DIY Grain Mill. I was excited until....

[Suicided1954]

So I found what I thought would make great rollers for my soon to be mill. 24 bucks at Harbor Freight.

I ran a shaft through one side, acquired all the necessary bearings, and drew up my plan.

Then I read on here that aluminum rollers will not last long and that I will end up with chunks of aluminum in my mash.

How big of a concern should this be?

Will it last 12 brews, 6, 2?


Thanks
Darryl

Should I punt before I get more involved than I am?

 

[weirdboy]

So many people have "discovered" those rollers at Harbor Freight. There ought to be a sticky thread about them.


I think some folks have had OK luck with them, but personally I wouldn't invest all that effort unless I was sure I had a backup solution.

 

[Suicided1954]

now where did I put that receipt?... Thanks for confirming my fears. I may have to eat what I have invested already and chalk it up to experience. All this because I didn't want to wait on a shipping.

Thanks
Darryl

 

[IrregularPulse]

Hang on to them , who knows what hobby you'll get into next where these things will be an essential equipment upgrade!

 

[Revvy]

I would see first if the folks suggesting that they won't work, actually tried these rollers in particular or are they just blowing smoke out of their butts.

A lot of folks on the internet are armchair quarterbacks. And often offer opinion, without any actually experience with product at hand.

And other's just love to shoot people's ideas down. I often think it's better to just go ahead a do the diy, and if it works, THEN put the thread together and get worshipped as a god of DIY.

Many folks said you couldn't make a grainmill out of a pasta machine, and it they proven wrong.

The think about those rollers is that they are "heavy duty" aluminum, and they are meant to have the weight of motorcycles on there, so really if you have a gap to crush grain, do you really believe that grain is actually going to break the aluminum????

Personally I would test it for yourself and see. Grain is cheap by the pound, so you can burn through it and then SEE if they break into particles or not. You can pick through the grain and see for yourself.

You are not driving the wheels against each other, nor are you running anything particularly hard through the gap that you will have between the wheels, you are going to be crushing grain, NOT rocks.

To me, opinions are like A$$H...s, sometimes they are full of ****.

 

[hal2814]

Might as well try it. Worst case you get some aluminum in your wort. Churches, very small rocks, and a duck may float but aluminum won't. It'll settle out.

 

[wildwest450]

To me, opinions are like A$$H...s, sometimes they are full of ****.

I thought it was "everyone has one and they usually stink"?:cross:

 

[Suicided1954]

Well I know I can't return all this stuff...cuz I modified some and chunked the packages of others...

I considered the hardness of grain vs. this roller. I also considered Hal's point of it staying in the mash if it did get that far.

I will go ahead and finish it but I'm making the assembly out of wood and not out of steel as I planned.

I have the wood laying around...I only have a whopping $45 invested in the "TEST"

 

[babalu87]

I would see first if the folks suggesting that they won't work, actually tried these rollers in particular or are they just blowing smoke out of their butts.

A lot of folks on the internet are armchair quarterbacks. And often offer opinion, without any actually experience with product at hand.

And other's just love to shoot people's ideas down. I often think it's better to just go ahead a do the diy, and if it works, THEN put the thread together and get worshipped as a god of DIY.

Many folks said you couldn't make a grainmill out of a pasta machine, and it they proven wrong.

The think about those rollers is that they are "heavy duty" aluminum, and they are meant to have the weight of motorcycles on there, so really if you have a gap to crush grain, do you really believe that grain is actually going to break the aluminum????

Personally I would test it for yourself and see. Grain is cheap by the pound, so you can burn through it and then SEE if they break into particles or not. You can pick through the grain and see for yourself.

You are not driving the wheels against each other, nor are you running anything particularly hard through the gap that you will have between the wheels, you are going to be crushing grain, NOT rocks.

To me, opinions are like A$$H...s, sometimes they are full of ****.

Or he could do all that work and find out its still not going to work out.

This isnt painting a wall, a lot of time and effort will be put into something that wont work.

There is a reason ALL grain mills have STEEL rollers.
They take a TREMENDOUS beating.

 

[Revvy]

Or he could do all that work and find out its still not going to work out.

This isnt painting a wall, a lot of time and effort will be put into something that wont work.

Well I'm sure that if Edison listened to you, we'd still be sitting in the dark, with THAT attitude.

I personally ENJOY experimenting, and trying stuff, whether it's in the workshop, the brewery or the kitchen. And as disappointing as it may be to have to scrap what you spend a couple days working on, OR dump that dish down the garbage disposal (Which I've done both) DURING the hours or days I have spent doing whatever it is, I'm enjoying the time spent tinkering, giving no thought to whether I'll be successful or not.

Oh and some of the porkert/corona mills that some folks get efficiencies in the 80's with, are made of cast aluminum. Including the one I've been using. I found out when I broke it, not by grinding the grain. but by trying to break the jb weld I had used to attach the grinding plate to the spiral driver.

