My Ugly Junk- Corona Mill Station...

Williams 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Bottom line is you have to try it and find out what works for you, if it doesn't work to your satisfaction then you need to change something in your process to make it work. I currently mash for 60mins and get 76% efficiency using my mill and BIAB. When I mashed for 90mins I got 83% efficiency, so it was a bit of a trade off for me. I didn't change the gap setting on my mill, only my mashing time.

For me it's worth it to have a cheap mill at the moment and spend most of my money on ingredients and other things. JMO
 
mendozer said:
has anyone dealt with this astringency aspect of the beer or is it just solved by aging?

basically, is it worth it to go with a cheap DIY mill and have to wait for proper flavor or just spend some for a crank and stein? Plus i'm reading mixed efficiencies from 75 to 85
Click to expand...

I have used my Corona mill for 3.5 years, and have yet to note any astringency whatsoever in any beer I make. As far as efficiency is concerned, I don't keep track of that. If I hit the correct OG number after I mash, I assume things have gone as they should, and that happens on my system with almost boring regularity. I believe, as suggested above, that you should consider other variables if you have an astringency problem.
 
Hmm ok. Guess ill take the plunge for the mill. How much is bulk grain anyway. My 2 rows costing me 1.39/lb
 
My LHBS sells 50# for $60. Otherwise it's $1.50/lb. for 2-row. I got in on a bulk-buy with a commercial distributor and paid $33 for 50# of premium 2-row. Maris Otter was like $38 I think...maybe $40.
 
mendozer said:
Hmm ok. Guess ill take the plunge for the mill. How much is bulk grain anyway. My 2 rows costing me 1.39/lb
Click to expand...

I pay a lil less than half that on a group buys including shipping and a tip to the buy organizer....dirt cheap IMO. Buying hops and grain bulk and recycling yeast, the cost is not the issue for me...time and effort is the consideration:mug:
 
Here is my station:

IMG_5397.jpg


Mill = Xmas present
washers = already had them
drill = already had it
plastic for dust control = already had it.
coffee container for hopper expansion = already drank the coffee.
hole saw to drill through the workbench = already owned it.
pants leg stapled under the bench to control the dust = from worn out pants.
Buckets for the grain = already had them. $1.50 ea from local dairy.

Out of pocket for this project = $0.00
 
I'm gonna be doing wilserbrewer's 2.0 b/c i have a spare water jug that's useless (has holes on bottom) Although I'm going to try incorporating it into a small cabinet or nightstand
 
kh54s10 said:
Here is my station:

<image snipped>

Mill = Xmas present
washers = already had them
drill = already had it
plastic for dust control = already had it.
coffee container for hopper expansion = already drank the coffee.
hole saw to drill through the workbench = already owned it.
pants leg stapled under the bench to control the dust = from worn out pants.
Buckets for the grain = already had them. $1.50 ea from local dairy.

Out of pocket for this project = $0.00
Click to expand...

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the way Ugly Junk is done! Beats mine, I spent 25 cents......
 
Can anyone who has perfected their crush do me a small favor. what is the total thickness of all of the washer you used to set the spacing? Ive added the 8-32 screw which tightened it up perfectly but need a spacing range to shoot for when measuring the washer thickness with calipers
thanks
 
Unfortunately, that is going to vary. Mine didn't even need washers, whereas some have to space theirs out.

The lack of QC means it's going to be trial and error.
 
Agreed. Some people have had to do more "tweaking" than others. I was pretty lucky, in that all I had to do was replace the cotter pin in front with the duty 8 x 32 screw, crank down on the main adjustment screw, and I was good to go. One note: I did discover that the two small wing nuts on each side that hold the guts in the machine will gradually work loose, so I need to check them before milling. I may stick lock washers under those and see if it doesn't help.
 
I managed t get one for $8 shipped from amazon, ignored it for a couple of weeks and today calibrated it. Going to buy a 55# sack of maris otter and probably brew a couple of batches this week.
 
Horseballs said:
I managed t get one for $8 shipped from amazon, ignored it for a couple of weeks and today calibrated it. Going to buy a 55# sack of maris otter and probably brew a couple of batches this week.
Click to expand...

Way to go...no uncrushed grains in the grist...all grains broken, simply put, and you will be fine.
 
i just ordered one from amazon also cost a whole $7.42 with free 2day shipping with prime trial can you say score ^^ gonna use hvac reducers for a hopper 4" -> 6", 6" -> 8" should give a nice sized hopper
 
I tried last night to get the rotating plate to be even to no avail. I conditioned some grain and just dialed it down until there were no uncrushed grains but there was a fair amount of flour. Still, there are plenty of husks to create a lauter bed so I'm not worried.
 
tre9er said:
I tried last night to get the rotating plate to be even to no avail. I conditioned some grain and just dialed it down until there were no uncrushed grains but there was a fair amount of flour. Still, there are plenty of husks to create a lauter bed so I'm not worried.
Click to expand...

My plate has never been even, and I'm on my fourth year of using my Corona mill. I always have no trouble hitting the correct numbers on the refractometer after mashing, though.
 
I've had some issues in the past but I think it's my own fault for not paying attention to the crush as it goes, using an underpowered drill and running it fast to keep it from burning up, etc. When I've had a good crush my efficiency was acceptable to me, in the 70's.
 
