Barley Crusher mill is dead - going back to LWBS mill

I got a Barley Crusher Mill (15# hopper) for Christmas 2014 (two years ago). It has been getting worse and worse where the free roller stops and the driven roller spins but the grain won't crush.

I've read all the threads that this is super common at 2-2.5 years with lots of use. (I brew monthly with 40# grain bills.)

Yes, I have cleaned it... and adjusted it... But like most folks they finally give up and buy a Monster Mill or something else.

I really can't justify spending $200+ dollars to upgrade...
So, I guess I'll just have the local homebrew store mill my grain for free.

Unless their mill has changed, I'd expect to lose a few efficiency points.
But at the price of grain the Barley Crusher didn't save me any money milling it myself.

I just have to plan to brew a little more in advance (to get the grain milled during store hours).

kinda disappointed.

I had a JSP that did this too. I tore it apart, polished the bushings for the free roller, polished the roller axle, and used some silicone grease for reassembly and it began working again like new.

This bums me out. I got a B.C. for Christmas this last year and it's been great (so far).

I've also been staring at Monster Mills (their cost is part of why I went to a B.C. in the first place). I know they have a lifetime warranty but I'd rather not need it. Here's hoping I get lucky for a while...

I definitely know my efficiency has gone up since not using the LHBS's mill.

That stinks, M1k3

Are you lubing it when you clean it? I had similar problems with mine frequently until I changed the lube I was using to gun oil. Have been going two more years now without disassembly and cleaning - it used to be once every 4 or 5 brews.


I know at some point the roller will wear down though / there's more or less an EOL on the barley crusher rollers. But maybe something to consider.

I've got a JSP that has milled a ton of grain. I got it used from my LHBS, which used it for all their customers and sold it to me when they upgraded. So, they take a beating. Hopper is crap though - I need to build another hopper for the thing.

HLSheppard said:

I know they have a lifetime warranty

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Hmmm, I wonder if the OP knows this. Seems he may have gotten his as a gift and could be unaware that for a bit of shipping cost he could have a new BC.

GilaMinumBeer said:

I had a JSP that did this too. I tore it apart, polished the bushings for the free roller, polished the roller axle, and used some silicone grease for reassembly and it began working again like new.

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If the bushings or shafts are rough that maybe a good way, but if you overdo it you'll create extra space where dust can build up. It really shouldn't be necessary, they're self-polishing isn't it?

Make sure the frame is aligned. A slight twist can lock it up too.

I think you can use a drop of mineral oil on the bushings.

I had my Monster Mill's free roller stick too after 2-3 months of non-use (yeah, it happens). With the motor unplugged, just a little nudge with the thumb from underneath and it spins freely again. I always check that before dumping grain in it!

Once you've had your own mill it's hard to go back to the crappy LHBS crush. And any small kernel grain like wheat or rye passes through mostly uncrushed on their wide gap. Milling twice won't ever correct that.

A smaller LHBS I visit uses a BC for their milling. It's been going for years. They drive it with a motor and sheaves.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Hmmm, I wonder if the OP knows this. Seems he may have gotten his as a gift and could be unaware that for a bit of shipping cost he could have a new BC.

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Don't count on it. Mine had the same issue after about 100 batches (roller would spin, but wouldn't grab the grain). I sent it back to the manufacturer and never heard anything from them. That was over a year ago.

IslandLizard said:

If the bushings or shafts are rough that maybe a good way, but if you overdo it you'll create extra space where dust can build up. It really shouldn't be necessary, they're self-polishing isn't it?

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The bushing are oil impregnated copper, and they should stay clean. I found that over time, and use, the surfaces of both became oxidized and lightly pitted. A light polish to smooth them out was all I needed with some extra insurance from the silicone grease.

kombat said:

Don't count on it. Mine had the same issue after about 100 batches (roller would spin, but wouldn't grab the grain). I sent it back to the manufacturer and never heard anything from them. That was over a year ago.

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Might wanna give them a call. They could have fixed it by now.