Tremendous beating for grain???? Man what kind of grain are you milling...Most of the grain I use, you COULD crush with a rolling pin, if you wanted to crush 10 pounds of it that way.

 

[BenS]

I'm interested to see if those aluminum rollers would work as well. Harbor freight is just down the road.

 

[Suicided1954]

After some further searching on this board, I see this has come up a few times before. Has anyone actually used them? I'm not trying to fuel anyone's fire here... I noticed Yuri used aluminum rollers in his mill and another poster used "hard annodized coated" in theirs... I guess I will be the huckleberry...

 

[AnOldUR]

Well I'm sure that if Edison listened to you, we'd still be sitting in the dark, with THAT attitude.

There is a reason ALL grain mills have STEEL rollers.
They take a TREMENDOUS beating.

+1

Experimenting is fun, but re-inventing the wheel is just plain silly.


Beside this, the aluminum pots we use build and oxidized layer that protects us from the aluminum.
Here's an experiment for you. Take a dry paper towel and rub on the outside of your aluminum pot for a while. Do you want that black film on your grain?

 

[babalu87]

Well I'm sure that if Edison listened to you, we'd still be sitting in the dark, with THAT attitude.

I personally ENJOY experimenting, and trying stuff, whether it's in the workshop, the brewery or the kitchen. And as disappointing as it may be to have to scrap what you spend a couple days working on, OR dump that dish down the garbage disposal (Which I've done both) DURING the hours or days I have spent doing whatever it is, I'm enjoying the time spent tinkering, giving no thought to whether I'll be successful or not.

Oh and some of the porkert/corona mills that some folks get efficiencies in the 80's with, are made of cast aluminum. Including the one I've been using. I found out when I broke it, not by grinding the grain. but by trying to break the jb weld I had used to attach the grinding plate to the spiral driver.

Tremendous beating for grain???? Man what kind of grain are you milling...Most of the grain I use, you COULD crush with a rolling pin, if you wanted to crush 10 pounds of it that way.

Corona mill works on a different principal than a roller mill.

Corona mills are made of cast iron, hoppers are made of aluminum.

If Edison asked me he wouldnt have painted himself into a corner with DC.

Yes, tremendous beating.
Crush it with a rolling pin and tell me how long it is until that rolling pin develops dents/wear.

 

[Revvy]

Corona mills are made of cast iron, hoppers are made of aluminum.

Tell that to the cast ALUMINUM corona mill I broke when I tried to hit the jb weld.It sure as hell wasn't cast iron I was holding in my hands.

*shakes heads*

Suicided1954, next time you want to experiment, do it first THEN start a thread.

This is the typical answer whenever ANYONE comes here with an idea....("it won't work" "Don't need to re-invent the wheel" "yadda yadda yadda" )

Sometimes I wonder if it's just not jealousy for even having an idea to begin with.....

Suicide, I hope you try it, and prove these folks wrong.

 

[babalu87]

Tell that to the cast ALUMINUM corona mill I broke when I tried to hit the jb weld.

*shakes heads*

Suicided1954, next time you want to experiment, do it first THEN start a thread.

This is the typical answer whenever ANYONE comes here with an idea....("it won't work" "Don't need to re-invent the wheel" "yadda yadda yadda" )

Sometimes I wonder if it's just not jealousy for even having an idea to begin with.....

Suicide, I hope you try it, and prove these folks wrong.

We have commercial circular knitting machines (think paint roller/buffing pad fabric)
The manufacturer tried in vain to fashion rolls out of aluminum.

Do you work with metals at all?


White metal (cast steel) and cast aluminum are very similar, often the only way to tell the difference is to use a magnet.

Re-invent the wheel all day, just make sure its round

 

[Brewmoor]

Man. I go to lunch and there are three more pages of posts. OP Do it. Show us how it works. I just built pasta machine crusher last weekend. Had I seen your post last week I would have made a trip to harbor freight. I think those rollers will work out great.

 

[HIM_Tattoos]

$50 say's this works great and everyone is building one in 4 months.

.....I can't believe another SS VS. Aluminum thread became of this......

 

[Bobby_M]

Well I'm sure that if Edison listened to you, we'd still be sitting in the dark, with THAT attitude.

I personally ENJOY experimenting, and trying stuff, whether it's in the workshop, the brewery or the kitchen. And as disappointing as it may be to have to scrap what you spend a couple days working on, OR dump that dish down the garbage disposal (Which I've done both) DURING the hours or days I have spent doing whatever it is, I'm enjoying the time spent tinkering, giving no thought to whether I'll be successful or not.

Oh and some of the porkert/corona mills that some folks get efficiencies in the 80's with, are made of cast aluminum. Including the one I've been using. I found out when I broke it, not by grinding the grain. but by trying to break the jb weld I had used to attach the grinding plate to the spiral driver.

Tremendous beating for grain???? Man what kind of grain are you milling...Most of the grain I use, you COULD crush with a rolling pin, if you wanted to crush 10 pounds of it that way.

