How to fix the bodum / starbucks french coffee press stripped plastic shoulder nut.
If you’re here, it’s probably because your Bodum french press is jacked up.
You see that little plastic “nut” (actually it’s called a shoulder nut) at the bottom of the plunger? When you pressed the coffee down in the press, you’ve stripped the nut’s threads and now it is impossible to make coffee.
Relax – it’s a design problem, not yours.
You’ve got two options.
First, if you bought the press at Starbucks, and if you still have the receipt, you can take the press back. S-bucks offers a lifetime warranty on this product. While this will get you by in the meantime, it’s not going to fix the problem – 6 months later you will most likely end up with another stripped plastic nut.
The best thing you can do is contact Bodum to let them know that your shoulder nut is stripped, and to request that they send you a metal one to replace it. They will ship you one out free of charge. There’s a form on the contact portion of the Bodum website that will help you out in this endeavor.
Of course you might be asking yourself why they used a plastic nut in the first place, instead of a stainless or bronze nut which would be harder to strip? I asked Bodum this same question:
Thank you for sending me a new metal shoulder nut. I look forward to receiving it. It seems like this is a common problem, which makes me wonder – why does Bodum still uses the plastic shoulder nut on the presses sold in Starbucks stores? Perhaps these are just old inventory items, and newer presses come standard with the metal shoulder nut?
To which Bodum replied:
That is exactly right.
Update: 2020-06-12
A gentleman named John Conley emailed with some specifics on how to perform a DIY fix:
Ttere is a much easier way to repair the Bodum press nut. You go to the nearest Ace Hardware (that has a good hardware section). You go to the stainless steel section, and grab a 5/16″ T-nut. Not the one with the spikes, but the one with the flat flange and 2 holes. Then, you go the Metric section, get a M5 nut and washer. Take these home. Soak the parts in alcohol for about an hour (just to be safe; you want to be sure to get all the machine oil used to cut the parts off), then soak them in dishsoap-and-water for about an hour. Clean them inside and out with a Q-tip. Screw the damaged plastic piece off of the shaft of the press, screw on the M5 nut, drop the washer on, and then the 5/16″ T-nut. Tighten back up and you’re ready to go. Total cost? $3.00. Better than being without your press for a few days, as one coffee from a shop will cost you more than that.
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