just got my barley crusher, couple questions

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krausenmustache

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1.) it came with a rubber gasket wrapped around one of the rollers, I assume this is to show the factory setting. An I supposed to remove this?

2.) how do i adjust the gap? I see that there is a knob on each of the rollers, do I turn both of them equally, in opposite directions?
 
You can remove that rubber gasket if you want. If you don't it will help drive the roller that is free but it will wear out and break. If it breaks during a crush you'll probably want to dig it out of your grist. I'd just avoid that future headache. I adjusted mine by moving those knobs so that the lines on them still match up. I moved mine in a bit. After an adjustment grind a small amount of grain to make sure it is all being crushed evenly and that your husks are not being shredded. Congratulations on your new toy! ;)
 
1. the gasket is to keep the non-drive side roller moving with the drive side roller. It will eventually fall off after use, no big deal.

2. You first must loosen the screws on the outside of the casing (on the non-drive side only) then turn the nobs. You will want to get a set of feeler gauges from the auto parts store to measure your gap and make sure it is even on both sides.

did your BC not come with instructions?
 
1. the gasket is to keep the non-drive side roller moving with the drive side roller. It will eventually fall off after use, no big deal.

2. You first must loosen the screws on the outside of the casing (on the non-drive side only) then turn the nobs. You will want to get a set of feeler gauges from the auto parts store to measure your gap and make sure it is even on both sides.

did your BC not come with instructions?

instructions, lol :D
 
Hope this works. Got it from the mfr. If it doesnt, let me know. I have it saved as a bitmap or a .pdf. Don't know how to post either here.

gview


RDWHAHB!

Dave
 
btw, I had a hard timing finding feeler guages in the .035 - .040 range.

I finally figured out (or settled) on as set that only went to about .030. I have to add .020 and .015 to get .035. I hope that made sense and keeps you from searching several auto parts stores like I did...
 
btw, I had a hard timing finding feeler guages in the .035 - .040 range.

I finally figured out (or settled) on as set that only went to about .030. I have to add .020 and .015 to get .035. I hope that made sense and keeps you from searching several auto parts stores like I did...

Thats exactly how they are supposed to work, you add them together to get the size you need.....:drunk:
 
I just picked up a Barley Crusher yesterday. Getting ready to do my first AG this weekend.So is .035 -.040 the setting most people use?
 
IMO, it's better to simply eyeball the grist and make adjustments on the basis of your observations if needed. One of the reasons I say this is because there are some variables that can affect the crush other than the mill gap such as the speed that the mill turns and the type of grain being milled. You are definitely in the ball park with the 35-40 gap, but only you can fine tune it from there to suit your needs more precisely.
 
I just picked up a Barley Crusher yesterday. Getting ready to do my first AG this weekend.So is .035 -.040 the setting most people use?

The default setting (.039) gets most brewers into the 77-85% efficiency range. I tried adjusting mine a couple times, and after a stuck sparge, realized that it wasn't worth it for and extra couple of points.
 
Adding the blades together is how they are meant to be used.

You shouldn't need to adjust a BC. I had a mishap with mine and got it all out of whack. I tried to eyeball it before a brew. Tore my husk to shreds and by beer is all husky now and tannin-rific.

I brought home the feelers from the garage and realized I had it near .025. Oh oops.
I set mine to .036 for the next brew and will see where that takes me. I have a feeling I will put it back just the way it came, but I gotta see.
 
I thought mine might have been adjusted wrong from the factory but after checking it, I can get the .039 through it but it is quite snug. .035 slides in a little easier.

I left it alone after checking it. They seem pretty good from the factory.
 
FYI guys...

After my first batch I encountered multiple stuck sparges. I had verified the std .039 factory setting and since this was the same as my LHBS which I previously used, was puzzled why the grind seemed finer (wasn't obvious looking at it).

I talked to the folks who make this product and they told me it's designed to be used at 300rpm or less otherwise it shreds the grain instead of crushing it. I had used my 3/8 drill and when I checked it was rated at 700rpm.

I made a separate drive system at work, calibrated it for 300rpm and guess what... works great with no stuck sparges.

Anyway... be aware of the higher speeds. You will get higher efficiency at the risk of stuck sparges and less consistency of grind.
 

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