Looking for a grain mill - advice please

[Henders]

Ah @Dutto yours is the same as mine. Not done any 'end bearing' changes yet... what's that all about?

My method of catching the milled grain is a well cleaned, hardly used honest, cat litter tray .

@strange-steve seems ok so far, but as I say, only used once so far. Might be twice by the end of the weekend! Husky shredding not even sure i'd know what to look for yet!

 

[Bigcol49]

Husky shredding not even sure i'd know what to look for yet!

Hi!
If your grind is too "tight" the outer husk of the grain is shredded, meaning the mash can have a poor filter bed, allowing material through into the wort.

 

[Cwrw666]

If your grind is too "tight" the outer husk of the grain is shredded, meaning the mash can have a poor filter bed, allowing material through into the wort.

Only a problem with a mash tun I believe. I grind mine with a lot of flour in it and get great efficiency but there again I'm doing BIAB.

 

[mathorp]

Bearing in mind that you don't want to break the bank I hesitate to make this suggestion, but the website may interest you.... https://www.crankandstein.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=7

Seven years ago I bought a 320D Crankenstein mill. It cost U$240 plus shipping (U$45.50 at the time, from USA to Australia). Today it is $250.
It is a 3 roller mill, very adjustable and robust with good bearings, which it should be since it is for "commercial" customers. (The 3 roller design is touted as being kinder to the husks, so good for the sparge).
They also have "homebrewing" mills (e.g. the 3D: https://www.crankandstein.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=13 ) that are a bit cheaper. The difference is probably in the bearings - a closer study of their website may explain this better.

The 320D arrived as it is shown in the website picture, so I built a hopper for it with plywood that fits around the mill and has a round base to fit on a 5 gallon bucket. The website now shows hoppers, but less handsome than mine! I also ordered the hand crank ($25) but found that too laborious and soon started using a low speed high torque drill.

At the time I thought the Crankenstein 320D was an extravagance but have never regretted it. I am getting grain crushed exactly how I want it and can easily do it at the beginning of my brew day.

 

[Bigcol49]

Only a problem with a mash tun I believe. I grind mine with a lot of flour in it and get great efficiency but there again I'm doing BIAB.

Hi!
I condition the grain before milling - I get a finer grind but it doesn't shred the husks.

 

[Dutto]

......... Not done any 'end bearing' changes yet... what's that all about?

..........

I removed the spring in the end bearing and used a large bit to drill out a "cup" in the centre of the shaft.

The "cup" fitted the ball-bearing and made for a smoother operation.

Removing the spring stopped the milling surfaces from opening against the spring so that milling took place at whatever distance I set between the two milling faces. From memory, this was about 1.5mm. I set mine up with a Feeler Gauge, but the same distance can be obtained by using a Credit Card and a bit of the old "Trial and Error".

 

[mathorp]

Hi!
I condition the grain before milling - I get a finer grind but it doesn't shred the husks.

How do you condition grain?

 

[Dutto]

One way is to spread it out on a baking tray and then spray it with water from a spray bottle so that the husks are evenly damped.

A second method is to leave it in the bowl you weigh it in. Spray it with a little water, give it a good stir and repeat until the grain is evenly damped but NOT wet. The grain will then just have enough dampness to let the husks become flexible.

Conditioning (i.e. damping) the grain stops the husks from cracking, falling away from the kernel and leaving un-milled grain. The grain can be milled finer to increases the efficiency of the Mash process without milling the grain down to a "flour" condition and suffering a stuck sparge.

I condition my grain until if feels right; but here's a more scientific explanation of what to do ...

https://www.brewersfriend.com/2010/01/16/malt-conditioning/

After conditioning, I leave the grain for about an hour before milling it. This is usually sufficient time to get the mill ready to go after weighing out the grain.

 

[Bigcol49]

How do you condition grain?

Hi!
Put water into a spray bottle - 2% of the weight of the grain - weigh the water rather than measure it. I put the spay bottle on the scales, zero the scales and slowly pour water into the bottle until the desired weight is achieved.
Spray the grain as you mix it with your hands, spraying a little water at a time.
Once all the water has been used up, leave the grain for half an hour before milling.

 

[xozzx]

Thanks for the explanation guys, Im going to give conditioning a try next brew.

What size gap are you using after conditioning? I was thinking of trying 0.9mm, does this sound about right?

 

[Bigcol49]

I was thinking of trying 0.9mm, does this sound about right?

Hi!
Yes, that sounds about right.

 

[mathorp]

Thanks Dutto and Bigcol49 for the conditioning info. Don't you ever sleep?!

I don't usually miss an opportunity to make life more complicated but this one escaped me. I will try it out.

 

[stevey]

@stevey I had a look at that, works out about the same price after delivery as the Bulldog that bigcol linked to (I'm in NI) and haven't there been some issues with keg kingdom recently?[/QUOTE]

Now that you mention it, I do remember there were some issues that were spoken about on this forum. I'm not sure if these have been resolved or not, although I'm pretty sure I have bought stuff from them without issue since.
I usually shop around with different suppliers and take my chances, I've not had any problems, apart from ebay sellers which say they are based in UK, then you have to wait for ages for it to arrive from Hong Kong.

 

[Dutto]

............ Don't you ever sleep?!

.........

Both of us are old enough to realise that "bed" is a dangerous place to be and should be avoided.

Do you realise that:

• Over 90% of all people die in their own beds?
• Getting caught in someone else's bed can be even more dangerous?

I rest our case!