I think the OP should build it and report results. However, I do think the points on the knurls will round over in about 50 lbs of base malt. It will probably keep working for long enough if the gap is adjusted over the wear period. I wouldn't recommend milling wheat though.

 

[jspence1]

Fixed that.

LMAO what were we talking about again?

 

[AnOldUR]

I have the wood laying around...I only have a whopping $45 invested in the "TEST"

The banter here about aluminum vs stainless for health reasons is old and pointless. The only real question is if it is practical to use aluminum rollers from a functional standpoint. The "re-inventing the wheel" argument is a valid one. It would be cheaper to produce the roller out of aluminum, so why would the manufactures of mills make them out of steel. Sure, you could use aluminum and it would work, but for how long. Grain is very abrasive and I’ve gotten pebbles mixed in on many occasions. The aluminum roller will break down. You will loose the sharp edges on the knurl. This aluminum will end up in your beer. Is it going to kill you? No. Is it going to affect the taste of your beer? I don’t know.

So, the question is if this is a worthwhile experiment. You already have $45 into it. By the time you build a base, a frame to hold the rollers and a hopper, you’ll probably be double that. And what you’ll end up with is a mill that’s not going to last. I’m all for DIY, but do it right! Find someone with a lathe to make you decent rollers and make something that you can be proud of.

Or for $110 buy a Barley Crusher.

(edit) but don't waste any more time or money on this worthless exercise.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

The banter here about aluminum vs stainless for health reasons is old and pointless. The only real question is if it is practical to use aluminum rollers from a functional standpoint. The "re-inventing the wheel" argument is a valid one. It would be cheaper to produce the roller out of aluminum, so why would the manufactures of mills make them out of steel. Sure, you could use aluminum and it would work, but for how long. Grain is very abrasive and I’ve gotten pebbles mixed in on many occasions. The aluminum roller will break down. You will loose the sharp edges on the knurl. This aluminum will end up in your beer. Is it going to kill you? No. Is it going to affect the taste of your beer? I don’t know.

So, the question is if this is a worthwhile experiment. You already have $45 into it. By the time you build a base, a frame to hold the rollers and a hopper, you’ll probably be double that. And what you’ll end up with is a mill that’s not going to last. I’m all for DIY, but do it right! Find someone with a lathe to make you decent rollers and make something that you can be proud of.

Or for $110 buy a Barley Crusher.

(edit) but don't waste any more time or money on this worthless exercise.

Very valid point. We took our eyes of the prize.

 

[MonkeyWrench]

Maybe make friends with a powdercoater and have them powdercoated or ceramic coated. There used to be a product on the market that I believe was called caseonite that was a surface hardener. Might want to investigate that too.

Also, to add more aluminum to the fire, those aluminum critics better not be using anti-perspirant. Active ingredient is an aluminum derivative.

 

[thunder]

Maybe make friends with a powdercoater and have them powdercoated or ceramic coated. There used to be a product on the market that I believe was called caseonite that was a surface hardener. Might want to investigate that too.


Also, to add more aluminum to the fire, those aluminum critics better not be

To have them powdercoated would probadly be more than he paid for
the rollers.To answer to your question deoderant only fo the past 25 yrs
for that reason.

 

[Suicided1954]

For the record it was never about saving money on my part...I can afford a barley crusher. I just like to make stuff..and I am not a patient waiter...as in waiting for something to arrive after I have ordered it...

Ok so in the interest of science....

I am going to slap it together in a wood gig.

I don't want to waste grain. Is there a way to use spent grain to test the wear of the rollers?

Like dry it the oven?

I have a conveyor dryer in my screen printing shop. I can just run it through there...

 

[wildwest450]

I don't want to waste grain. Is there a way to use spent grain to test the wear of the rollers?

You could do that, but it wouldn't be a fair test, because that grain was already milled.

 

[jollytim]

Yes, it would be like running a bandsaw through sawdust to test it out.... you'll need whole grain. It's cheap, just test out a pound or so.

 

[MonkeyWrench]

Like I said, he needs to make friends with the powdercoater. I know a guy who will probably anodize something like that for me for a sixer of homebrew.

Always good to know people. And beer is a great bargaining chip.

 

[Revvy]

For the record it was never about saving money on my part...I can afford a barley crusher. I just like to make stuff..and I am not a patient waiter...as in waiting for something to arrive after I have ordered it...

Ok so in the interest of science....

I am going to slap it together in a wood gig.

I don't want to waste grain. Is there a way to use spent grain to test the wear of the rollers?

Like dry it the oven?

I have a conveyor dryer in my screen printing shop. I can just run it through there...

Yeah, how do you test crushing grain, on grain that is already crushed???

Come on, don't let these nay sayers dissuade you from trying. This crap happens almost everytime someone has a contrary idea, and ASKS about it, instead of actually doing it first....If you came on with a finished working design, they'd be patting you on your back.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

THREAD SPLIT.

All of the aluminum vs stainless debate posts got their own thread. Please post there if you'd like to continue the aluminum health debate.

Let's keep this thread about the mechanical aspects of the potential build.