My Ugly Junk- Corona Mill Station...

Not quite done yet, but here it is: some ugly junk. I plan on adding a bigger hopper of some sort, and will probably just use some aluminum foil as a shield to prevent grain from flying out. Also considering going the power drill route -- just need to see if I can find the right pieces at the hardware tomorrow.







Really proud of those screws in the last photo. When life gives you lemons -- or a variety of fruits -- might as well work with what you have available!

So I got a 5/16 8" full threaded bolt, but the head on it is too big for any of my drill bits/adapters... I'm not all that handy, so I tried to cut off the head with a hacksaw, but didn't have any luck, given the girth of the bolt (and my lack of a vice). What's the easiest way to cut off that head so I can directly hook up my drill to the bolt shaft? I'm sure I can borrow some bolt cutters, but will a small, single hand one do the job? Thanks for any suggestions.

Dremel? Angle grinder? Hack saw with out a vice won't be easy

Rivenin said:

Dremel? Angle grinder? Hack saw with out a vice won't be easy

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Thanks. I mostly needed to know what to ask to borrow from SWMBO's dad.

Ah yeah. If you have an angle grinder it'll be maybe 5 seconds. A Dremel might take around 20-30. But very much under a minute. If you go to harbor freight an angle grinder is around 20 and comes in handy during multiple DIY brew stuff FYI.

I'd just use my angle grinder.....as it turned out, I had a 13mm socket that fit the bolt head and a 3/8" adapter that chucked into my drill. Works fine.

rico567 said:

I'd just use my angle grinder.....as it turned out, I had a 13mm socket that fit the bolt head and a 3/8" adapter that chucked into my drill. Works fine.

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+1

Chucking the drill on a threaded shaft may not be the best of solutions (it may wear down relatively quick and or slide). Might be worth getting the socket instead.

CidahMastah said:

+1

Chucking the drill on a threaded shaft may not be the best of solutions (it may wear down relatively quick and or slide). Might be worth getting the socket instead.

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+2

I wore my first bolt down pretty quickly, the second one I left the head on and just use the socket adapter.

Motoroized my corona today for under $1.

2" x 5/8" galvanized lag bolt. 1 5/8 nut. .67¢

cut off rounded head leaving square base. (fits perfectly into chuck of my old B&D corded electric drill) Cut off with a dremel cut off wheel and a hack saw.

no more hand cranking 10+ lb grain bills. can easily put crank back if needed, no permanent mods.

Did my first crush with the new station yesterday night, and am currently 10 mins into the boil on the brew. Unfortunately, I got way lower efficiency than I'd hoped: 60% or so. The crush looked good to me, but I suppose it could be finer, since I do a stovetop BIAB. Next time I'll crank the plates a bit closer.

Still, mighty satisfying to be able to mill in the same room that I brew in. Thanks for all the help, people!

I just got one with the built in hood. For those who use the hooded version, do you still need to mount so that the lid can close to stop grain from flying? If I am hand-cranking, will I still need to worry about dust control, etc.?

With the hood on the grinding plates, it will be well contained. Lil dust but no worries.

Also, I've read the width of a credit card is good. Does anyone have feeler gauges to measure the real spacing at the sweet spot? I'm not sure I know where mine are (and definitely don't know the sweet spot yet) but that might be some good info.

tennesseean_87 said:

Also, I've read the width of a credit card is good. Does anyone have feeler gauges to measure the real spacing at the sweet spot? I'm not sure I know where mine are (and definitely don't know the sweet spot yet) but that might be some good info.

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I went a bit wider than the credit card recommendation and got 60%. So I'd take that to heart in the short term. Next time I'm milling the hell out of that barley.

Also, re: dust control, I just threw a plastic garbage bag over the top of the whole thing and it worked great.

tennesseean_87 said:

Does anyone have feeler gauges to measure the real spacing at the sweet spot?

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IMO you are best off adjusting the mill based upon visual inspection of the output. You want the grain thoroughly crushed w/ the interior exposed and NO / ZERO whole or untouched grains. Crush till you are scared, no fear! I doubt you can measure gap w/ a corona as you do w/ a roller mill...YMMV.

I just got a '150' labelled mill in from Amazon for <$30 shipped. I have tinkered with it some but am waiting on a bulk grain order to come in before I can break it in and get it fine tuned. I noticed a small crack on it, but it doesn't go through all the way through the metal. Should I try to return it (I am afraid the seller will want me to pay return postage, which won't be cheap), or do you think this big hunk of metal is alright? I think I would have time for another to get here before I need to use it.

I think ur fine

That's the same one I have, and it works like a champ! I actually didn't have to add any spacers or mess with the grinding plate. I did, however, add washers behind the two wingnuts that hold it together...seems to make everything a bit more stable.

