Anyone seen a grain crusher like this?

[htims05]

Got this for free...anyone using something like this? Drill drives the worm gear from the outside of the bucket.

 

[dwhite60]

Yes I have. Quite a few of them.

More time to crush the same amount as a roller mill but still a good mill.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[balrog]

Corona mill.
I bought one and use it to crush to flour.
Love it.

 

[htims05]

Ok cool. Seems like it might give a better crush than a barley mill/roller due to the shear action? Or am I just making that up?

 

[dwhite60]

Ok cool. Seems like it might give a better crush than a barley mill/roller due to the shear action? Or am I just making that up?

Both give about the same crush, yours will just be slower. With a drill slower doesn't mean much.

It's a good mill and will last years.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[balrog]

@htims05 there is a whole thread on how to make these work better; maybe many threads.
washers added, JBWeld used, hubs filed to make plates parallel, etc.

 

[wilserbrewer]

That looks like the one I made lol

With a powerful slower speed 1/2” drill it will produce plenty of nicely crushed grain at a reasonable pace, and you’ll likely never be able to wear it out....cast iron is hard stuff

Just guessing from the grain pieces in the bucket, and the gap on the plates, you may need to tighten the bolt / wing nut assembly on the right of photo.

 

[day_trippr]

Corona mills are grinders, not crushers, but a bazillion of them have been used to make beer.
A well set up Corona with conditioned grain (<== really, a must) will leave fluffy hulls even while the endosperm may be finely milled...

Cheers!

 

[balrog]

conditioned grain (<== really, a must) will leave fluffy hulls even while the endosperm may be finely milled...

Cheers!

I have really got to try this one day....

 

[htims05]

Interesting - I'm going to have to search to see if there's a way to motorize the corona mill. I'm not a fan of the drill option...too difficult to maintain constant speed.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Interesting - I'm going to have to search to see if there's a way to motorize the corona mill. I'm not a fan of the drill option...too difficult to maintain constant speed.

Not difficult at all if you use the correct low speed drill.
Many many have done this using a drill w good results.

 

[kh54s10]

I used one of those for almost 7 years before getting a roller mill. I had no luck the couple of times I tried conditioning the grain.

Shredding the husks is something that a lot of brewers try to avoid. Many for draining reasons, some think you will extract tannins.

I wouldn't waste time on trying to attach a motor. When you are done you will have many more times in the cost of the motor and attachments than the cost of the mill new. Which is $20 - $35. A strong drill works fine.

 

[balrog]

I don't worry about just holding the drill and keeping a reasonably mediocre speed. Not as fast as it will go full out, but a bit faster than I would hand crank. If it goes up and down a bit I don't really see an appreciable difference in crush or extraction values when brewing so I've not bothered to do any rigid testing on drill speed variation as affects the brew process outcome.

I will say that if you're not paying attention and have a tall, but narrow, hopper full of grain and you start the drill up carelessly, you can do an amazingly wonderful job of spreading several pounds of unmilled malt all over yourself, the floor, and any screaming bystanders, when the top heavy system seeks a lower potential energy arrangement.