Barley Crusher Frustration

[augiedoggy]

I've got the elves working on it.

If I could find someone to take my BC off my hands for, say, $75, I think I could cobble together enough other funding to get me into the MM game. But i want something a bit more substantial to power it, such that I end up with something like The_Bishop has in his post above, or IslandLizard has in this post:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=8047993&postcount=13

I want to do it right.

The reality is any other $99 mill will work great in comparison for the reasons already mentioned... Disregard this fact if your just trying to justify an MM mill to yourself...

 

[augiedoggy]

My BC experience parallels ^jabba11's^ - I also thoroughly blow out the mill after use and occasionally hit the bushings with lube.
Fingers crossed, I've never had a problem. It works just like a real mill

Cheers!

Ok would you rather spend $100 on a knife that needs to be sharpened every week to hold and edge or $100 on a knife that holds it's edge for months at a time? Which do you think is the better quality item at a better value and which do you think will hold up longer?

 

[day_trippr]

I don't know that I'd equate a ~60 second compressor blow-out to resharpening knives, but I'm not the one beating a drum.

If you think a simple testimonial = advocacy, please think again.
I've never advocated for BC, I'm just a satisfied user...

Cheers!

 

[jabba11]

right.. The hate for BC runs pretty deep in this thread. If theres something better cheaper use it. That's how a market economy works. I am only saying I haven't had any problems with mine. Additionally I don't see any real problems with the knurling or crush Im getting from it after three years. Im just stating my experience with it not saying its better or worse than anything.

 

[MSUCatBrewer]

right.. The hate for BC runs pretty deep in this thread. If theres something better cheaper use it. That's how a market economy works. I am only saying I haven't had any problems with mine. Additionally I don't see any real problems with the knurling or crush Im getting from it after three years. Im just stating my experience with it not saying its better or worse than anything.

What do you have your crusher set at? It comes at .038 - .039. I adjusted mine back to .036 and that's when I ran into the problem.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I run barley malts at .035 and wheat at .030.
I've been conditioning all grains for the last many batches and could probably go tighter as a result.
But I'm already hitting 90-something percent extraction so motivation is low...

Cheers!

 

[Turkeyshot]

I bought a Cereal Killer the price was better and so were the reviews. I have been using it for at least 3 years and have never had a problem with it whatsoever.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Ran hundreds and hundreds of pounds through my BC before it started slipping. And that's set at 0.030 gap (not conditioned either). Brush it out after every use. Only now after brewing almost weekly at home for years and now weekly as a mill for our pilot do I have issues, and it just means stripping and cleaning the fittings every 40-50 odd pounds of grain so the passive roller keeps moving.

I actually found lubrication of the joints made it more likely to seize up so I don't so that any more. Just disassemle and clean it out really

Perhaps they went even cheaper in recent years.

 

[jabba11]

What do you have your crusher set at? It comes at .038 - .039. I adjusted mine back to .036 and that's when I ran into the problem.

I actually have mine set at .038 but only because of the system I have (recirc in the mash in a malt tube similar to a grainfather but on a bigger scale). I have had it set as low as .035 and have never had much of a problem except the occasional rock that finds its way in there.

 

[jabba11]

fwiw, I run barley malts at .035 and wheat at .030.
I've been conditioning all grains for the last many batches and could probably go tighter as a result.
But I'm already hitting 90-something percent extraction so motivation is low...

Cheers!

I don't get into the 90's but I get into the low to mid 80's regularly and am happy with that out of my system