Using a pasta maker to mill grain.

If this works it'll show you what I got for a crush with this machine

Hot damn.... I can post pictures....oh, you guys are gonna wish THAT never happened!

Gonefishing said:

Hot damn.... I can post pictures....oh, you guys are gonna wish THAT never happened!

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Oh god we've created a monster.....


Nice crush!!!

YAY!!!!

Tell ya what though... this baby is getting a motor! That's one of the things I've learned so far... the second is that if anyone does get the rollers actually knurled they are likely to be real happy with their cheap little crusher! Mine doesn't have enough "tooth" to feed the grain evenly.

If anyone is friendly with their local gunsmith, they should be able to knurl those rollers for you in 2 shakes.

Pumpkinman906 said:

If anyone is friendly with their local gunsmith, they should be able to knurl those rollers for you in 2 shakes.

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WOW, never thought of that....great idea...

I got a pasta roller off of ebay for 15$ that im going to give a go on.

ok this thread pushes me over the limit and I'm transforming from lurker to member because of it. I told myself not to join another forum because they can cause me to spend too much time at the computer.

I've done four batches with my Atlas pasta roller and it works great. It's already motorized and zips through 12 pounds in just a couple minutes. I will forward details and pictures later. Some type of extra grip is necessary to get the grind fine enough. As it turns out I dropped the rollers off at a machine shop yesterday to improve them. It's like I'm living a parallel life to this thread, which I have just started reading the last couple days. Anyway, the last batch was 12 pounds of grain and gave me 1.070 for 5 gallons of an IPA. I didn't calculate exact efficiency yet but it's good.

Gotta go for now.

Keith

MOSFET said:

ok this thread pushes me over the limit and I'm transforming from lurker to member because of it. I told myself not to join another forum because they can cause me to spend too much time at the computer.

I've done four batches with my Atlas pasta roller and it works great. It's already motorized and zips through 12 pounds in just a couple minutes. I will forward details and pictures later. Some type of extra grip is necessary to get the grind fine enough. As it turns out I dropped the rollers off at a machine shop yesterday to improve them. It's like I'm living a parallel life to this thread, which I have just started reading the last couple days. Anyway, the last batch was 12 pounds of grain and gave me 1.070 for 5 gallons of an IPA. I didn't calculate exact efficiency yet but it's good.

Gotta go for now.

Keith

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Well personally, I think this is the best first post I've ever seen...Welcome.

And we wanna see pics of yours!!!

Welcome.

MOSFET said:

ok this thread pushes me over the limit and I'm transforming from lurker to member because of it. I told myself not to join another forum because they can cause me to spend too much time at the computer.

I've done four batches with my Atlas pasta roller and it works great. It's already motorized and zips through 12 pounds in just a couple minutes. I will forward details and pictures later. Some type of extra grip is necessary to get the grind fine enough. As it turns out I dropped the rollers off at a machine shop yesterday to improve them. It's like I'm living a parallel life to this thread, which I have just started reading the last couple days. Anyway, the last batch was 12 pounds of grain and gave me 1.070 for 5 gallons of an IPA. I didn't calculate exact efficiency yet but it's good.

Gotta go for now.

Keith

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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.

ballegre said:

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.

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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.

Gonefishing said:

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.

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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.

MOSFET said:

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.

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Picturespicturespicturespictures!!! PLEEZE?

yeah, what Revvy said

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...

I've become occupied with plumbing my stand for propane so I have a reason to use a grain mill, so I'm just letting you guys do all the legwork now.

Have you guys ever tried using this or this?




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....

Schlenkerla said:

Have you guys ever tried using this or this?

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.

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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.

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??"

Gonefishing said:

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??"

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you wouldn't believe how close I was to having to post a thread like that on my experimental belgian strong ale with lugubrious (or whatever they call it) honey malt....

I have never used the kitchenaid grain mill, but I do have a kitchenaid pasta roller. Looks like I will have to give it a spin this weekend and see what happens. I will post some results. I'll just have to rig up some kind of hopper.

You're likely to find the rollers in it won't pick up the grain because they're too smooth

Although if you wanted to blow a $150 kitchenaid attachment and watch someone lose a gasket...you could get it knurled!

TerapinChef said:

Although if you wanted to blow a $150 kitchenaid attachment and watch someone lose a gasket...you could get it knurled!

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OH god....That is something that I don't think I could bear to see...domestic violence is so painful to watch...especially when the wife is kicking the hubby's a$$...




Oh wait it's only 50 bucks....but still burning out the motor trying to crush 15 pounds of grain...may not be too cool

These are all valid points. I may re-consider using the wedding present to crush barley. SWMBO is over my shoulder shaking her head in angst...

McSwiggin' said:

These are all valid points. I may re-consider using the wedding present to crush barley. SWMBO is over my shoulder shaking her head in angst...

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As long as she's not holding a frying pan, you're ok

OK I have a picture, but someone please advise how to share it. I'm new at this site. Do I have to pony up $25 or can I upload a picture some other way? Thanks.

Keith

MOSFET said:

OK I have a picture, but someone please advise how to share it. I'm new at this site. Do I have to pony up $25 or can I upload a picture some other way? Thanks.

Keith

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Do a free photobucket or other web hosting site...up load to there and then you can get the html code to post them here...

Of course if you did pony up the cash you could find a wealth of stuff for members....

Try this picture. Shows the motor and stuff I described above. Note the pasta roller in pieces because the rollers are still at the machine shop. And duct tape in the background. Mmmm.... tasty. When it's back together I'd be happy to videotape a grind.

MOSFET said:

Try this picture. Shows the motor and stuff I described above. Note the pasta roller in pieces because the rollers are still at the machine shop. And duct tape in the background. Mmmm.... tasty. When it's back together I'd be happy to videotape a grind.

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It didn't come through..you need to have a .jpeg to get the pic to come through

I looked at the picture it looks like it would take your arm off J/K it's a pretty crazy contraption.

Seems to work for me in Chrome but not IE. If this doesn't work, link to here:

Picasa Web Albums - M. - Keith

Oh. I see.
It was a two part fail.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_yggKfA4RjIk/SW1QBCr2aNI/AAAAAAAAACE/vK0Wm6ZFqwY/s912/100_5127.JPG

So I got the rollers back from the machine shop. Ignore the x marks; that's my first attempt to create friction using a file. The machinist grooved out some lines using a milling machine. I gave a quick test and it works. Not as fast as the bonded sandpaper approach, but I don't have to worry about foreign material. I'll do a full blown grind this weekend.

That looks good... I think 2x as many grooves in the rollers would work better though.
I like that motor!

Gonefishing said:

That looks good... I think 2x as many grooves in the rollers would work better though.
I like that motor!

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That's exactly what I thought when I saw it. I didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. He only charged me 20 bucks. But I have access to a milling machine and may add more grooves if it's too slow.

I get a URL not found error...??

Yeah me too.

I got mine back from machine shop quite a while ago, he wasn't able to knurl them, but threaded them one way then cross threaded which gave the same output. Problem now, I can't remember how I got the damn thing taken apart so I can put it back together.