I thought I'd add mine to the list. I just put it all together today. It tears thru grain like a beast!
new_grain_mill_6-5-12.JPG
 
Stauffbier said:
I thought I'd add mine to the list. I just put it all together today. It tears thru grain like a beast!
new_grain_mill_6-5-12.JPG
Click to expand...

Are you putting something over the plates to direct the grain into the hole/bucket? Grain/dust comes out every which way from the plates, the only reason I ask.
 
tre9er said:
Are you putting something over the plates to direct the grain into the hole/bucket? Grain/dust comes out every which way from the plates, the only reason I ask.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I actually put a bag over the plates that hangs down thru the hole in the plywood. It catches all the grain and dust very nicely, and bags it up all at the same time.
 
Horseballs said:
I managed t get one for $8 shipped from amazon, ignored it for a couple of weeks and today calibrated it. Going to buy a 55# sack of maris otter and probably brew a couple of batches this week.
Click to expand...

zheol said:
i just ordered one from amazon also cost a whole $7.42 with free 2day shipping with prime trial can you say score ^^ gonna use hvac reducers for a hopper 4" -> 6", 6" -> 8" should give a nice sized hopper
Click to expand...


Where the hell did you guys find these?

I promised SWMBO no more brew related purchases until 2013, but if those prices are real, I might just have to break that promise...

(I know there are plenty of $25 versions around, but sub $10? Ridiculous!)
 
from amazon do a search and you will see "new" and "used" the one i got was in used and was realy brand new the box was just smashed lol so i got one hell of a deal because someone smashed a box
 
I paid 26.92 shipped for mine. Got it from Amazon. Not bad considering I could spend this amount of cash or more eating out for one meal. Sadly it is still in the box as I have not gotten around to it as I am still working on some of the other DIY projects from this site. It is next on the agenda.
 
BBBF said:
Wouldn't be a bad use of my swamp cooler, when it isn't in use.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that tub has quite a few uses.

-grain mill tub
-swamp cooler
-hot water run-off from IC for washing wort chiller after brewing
.. and the list goes on

With my mill I could actually use a 5 gal bucket, but it sits more stable on that big tub. I plan on building a stand with a catch bin on it eventually, but for now..... the tub it is!
 
jEld said:
I just took that piece to the hardware store and looked through the bolts until I found one with a similar thread and size. Then I cut off the head and filed the bolt end into a hex shape for grip in the drill. Seems to work fine for me so far!
Click to expand...

Could you elaborate on what "filled the bolt end into a hex shape" means?
 
geeyoupee said:
Could you elaborate on what "filled the bolt end into a hex shape" means?
Click to expand...

filed, not filled. He used a file to make the shaft of the bolt have some square edges, so the drill could grip it better.

I used an actual bolt, WITH the head still attached, and a socket that I loaded into my drill. A nut-driver I think they're called.
 
Basically if u put the round shank end of a bolt into a drill it will just spin and not turn the bolt very well. So after sawing off the bolt head u want to shape the shank like an apex ( screw bit) so the drill has something to bite when chucked so it spins well. Hope this helps Chopps
 
My "final" version of ugly junk...for now. Its running in the pic, haven't strapped it down yet though.

ForumRunner_20120701_093226.jpg
 
Looking good tre9er! I've used mine a few times now, and I love it. I don't think I'll ever buy a more expensive mill. It does a great job, and it's really fast. I got my highest efficiency yet (80.5%) last week, and I think I could even get that to go higher if I build a manifold instead of my SS braid...
 
Man what a great mill!

Went from consistent 75% eff using AHS 'double milled' grain to 85% grinding with the corona.

Now to get it permanently mounted somewhere :D
 
rhamilton said:
Man what a great mill!

Went from consistent 75% eff using AHS 'double milled' grain to 85% grinding with the corona.

Now to get it permanently mounted somewhere :D
Click to expand...


See what I mean? You're getting what Papazian got with his. Roller Mill owners trashed this mill to no end. But it's just as good as any other mill, if you pay some attention to tweaking it.
 
Updated mine this weekend with some bungee cords and a milk crate. Gettin real fancy now...

It can run on it's own like this, though I wouldn't leave the room just yet because the thought of cleaning up 16lbs. of grain (that's the current hopper capacity) frightens me. I had to prop the milk crate up with a few boards to get to the right height. The red bungee holds the grain station tight against the milk crate/drill station so they stay married. There's a small black bungee holding the drill tight against the mill station, too.

IMG_20120810_180752.jpg
 
If you want good speed control use a cheap corded drill and a router speed controller from Harbor Freight or something similar. Then you can use a nylon zip tie to activate the trigger on the drill, be sure to secure the drill from spinning before letting it go or it could get really messy.
 

Similar threads

M
"Corona Cupboard" DIY Milling Station
Replies
2
Views
2K
cheetrowe
cheetrowe
zeekage
Shirron, False Bottom, SS Pot, Corona Mill, Etc
Replies
15
Views
2K
zeekage
zeekage
lyacovett
Motorizing Corona style mill
Replies
9
Views
2K
fc36
fc36
jcaudill
My Grain Mill Cabinet
Replies
26
Views
6K
K&KBREW
K&KBREW
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top