In terms of the "Victoria" branded Corona mill I have (I -think- it has "500" stamped on the side) this would be a strictly cosmetic blemish. I'd grind away.....you have to readjust the whole concept of "fit & finish" when buying and using a Corona mill. The upside is- they work!

Finish is not the concern as much as an internal crack that might show up later. I was hoping you al would say it was fine, though!

tennesseean_87 said:

Finish is not the concern as much as an internal crack that might show up later. I was hoping you al would say it was fine, though!

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Can't really tell from the pic, but it appears to be a minor flaw in the surface of the casting since you mentioned that it doesn't go all the way the through, my guess is that it will pretty much look the same 20 years from now. You could try and exchange, but the cost and aggravation might not be worth it. Slight chance the replacement could be worse. RDWHAHB

JoeyChopps said:

I think ur fine

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You can run a handful of rice through it if you're worried about it. The thickness of the metal and the minor pressure comparatively shouldn't hurt anything. Unless it has a gap that let's the grain push back tho I honestly can't fathom it would be an issue. I got mine from amazon for 22 bucks also after when I was short on funds and had to replace all my stuff and iirc the shipping was like $12 on the box. You could probably resell on ebay and make out better if the crack bothered you.

So, I traded several homebrews for an old Corona Mill and built a bucket-in-bucket system like those found in this thread. Made my first batch with home-milled grain and got 70% efficiency. Not bad for a first batch. It shocks me to say this, but I think I might actually tighten up the crush for better efficiency. No sparge issues whatsoever.
At any rate, just wanted to say thanks to those of you who have added to and encouraged this thread. I'm all for ways to further personalize this hobby and save a few bucks.
Brew on!

TobiasFunke said:

So, I traded several homebrews for an old Corona Mill and built a bucket-in-bucket system like those found in this thread. Made my first batch with home-milled grain and got 70% efficiency. Not bad for a first batch. It shocks me to say this, but I think I might actually tighten up the crush for better efficiency. No sparge issues whatsoever.
At any rate, just wanted to say thanks to those of you who have added to and encouraged this thread. I'm all for ways to further personalize this hobby and save a few bucks.
Brew on!

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Tighten until you're scared; then crank it another quarter-turn and try that.

Has anybody had any problems with badly torn husks?

How bad is badly? I t is normal for husks to get torn with a corona mill.

My husks tear but I haven't had any issues because of it.

i just found a mill at a thrift shop, but it seems to be missing the front piece (opposite side of the crank) in which the eye bolt and wing nut thread into. Is it possible to adjust the crush without this piece?

do you have a photo by chance?

I just went back to look at it again, its not actually missing the part, it is just much smaller, and looks to be a meat grinding attachment, I'll see if I can find a photo of a similar one, didn't look promising though.

Seems like the plate is different, I might as well buy a new one to avoid the headache, seeing how this one was 12.95 and people are finding deals for new ones around 20-30 bucks.

Was considering high end mills when a nearly new one was presented to me for $25 and I took it. Figured it will pay for itself quickly and if it doesn't work out, not the end of the world. In figuring out my own ugly mill setup, I did a test run with grape nuts cereal and now I am fired up to see if I just saved myself $150!

My question - since you really can't control the degree of crush with the accuracy you can with a high end model, realizing I do BIAB, any reason to not double crush? For BIAB, can you pulverize too much? Thanks.

sfrisby said:

My question - since you really can't control the degree of crush with the accuracy you can with a high end model, realizing I do BIAB, any reason to not double crush? For BIAB, can you pulverize too much? Thanks.

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I doubt a double run through the mill will be needed. I would just tighten the mill to the point of a thorough crush and go from there. Lack of a thorough crush is not likely to be a problem, one pass through my corona mill is plenty crush for me.

I followed "wilserbrewer"'s advice, tightened down on the plates until I was scared, then gave it another crank. I can now hit the OG in any recipe with monotonous regularity, and that's all I'm after. I don't chase efficiency percentages.

heres mine.... just tore through 20lbs of grain.


annnnd the crush! gets me about 75ish% eff.



sorry on this one, my camera was focusing on the grain on the top right. and on the left that is oats. so pay no attention to that

Pictures no work'

Oh, wait now they do.

Rivenin said:

heres mine.... just tore through 20lbs of grain.

annnnd the crush! gets me about 75ish% eff.

sorry on this one, my camera was focusing on the grain on the top right. and on the left that is oats. so pay no attention to that

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Is that a little to fine?

not for my system at least, i got a stuck sparge once. But that was my fault (was running off a wheat mash at almost max flow... was drinking before the boil... never a great idea). works for me and i get constant eff % numbers.

Rivenin said:

not for my system at least, i got a stuck sparge once. But that was my fault (was running off a wheat mash at almost max flow... was drinking before the boil... never a great idea). works for me and i get constant eff % numbers.

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Not being rude. Is the benefit of a corona mill the cost?