I wanted to vent. I was crushing my grain for my next batch in my kitchen, and I think there was a stone in the malt. The mill stuck, wrenched out of my hands and sprayed malt and flour all over my kitchen. I had to pour the grain from the hopper and feed it back through. I didn't find any debris, and it happened again. Very strange, but it doesn't appear to have dinged my rollers. I still didn't find anything.
Grain Mill Trashed My Kitchen
- Thread starter Tech211
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What type of mill was this with? Sorry for your accident!
nitrousjunkie
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pix or it didnt happen.....
bruin_ale
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Screw pics, I'm going to need to see video of this! 
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Something like this?
I think the work gods are pissed that Im brewing today. Milling grains as usual with my Barley Crusher with one hand on the drill, the other pouring grain into the hopper (I have the small one.) Something in the grain got caught and jammed the mill. It lifts out of the bucket and spins, catapulting grain across the room. This wasnt a simple spill. Four pounds of grain bounced off the wall and scattered everywhere. Not a good start to this brewday!
The good new is that my dog loves Maris Otter so clean up was easy.
SnickASaurusRex
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If your drill has a clutch, find the sweet spot that will mill but then slip at the slightest resistance.
If your drill does not have a clutch, then make a paper collar to slip between the turn rod and the bit grip. Hand tighten the grip so that it will mill, but slips on the paper if there is more resistance.
I know it is a little late now, but for future reference it is a great trick to keep in mind.
If your drill does not have a clutch, then make a paper collar to slip between the turn rod and the bit grip. Hand tighten the grip so that it will mill, but slips on the paper if there is more resistance.
I know it is a little late now, but for future reference it is a great trick to keep in mind.
nebben
Well-Known Member
That sucks man, I feel for ya.
My mother in law was in my kitchen this morning, and after I had already crushed 1/2lb grain on the chopping block with a rolling pin (coffee grinder was nowhere to be found) and had 1/2 more to, she insisted I put wax paper on the surface to keep from making a mess.
On the last pass, 1/4lb crushed grain flew out onto the floor because of the lack of traction on the very-smooth wax paper. I suck, but it wasn't my idea.
My mother in law was in my kitchen this morning, and after I had already crushed 1/2lb grain on the chopping block with a rolling pin (coffee grinder was nowhere to be found) and had 1/2 more to, she insisted I put wax paper on the surface to keep from making a mess.
On the last pass, 1/4lb crushed grain flew out onto the floor because of the lack of traction on the very-smooth wax paper. I suck, but it wasn't my idea.
That's why I always thought the compact base of the BC is a little lame. The base should be larger so that the drill is braced. Sirsloop dumped 8 lbs of wheat onto my garage floor due to the instability of the BC base using a strong drill.
That is exactly what happened.
SnickASaurusRex, thanks for the advice. I don't have a clutch so I'll try the paper.
Bobby_M, I ussually don't have a huge problem with the base. I just lean on it with one arm while I operate the drill with the other. Obviously, I didn't do that this time.
HomebrewJeff
Well-Known Member
Here's my $.03, I've had this happen as well, and well... it's annoying to say the least:
The container (Animal crackers from Sams Club) holds just under 11lbs of grain. I just tip it upside down and grind away. It lets me keep one hand on the drill and one on the base of the mill.
- Build a hopper big enough to hold all of the grain.
- Mount the mill on a table.
- Add the grain a little at a time
or my current method...
- Use a container to feed the grain for you:
The container (Animal crackers from Sams Club) holds just under 11lbs of grain. I just tip it upside down and grind away. It lets me keep one hand on the drill and one on the base of the mill.
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That's what I do now. No more pouring in grain while the drill is going.
One other trick I learned is to line up the rounded side of the BC base with the bucket handle and swing the handle up to the hopper. I put a big rubber band around the bottom of the hopper to hold the handle up. What this does is lock the base down to the bucket so that the weight of the drill won't cause the BC to fall off the bucket.
My main reason for having an extended base is so that I can run the mill without babysitting it. One quick clamp holds the drill to the base and the other holds the trigger down.
