I am looking for a grinder that would grind apricot, cherry, avocado,
peach, olive pits; etc.  This should probably have a diamond blade. 
This would be for me to buy.  Could you please help me?  I would like
to offer $200.00, but am right now living on a limited budget.

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Clarification of Question by gf-ga on 11 Feb 2003 15:45 PST

I think the blades, and/or motors of even a heavy-duty coffee-grinder
or spice-mill would get damaged.  I was told that grinding a cherry,
date pit; etc.  was like grinding a rock.  I tried grinding a date pit
in a regular electronic coffee grinder; and it did damage the blade;
and probably the motor as well.

---

Request for Question Clarification by missy-ga on 11 Feb 2003 21:40 PST

Hi gf,

I don't mean to sound facetious, but for what purposes would you be
using the ground pits?  It might be helpful to know - for instance, if
you're using them as natural exfoliants in handmade soaps, we could
check with soap making suppliers to see what *they* use to grind pits.

Any extra information would be helpful!

--Missy

---

Clarification of Question by gf-ga on 12 Feb 2003 05:56 PST

The purposes thst I would use the ground pits for would be as a
"facial scrub;" which I suppose would be considered to be a " natural
exfoliant;"  and for extra fiber in the diet.  I am trying to get more
into eating " whole foods."  If I make something with olives; I could
than add the ground pits for extra fiber; and be eating all, or more,
of the "whole food."  As for the Vita-Mix Super 5000; I think that
anything that has stainless steel blades; the blades would get ruined.
 An industrial-strength machine would be all right with me.

---

Clarification of Question by gf-ga on 12 Feb 2003 13:59 PST

sublime1                                                              
              I called Glen Mills, and the lady that I spoke with,
told me that she would send me some information about the
"Cross-beater"  mill.  It is about $7,000.00.  On their web-site, I
saw some other mills that might work for what I would want them for,
as well.  The prices are not listed on the web-site.  The lady told me
that I could send her some pits; and she could try grinding them in
the "Cross-beater"  mill;  and than she could send them back to me,
ground up;  and then I could see if they were the right size for
whatever it was that I wanted to use them for.  It would be nice to
find some mills that were for what I wanted them for, that weren't so
expensive.  It would also be nice to find some other companies that
had them;  so that I could compare prices, quality, etc.;  but I think
that you did give me a comment that would suffice as an answer;  so
thank you very much.  I don't know if you are a person commenting, or
a researcher.  If you can find any other products, or companies that
produce the grinders that would help me;  or ones that would help me
for lower prices, that would be very good.  Thank you again.   ---gf

---

Clarification of Question by gf-ga on 12 Feb 2003 15:23 PST

magnesium-ga  ---   According to the web-site that is part of your
comment;  apricot, and cherry pits are poisonous to lovebirds.  --- 
gf

---

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 12 Feb 2003 17:28 PST

gf...

I'm a Google Answers Researcher, which is why I offered to post an
official answer if the information I located served your purposes.

As for less expensive, specific-to-use machinery, I did search
specifically for grinders in relation to the pits you mentioned,
but this turned up no useful results.

As for other "companies that produce the grinders", I referred you
to the Thomas Registry in the last link I provided you, which lists
11 other commercial food pulverizer manufacturers. None that I found
post their prices directly, and you would have to call or email them
to obtain a quote.

I would also reinforce the multiple warnings you are receiving
regarding the proven toxicity of at least some seeds and pits,
and the potential toxicity of pits in general, if consumed in
quantity. It occurs to me that if it were natural to consume 
such things, nature would have made our teeth strong enough to
chew them, or made the seeds easier to chew. As they are, they
are better suited for being swallowed whole and passed out of
the system undigested, allowing them to be transported to other
locations by grazing animals. Nutritionally, they are loaded
with nutrients for the emerging plant, and it would make more
sense to consume them in small quantities rather than large.

As for using them for increased 'fiber' in your diet, I believe
that (separate) research on the nature of nutritional fiber
would show that seed substances do not truly satisfy the function
or definition of nutritional 'roughage'.

Let me know if the Thomas Registry link is sufficient.

sublime1-ga

Would a heavy-duty coffee grinder or spice mill meet your needs?

gf...

If any non-industrial strength machine can do this, it would be
the Vita-Mix Super 5000 - a juicer/blender/grinder beyond compare.
The blades move so fast that it can heat vegetables into soup
just from the speed alone!

It is commonly used to grind wheat into flour. One can then add
water and turn the flour into dough. I've used an earlier version
of this machine, and it's astonishing.

The Super 5000 model has the following features, noted in the pdf
file on the VitaMix website:

* The 2+ peak horsepower motor clearly surpasses the 1/2 horsepower
  motors found in most blenders.

* Blade speeds of up to 240 m.p.h. are aided by stainless steel
  ball bearings that last for years – unlike the shortlived
  sleeve bearings used in most blenders.

* The speed and torque relentlessly smash the hammermill cutting
  blades into the food, pulverizing it to microscopic levels.

* The coupling connecting the blades to the motor has 12 stainless
  steel teeth. Weaker couplings, found in many blenders, are prone
  to stripping out.

* The high efficiency container and blade design direct and draw
  food into the path of the blades that smash and cut it again and
  again.
http://www.vitamix.com/household/whats_new/brochures/todayshome.pdf

Naturally it's not cheap, and sells for $479 USD, but it comes with
a 7 year guarantee (though that probably won't cover crunching pits).

