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jasonsbeer

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I'm thinking about buying a grain mill, although I haven't decided yet. I was looking at e-bay and there are a number of Corona-style mills posted there, most seem reasonably priced. I was wondering if anybody has any comments on the ads below, specifically. I would also be interested in hearing about any alternative devices or suppliers.

Cereal & Multi Grain Mill new kitchen ware - eBay (item 260473466852 end time Sep-16-09 18:15:12 PDT)

XXL Grain/Corn/Cereal Mill/Grinder/Flour/Wheat/Nut - eBay (item 400072380135 end time Sep-16-09 18:00:00 PDT)

Cast Iron Corn, Grain Nut Grinder Coffee Mill Kitchen - eBay (item 230376632525 end time Sep-14-09 03:44:14 PDT)
 
While some on these forums use Corona style mills with great success, they're usually not recommended. They tend to shred the husks if not adjusted correctly and that leads to tannin extraction. You want to crush the grains and leave the husks intact. Personally, I use a Barley Mill but any of the reputable mills for homebrewing will last you a lifetime if used correctly.
 
I also spotted this guy on e-bay. It claims to be a crusher or grinder. Maybe if it could be used in "crushing" mode, it would work OK? Anybody have any experience or knowledge of this beast?

Norpro/Shule Grain Grinder Crusher Mill NEW - eBay (item 370238889663 end time Sep-30-09 17:13:09 PDT)

Discounttommy has them listed on ebay again for about $30 shipped.

NEW Premium Cast Iron Corn Grinder Wheat Grain Nut Mill - eBay (item 220474916241 end time Oct-02-09 01:24:09 PDT)
 
I also spotted this guy on e-bay. It claims to be a crusher or grinder. Maybe if it could be used in "crushing" mode, it would work OK? Anybody have any experience or knowledge of this beast?

Norpro/Shule Grain Grinder Crusher Mill NEW - eBay (item 370238889663 end time Sep-30-09 17:13:09 PDT)


This one looks a little better, but I'd be concerned about the three 'detente' positions they offer. When using a malt mill, we adjust the roller distance fairly precisely. They don't say what the spacing is for the various positions. Still, since it appears to be a roller mill I'd suggest you'd be better of with that rather than a Carona. You might be able to rig it so that you can control the gap better.
 
I would certainly recommend a corona mill over the Norpro/Shule (pasta roller) style mill thing.

But if you want a "reputable" mill, then I guess...the monster 3 roller stainless would work?? But I doubt it will leave the husks intact.
 
the monster 3 roller stainless would work?? But I doubt it will leave the husks intact.

Sure it will. That's the whole point of a roller mill. It crushes the endosperm which crumbles and separates from the husk. Yeah, there's a tear to let the insides out, but for the most part the husk is intact.
 
+1 to above.

I like my cranky. I built an aluminum and oak hand crank to power it instead of my cordless. Mine is the 2A model with my own 3/8" top and bottom aluminum plates installed, along with my own hopper.

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I've got the Victoria mill from Discount Tommy (corona knock-off, $32 shipped). I had to fiddle with it to get it right (filed down seating surface of rotating disk, traded cotter pin for bolt, added drive bolt for electric drill, etc.). I did a pretty fine grind and my efficiency went up 19%! I'm happy...
 
My neighbor has a Corona mill and was pretty happy with it. . .


Until he used my Barley Crusher for 20lbs of grain. Longest part of that process was filling the hopper.

Every time I go cheap I wind up eventually buying the real thing and all that does is make the total cost higher. Some people like doing the pasta maker conversion detailed elsewhere on HBT and I spent a lot of time doing one and was never happy with the crush.

If money was an issue I would save up and wait for a BC, Monster mill or one of the other specific grain mills.
 
The first item in the OP is basically what I got- a Corona / Victoria / Grizzly corn mill. I got it for $24 shipped from Discount Tommy.....his prices are all over the place, and sometimes in one week.

I'm not going to get into arguments on these threads about whether or not a $24 Corona Mill can do the same job as a $150-200 Barley Crusher / Monster Mill / Crankenstein / whatever roller mill.

I DO know that I, and apparently many others contributing to these forums, get perfectly acceptable crushes, no stuck sparges, and good efficiency. My setup sparges like a storm drain, and I get 70-80% efficiency.....and great beer. These are facts. I DO NOT get "shredded husks," or "too much tannin extracted." Make of it what you will.

Since I'm getting such good results, why would I spend $150 for a grain mill when I only brew maybe 25 x 5 gallon batches a year, max? Just like everything else in homebrewing, there are lots of guys who like to push their equipment to the max, and good for them. I don't. I've seen pictures of grain mill setups in people's garages that are bleedin' INDUSTRIAL. I don't get it. I'm strictly a K.I.S.S. brewer- I ferment in a plastic bucket, secondary (or not) in a carboy, and put the brew up in 12 oz bottles. My mill is mounted in a 5- gal bucket (see "Ugly Junk" thread in DIY forum), and comes out to mill, 15 minutes later it gets put away. Res ipse loquitur.
 
I was looking at the Crankestein mills and there are a lot of options. I was wondering if the 2S ($76) is acceptable. Also wondering if there is a write-up on getting it functional or if their included ones "to add a base, hopper and drive source" are good. How much do you think the extra cost would be to add base, hopper and drive source?
 
I had the 3/8" AL plate (pretty cheap at a scrap yard), the 3/4" plywood for the stand, and spent $20 for plexiglass, rivets, and AL angle for my 9 lb hopper. I didn't price Crankandstein's hopper because I had in mind what I wanted to build.

I chose the 2A for the easy, infinite gap settings. Loosen two hex set screws, move the handle up or down, check with gauges, then tighten set screws. Done!
 
I had the 3/8" AL plate (pretty cheap at a scrap yard), the 3/4" plywood for the stand, and spent $20 for plexiglass, rivets, and AL angle for my 9 lb hopper. I didn't price Crankandstein's hopper because I had in mind what I wanted to build.

I chose the 2D for the easy, infinite gap settings. Loosen two hex set screws, move the handle up or down, check with gauges, then tighten set screws. Done!

That's the secret for keeping the end plates of Crank and Monster mills held with tight end clearances with no flexing causing uneccessary bushing, shaft stub and frame misalignment wear.
 
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