coffee grinder seized up during morning rush yesterday

It was my grandma's old hand crank model and I'd been using it for 3 years without any issues, then suddenly the handle wouldn't budge. Turns out I'd never oiled the bearings and they rusted solid inside, so I spent an hour soaking it in vinegar and scrubbing with a toothpick to get it spinning again. Has anyone else had a tool or appliance fail because you skipped basic maintenance for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_charles1mo ago

Holding off on oiling things is actually smarter if you want stronger bearings.

tarag281mo ago

Read somewhere that old cast iron stuff actually gets smoother the more it wears in from use, which is why people don't oil them. Guess that only works if you use it every day though, not just every few weeks.

logan7051mo ago

Wait so are you saying the cast iron itself gets smoother just from use, or is it more about the seasoning building up over time? @tarag28 I've seen people argue both ways but I think the real deal is that old pans get that glassy finish from years of polymerized oil layers, not the metal wearing down. If you're only using it every few weeks the oil can get sticky or rancid between uses, so yeah you'd probably need to re-season it more often. Honestly I think the whole "don't oil it" advice is overblown - a light coat after cleaning never hurt anybody, it's the thick layers that flake.