Also:
The motor is also thermally-protected, and shuts off if too hot.
The speed is variable and can be as slow as 11 miles per hour.
It comes with a wet blade for liquids, and a dry blade for grinding.
The container is shatterproof.

You can purchase the Vita-Mix here:
http://www.vitamix.com/household/store/

You can opt-in for email notice for special offers on the 
Vita-Mix Super 5000, and other things, here:
http://www.vitamix.com/household/sweepstakes/optins.cfm

While I'm certain this is the most powerful machine available for
your purposes, I'm also sure it wasn't designed to process the
kinds of pits you're talking about, so I can't guarantee how long
it would hold up. I just know it will do the job better and longer
than anything else you'll find.

You can also purchase a replacement dry-blade assembly for $75:
http://www.vitamix.com/household/store/showprod.cfm?&DID=7&CATID=10&ObjectGroup_ID=27

Since I'm not sure this machine is within your budget, or that
you're willing to try it at this price, I'm posting this as a
comment and awaiting your reply. If you believe this will do the
trick for you, let me know, and I'll post it as an answer.

sublime1-ga


Searches done, via Google:

vitamix
://www.google.com/search?q=vitamix

Just a quick comment - in further researching this, I discovered
that at leat two 'pits' - apple seeds and peach pits, contain
potassium cyanide, a poison. It seems that 12 oz of ground apple
seeds would kill you in about 6 hours!

gf...

Take a look at this commercial grinder, which has been used to
pulverize such things as marble, bottles, and bones:
http://www.glenmills.com/product_showcase/dry-coarse-hammer.shtml

Or this mill:
http://www.glenmills.com/product_showcase/dry-mid-cross.shtml

Or this jaw-crusher, which can be built to specifications:
"Materials of construction to suit your requirement: hardened
 steel, stainless steel and tungsten carbide - even zirconia
 in the Desktop Model"
http://www.glenmills.com/product_showcase/dry-mid-jaw.shtml

You'd have to contact the Glen Mills company to determine the
ideal machine/materials for your purposes. Their contact page:
http://www.glenmills.com/request_information.shtml

Or email them at staff@glenmills.com


This is just one of 11 companies listed on the following page
at the Thomas Register, under 'food pulverizer'. This page
also allows you to email up to 5 of the companies at once, 
by checking the box next to their name:
http://www7.thomasregister.com/ss/.71245622549/TRksrch.cgi?uuid=THgoogle&sid=71245622549&search_type=keyword&st=&script_name=TRksrch.cgi&pn=&search_string=food%20pulverizer&wherefrom=&pdm=&json=n&indexpage=n

Let me know if this satisfies your interests.

sublime1-ga

If you plan to eat fruit pits, you might want to do some research.
Apricot pits and cherry pits are poisonous.

http://www.geocities.com/lovebirds97051/poisonous.html

Please use caution in consuming fruit pits. Many fruit pits are toxic.

------------------------

Cyanogenic glycosides, which occur naturally in a number of plants,
release HCN [hydrogen cyanide] after ingestion. In the United States,
cyanide intake through food consumption is normally low since foods
high in cyanogenic substances are not a major part of the American
diet. However, eating large amounts of seeds, pits, and stone fruits
of certain plants (or blending them in "milkshakes") reportedly has
caused illness especially in children, and even death. As many as 1000
plants contain cyanogenic glycosides. The more common include the
following: apple (seeds) bamboo (sprouts) cassava (beans and roots)
Christmas berry crab apple (seeds) cycad nut elderberry (leaves and
shoots) hydrangea (leaves and buds) lima beans (black bean grown in
tropical countries) pear (seeds) Prunus species (leaves, bark, seeds)
apricot bitter almond cherry laurel chokecherry mountain mahogany
peach pin cherry plum western chokeberry wild black cherry...

www.nap.edu/books/0309051401/html/312.html 

Cyanide is produced naturally in the environment by various bacteria,
algae, fungi and numerous species of plants including beans (coffee,
chickpeas and lima), fruits (seeds and pits of apple, cherry, pear,
apricot, peach and plum)...

http://www.cyanidecode.org/library/cn_facts_health.html 

Cyanide Sources: Members of the rose family, Rosaceae, often contain
compounds called cyanogenic glycosides. These compounds, when broken
down in
the body, liberate cyanide, one of the most toxic substances known to
man.
It's lethal dose is only 1 mg/kg body weight. Luckily for us, the
concentration in these plants is usually far below the toxic dose, and
the
breakdown of the cyanogenic glycosides is often not complete. However,
several species in common cultivation do have high concentrations of
the
glycosides in their seeds, and eating these seeds can (and has been)
fatal.
These toxic seeds include apple seeds, cultivated cherries, peach and
apricot pits, almonds, and pears, which are all members of the rose
family.

http://131.104.232.9/agnet/2001/9-2001/agnet_september_5.htm

Cyanogenic Glycoside Plants

- Wilted and bitter cherry, apple seeds, apricot/peach pits, cassava,
hydrangea
- Contain amygdalin which is metabolized to cyanide by the enzyme
emulsin (in the pit and in GI bacteria)
- Symptoms: HA, dizziness, confusion, seizure, coma, CV collapse 

http://www.toddthomsen.com/powerpoints/Pedi_Poisoning_files/frame.htm#slide0020.htm