I hear you about the forum thing...Luckily SWMBO loves the end product so I'm safe for now - at least while I'm learning.
Exactly where does one find a machine shop to do work like this? Yellow pages under "machine shop"?
What improvements you having done - knurling? What do they charge?
Thanks.
Yellow pages is a good idea. I have an auto parts/machine shop around the corner from me. They machine engine parts. Not a typical auto parts shop. I went in with the two rollers and explained I'd like to put down no more than 10-20 dollars and if he'd have a go at the lathe and see if he could knurl or otherwise groove the surfaces I'd be grateful. I suggested horizontal grooves might work best. After explaining what they were for he was glad to accept the challenge. Might be tough because the roller material appears to be steel, yet is a hollow tube, which may preclude the use of the lathe (not strong enough). I'll find out what he does in a day or two.
My first four batches with the rollers went like this. First I hand cranked with Duct Tape wound around each roller for traction. Worked well, but only with rollers more widely spaced than I'd like. I actually hit target gravity but only because I got lucky with evaporation, etc. Second batch I used Duct Tape again, but with a narrower gap for a finer grind. The tape ended up wearing away and partially shredding into my grist. The third attempt I used a file to make little x marks in the rollers for traction. It wasn't enough, so I added a little maple syrup to the rollers for traction. Worked great for one minute of grinding, then the grain flour dried it out and I kept having to add more. Fourth batch I epoxied very hard floor refinishing sandpaper to one of the two rollers. Worked fantastic. By this point I successfully motorized the setup. It blazed through the grind. But again, bits of the sandpaper wore off into the grain bucket. But persistence will pay off, assuming I survive drinking beer brewed with minute amounts of duct tape, epoxy, and sandpaper.
Well, the good news there is that most of our friction material isn't soluable so it won't be in your brew.
How did you motorize? I need to do that (and a better knurling job) to mine.
__________________ In Primary: Empty In Primary 2: Long Day Ale In Primary 3; Empty Small Primary: Empty In Secondary: SMaSh Ale (dry hopping) In Keg: Apefelwein Keg 2: English pale ale Keg3:Cola Soda Keg4; Snowy Mountain APA In Bottles: Some Bud for my clueless friends. Next up: Brown Puppy Ale (Old Brown Dog clone) My Blog: http://kking.wordpress.com/
Well, the good news there is that most of our friction material isn't soluable so it won't be in your brew.
How did you motorize? I need to do that (and a better knurling job) to mine.
Hard to describe without a picture. I'll try to get pictures somehow. After a couple failed attempts I concluded the best driver to shove in the crank shaft was the end of the very crank that came with the unit, so I hacksawed the last 2 inches or so, connected that to a MIP brass threaded end cap through which I drilled a hole. I drilled two cotter-pin style holes perpendicular to this fitting to hold it and crimped two finish nails in them as holding pins. I screwed the threaded brass cap into a FIP coupler that had a 1/2" female adapter on the other end. I screwed that end into a motor shaft attachment I found at ACE hardware for $5-$7 that is for 1/2" motor shafts. I had an old motor with a 1/2" shaft lying around. I also have it connected to an autotransformer so I can vary the speed. Again, sorry, a picture would greatly help this attempt at an explanation. Stay tuned.
Hard to describe without a picture. I'll try to get pictures somehow. After a couple failed attempts I concluded the best driver to shove in the crank shaft was the end of the very crank that came with the unit, so I hacksawed the last 2 inches or so, connected that to a MIP brass threaded end cap through which I drilled a hole. I drilled two cotter-pin style holes perpendicular to this fitting to hold it and crimped two finish nails in them as holding pins. I screwed the threaded brass cap into a FIP coupler that had a 1/2" female adapter on the other end. I screwed that end into a motor shaft attachment I found at ACE hardware for $5-$7 that is for 1/2" motor shafts. I had an old motor with a 1/2" shaft lying around. I also have it connected to an autotransformer so I can vary the speed. Again, sorry, a picture would greatly help this attempt at an explanation. Stay tuned.
Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YooperBrew
I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac!
__________________ In Primary: Empty In Primary 2: Long Day Ale In Primary 3; Empty Small Primary: Empty In Secondary: SMaSh Ale (dry hopping) In Keg: Apefelwein Keg 2: English pale ale Keg3:Cola Soda Keg4; Snowy Mountain APA In Bottles: Some Bud for my clueless friends. Next up: Brown Puppy Ale (Old Brown Dog clone) My Blog: http://kking.wordpress.com/
I know I'm still trying to dial in my corona mill, BUT I'm getting more and more excited about making one of these..That's why I want you all to get your act together , and come up with the definitive version...
Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YooperBrew
I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac!
I used a blender before. I was only steeping grains though. I blended a few handfuls at a time until the hulls look split or cracked. It didn't take long to do.
I found that kitchenaide makes grain mill for their mixers....
__________________
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I used a blender before. I was only steeping grains though. I blended a few handfuls at a time until the hulls look split or cracked. It didn't take long to do.
THere was an ongoing discussion via listener mail about people using the kitchenade grain attachment...a lot of people who never have actually used it opined that it wouldn't work (like people dis coronas) but then a bunch of people then wrote in and said they did use it...
Same thing on here, a couple people asked about them and got shot down by the "know it all's" who really never used it...
It would be nice if a member who has used either, did a write up with pictures, especially with the kitchenade one...I'd love to see a definitive answer to put the debate to rest.
Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YooperBrew
I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac!
Put a debate to rest???? On an internet forum? You know better than that... look how many times you see the question, "Is my beer ruined??"
__________________ In Primary: Empty In Primary 2: Long Day Ale In Primary 3; Empty Small Primary: Empty In Secondary: SMaSh Ale (dry hopping) In Keg: Apefelwein Keg 2: English pale ale Keg3:Cola Soda Keg4; Snowy Mountain APA In Bottles: Some Bud for my clueless friends. Next up: Brown Puppy Ale (Old Brown Dog clone) My Blog: http://kking.wordpress.com/
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