Has the knurl worn down? That could be an issue. But 40# x 18 months = 720# of grain or ~15 sacks. That shouldn't happen. I'd try to get it replaced under warranty.

On the other side, you can easily save the money you'd spend for a new mill if you buy your grain in bulk through a group buy or so.

passedpawn said:

I've got a JSP that has milled a ton of grain. I got it used from my LHBS, which used it for all their customers and sold it to me when they upgraded. So, they take a beating. Hopper is crap though - I need to build another hopper for the thing.

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I've had one I've been using for 20 years. Still works great with almost no maintenance. I made my hopper bigger with some plywood and vinyl I had laying around. I've always meant to redo it, but it works.

GilaMinumBeer said:

The bushing are oil impregnated copper, and they should stay clean. I found that over time, and use, the surfaces of both became oxidized and lightly pitted. A light polish to smooth them out was all I needed with some extra insurance from the silicone grease.

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Aren't the bushings supposed to be oil impregnated bronze?

What kind of silicone grease did you use, is it made to be used on bearings?

IslandLizard said:

Aren't the bushings supposed to be oil impregnated bronze?

What kind of silicone grease did you use, is it made to be used on bearings?

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I think newer mills use bronze. Pretty my old mill has copper bushings.

Bought the grease from Ace Hardware in the plumbing section.

GilaMinumBeer said:

I think newer mills use bronze. Pretty my old mill has copper bushings.

Bought the grease from Ace Hardware in the plumbing section.

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Copper (reddish) is very soft, maybe they're brass (yellow)?

Is that the silicone grease/lubricant you use on faucet cartridges? That's not really meant to be used on fast moving parts, like bearings. I'm surprised it works, but if it does, who cares, right?

IslandLizard said:

Copper (reddish) is very soft, maybe they're brass (yellow)?

Is that the silicone grease/lubricant you use on faucet cartridges? That's not really meant to be used on fast moving parts, like bearings. I'm surprised it works, but if it does, who cares, right?

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They are reddish and look like copper. But the mill was old when I got it so who knows.

I just wanted something food grade without having to special order. Found this one day while looking for fittings. Bought it for O-ring lube. Gave it a try on the mill. It worked. But I do think polishing the mating surfaces had more to do with it.

For as much as this wheel get reinvented and this topic pops up there should be a poll thread in a sticky so folk can see how many people are satisfied with their experience and what their average usage is with the barley crusher...

GilaMinumBeer said:

I think newer mills use bronze. Pretty my old mill has copper bushings.

Bought the grease from Ace Hardware in the plumbing section.

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Im fairly certain you can get the bronze bushings at the hardware store... I know even my local value hardware carries them in different sizes. My cheaper chinese CK mill uses ball bearings ironically so I havent needed them myself.

IslandLizard said:

Has the knurl worn down? That could be an issue. But 40# x 18 months = 720# of grain or ~15 sacks. That shouldn't happen. I'd try to get it replaced under warranty.

On the other side, you can easily save the money you'd spend for a new mill if you buy your grain in bulk through a group buy or so.

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If you google "worn down grain mill" you will find that the barley crusher comes up again and again almost exclusively. At this point people should be warned of this limitation that all other mills dont seem to have... Folks just assume that its a better mill because they state that they are made in America... The reality is that not always true. I remember reading in a thread a couple years ago where BC stated the mill was assembled here with parts from both here and china... but the rollers where made in house by them I believe.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Hmmm, I wonder if the OP knows this. Seems he may have gotten his as a gift and could be unaware that for a bit of shipping cost he could have a new BC.

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I was detoured from looking into the warranty by dozens of post that said they had no success getting warranty support.

Anyone here had luck with Barley Crusher warranty claims?

blizz81 said:

Are you lubing it when you clean it? I had similar problems with mine frequently until I changed the lube I was using to gun oil. Have been going two more years now without disassembly and cleaning - it used to be once every 4 or 5 brews.


I know at some point the roller will wear down though / there's more or less an EOL on the barley crusher rollers. But maybe something to consider.

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Is gun oil food grade?

