Barley Mill roller material?

**Huaco** · 02-07-2012, 07:49 PM

I have located in the scrap bin, (2) aprox. 16" long 1" or 1 1/2" diameter aluminum round bar that has already been knurled. If I plan to cut it down to (3) shorter pieces (to keep the span down) do you think aluminum would work? I want to make an adjustable (3) roller mill.

**Lucky_Chicken** · 02-07-2012, 08:38 PM

Yes you can buy roller mills with aluminum rollers. The knurl will wear off over time but probably last a homebrewer a lifetime!

**Huaco** · 02-07-2012, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky_Chicken

Yes you can buy roller mills with aluminum rollers. The knurl will wear off over time but probably last a homebrewer a lifetime!

SCORE!!!!! I know what I will be digging out of the scrap bin!

**AnOldUR** · 02-07-2012, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky_Chicken

Yes you can buy roller mills with aluminum rollers.

Link please.

yeah, i'm calling BS, but link and prove me wrong.

day_trippr · 02-07-2012, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky_Chicken

Yes you can buy roller mills with aluminum rollers. The knurl will wear off over time but probably last a homebrewer a lifetime!

Considering how many people have allegedly had their steel Barley Crusher rollers lose their "bite" after milling merely hundreds of pounds of grain, it would have to be a really, really short life time...

Cheers!

**Lucky_Chicken** · 02-07-2012, 10:41 PM

http://www.amazon.com/Marcato-8308-Atlas-Grain-Mill/dp/B000UV492E

**AnOldUR** · 02-07-2012, 10:51 PM

From the first page of your link:

Quote:

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

Aluminum Rollers? Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!,
October 16, 2009
By Whole Foods Junkie (Arlington, VA USA)

The current version of this mill has aluminum rollers. Prior versions of this mill from the same manufacturer had steel rollers. Putting aluminum rollers on a grain mill is dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb!

As someone who cares enough about whole foods to buy and regularly use a grain mill, I want something that will stand up over time and something that won't add undesirable byproducts to my food. With aluminum rollers, this mill won't meet either of these criteria. Aluminum is a soft metal. Grain kernels are hard -- including oats. Aluminum rollers will take a beating over time. More importantly, I don't want microscopic bits of aluminum in my food.

I think the change from steel to aluminum was made fairly recently. Prior reviewers may well have mills with steel rollers. It's hard to imagine why the manufacturer decided that such a change was a good idea, particularly when most likely purchasers of the product are extremely health-conscious. I don't like to write 1-star reviews, but in its current design, this mill is just not suitable for use.

I've sent it back, very disappointed. I'm going to try the Schnitzer Campo mill (not yet available on Amazon) and see if that works out better.

**Yuri_Rage** · 02-07-2012, 11:00 PM

Sure, aluminum won't last as long, but it's free, and it WILL work. Go for it.

**AnOldUR** · 02-07-2012, 11:11 PM

So you're ok with advising this guy to take the time and expense to design an entire mill around what might be a 1" diameter piece of an unknown grade of aluminum with an unknown knurl pitch without asking questions first?

Sure, go for it.

phoenixs4r · 02-07-2012, 11:31 PM

You guys are way to fanatical sometimes. It won't last, it would be a fun project, and when the rollers wear, see if someone like crankenstein will let you purchase some steel ones.