I've always used some type of cooking oil.

augiedoggy said:

My cheaper chinese CK mill uses ball bearings ironically so I havent needed them myself.

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How do the Chinese use ball bearings ironically? As brakes?

Go Monster Mill and you won't regret.

Ok, I did one last ditch effort to repair the BC mill.

There was some old oil and barley dust on the ends of the rollers and the side plates... I used a palm sander and polished everything off. Then I wiped all the bushings clean (but have not oiled them again yet).

Then I put a couple o-rings on the non-drive roller... I know they say they are not required but I had a couple used o-rings that came out of Perlick faucet that seemed close to the right size.

Finally, I remounted the drill and the mill to the stand. I noticed the drill was a bit out of alignment. So, I bought longer bolts and made a spacer to raise the mill up 1/4".

I haven't milled any gain yet.

For me, the problem wasn't the rollers not spinning. They would spin just fine. The problem was the knurling had lost its "tooth" and wouldn't pull grain down into it anymore.

don't forget you can dampen the grain and it will solve some feeding problems

Singletrack said:

How do the Chinese use ball bearings ironically? As brakes?

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Well I found it ironic because the chinese mills (like the Cereal killer) with ball bearing which can be bought for as little as $79 shipped on ebay appear to be better built with sealed ball bearings and hardened rollers (or the option of stainless) ... Meanwhile the more expensive Touted American mill is made as cheaply as possible with bushings and soft roller that wear out quickly. But because the barely crusher is advertised as american made and seems to have a better marketing presence people are buying them and complaining here over and over of how they constantly stop working...

You shouldnt have to keep diassembly the thing and cleaning/oiling it guys... I havent touched my cheap mill as far as cleaning since I got it 2 years ago and it looks and works as well as the day I bought it with 9-10 50-55 sacks and many pounds of specialty grain pushed through it now.

To me this seems like one of those examples where you dont always get what you pay for.

m1k3 said:

I was detoured from looking into the warranty by dozens of post that said they had no success getting warranty support.

Anyone here had luck with Barley Crusher warranty claims?

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Yes - Mine wore out after ~3 years of use.

I attempted to contact the seller, but I never got any response.

I boxed up the mill with a note and mailed it in. I think it cost ~$15 to ship it. I got the repaired mill back in about a month. It worked fine. It appears the rollers were replaced, but there was no note from the seller as to what was actually done.

I immediately sold it on Ebay. I got $110, and bought a MM3. I'm pretty happy with that so far.

I say just send the mill in for repair.

b-boy said:

Yes - Mine wore out after ~3 years of use.

I attempted to contact the seller, but I never got any response.

I boxed up the mill with a note and mailed it in. I think it cost ~$15 to ship it. I got the repaired mill back in about a month. It worked fine. It appears the rollers were replaced, but there was no note from the seller as to what was actually done.

I immediately sold it on Ebay. I got $110, and bought a MM3. I'm pretty happy with that so far.

I say just send the mill in for repair.

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Mine's been sent back twice. One time, it came back the same as I sent it, but the next time it came back with new rollers.

It still sucks, though.

Thinking of getting this. Is it a good deal?
https://www.monsterbrewinghardware.com/store/pc/MM-3-1-2-Kit-15-OFF-3p164.htm

m1k3 said:

Is gun oil food grade?

I've always used some type of cooking oil.

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Cooking oil I guarantee you will gunk up and cause more problems than it solves.


Personally, I wouldn't go spraying gun oil on my sandwich...but I'm guessing if I did, it would take a lot of sandwiches to kill me, and in the case of the BC, I only use it on the portion of the shaft that spends its life sitting in the sleeve. Not like you're lubing the rollers or anything.


As I mentioned, I used some other type of grease originally...it was like six years ago so I'm not sure what, but I think some automotive grease I had laying around. I can tell you when I first tried the gun oil, after I reassembled and did a test crush, it felt a little different than it ever had. Very scientific..."it felt a little different". Was just the smoothest / easiest it had ever crushed anything though.

augiedoggy said:

To me this seems like one of those examples where you dont always get what you pay for.

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Considering that my JSP was given to me, I think I did.

I think the guy bought a barley crusher.

kombat said:

For me, the problem wasn't the rollers not spinning. They would spin just fine. The problem was the knurling had lost its "tooth" and wouldn't pull grain down into it anymore.

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I think this here is the true endgame for the BC. Other problems you can address, but this seems to be where all BCs are destined to head eventually from the moment they are born. (Then as others mentioned, you send it in, hope you get the rollers replaced, and either rinse and repeat or sell it / move on to another mill)

b-boy said:

I say just send the mill in for repair.

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Tell them your name is Kombat and you can even save on shipping cost.

Dixon9717 said:

Thinking of getting this. Is it a good deal?
https://www.monsterbrewinghardware.com/store/pc/MM-3-1-2-Kit-15-OFF-3p164.htm

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Rollers-m...037709?hash=item46476d04cd:g:md4AAOSw5dNWlPff look familiar?.... Your link is the better deal though because it likely has a warranty and the wooden base but missing the trim along the top to cover the metal hopper edge (which always comes off)
Makes me wonder is the monster mills are also of Chinese descent and these are factory direct knock offs by the oem manufacturers ... changing knobs is an old trick often used by generic suppliers... I see it on automotive paint guns a lot.

Dixon9717 said:

Thinking of getting this. Is it a good deal?
https://www.monsterbrewinghardware.com/store/pc/MM-3-1-2-Kit-15-OFF-3p164.htm

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Yes!

augiedoggy said:

Makes me wonder is the monster mills are also of Chinese descent... changing knobs is an old trick often used by generic suppliers... I see it on automotive paint guns a lot.

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Would not surprise me in the least. I'd expect a deal was made with the manufacturer for reduced cost to allow knock-off. The HF model of manufacturing.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Would not surprise me in the least. I'd expect a deal was made with the manufacturer for reduced cost to allow knock-off. The HF model of manufacturing.

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You mean my tools weren't manufactured in authentic American cities such as Pittsburgh and Chicago?!?

GilaMinumBeer said:

Would not surprise me in the least. I'd expect a deal was made with the manufacturer for reduced cost to allow knock-off. The HF model of manufacturing.

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The chinese almost ALWAYS start selling thier products direct... if you look at just about any product for home brewing like the more beer and brew hardware and stout conicals you will find them on alibaba... More than a couple of my engineering customers have told me this is the biggest issue they have with taking their manufacturing to china... I say dont take it there and you wont have the issue... for what they make off manufacturing the stuff for the US companys who rebrand them I kinda dont blame them.

Funny story.. I paid like $40 for a Thorsen torque wrench once only to find the exact same chinese torque wrench only with a nice case at my harbor freight.. for $9.99... Took the Thorsen back to advance auto where I brought it.. its all brand marketing these days.. same cheap stuff at drastically different prices.

Sears even sells craftsman knock off tools as cheaper alternatives to their chinese made craftsmen line we all want to believe is the same quality tools that used to be made by husky in the states years ago... I'll pay the chinese prices for my chinese tools thank you. I just ordered a generic 5.5mm socket off ebay from china and what did I get? a craftsmen brand socket..

Sorry OP We took this off topic... I'll drop it..

augiedoggy said:

... for what they make off manufacturing the stuff for the US companys who rebrand them I kinda dont blame them.

Funny story.. I paid like $40 for a Thorsen torque wrench once only to find the exact same chinese torque wrench only with a nice case at my harbor freight.. for $9.99... Took the Thorsen back to advance auto where I brought it.. its all brand marketing these days.. same cheap stuff at drastically different prices.

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I agree. It makes perfect sense.

Look at just about anything HF sells that is woodworking related and I guarantee you there is a Rikon, Jet, or Grizzly twin. There are some differences. Cheaper switches, lower rated motors, rougher casting, etc.. People complain all the time about lack of parts availability on HF stuff. But those in the know research what brand they knocked off and every time they are able to find a part.