First Crush with Monster Mill

[m00se]

Any chance your drill is on reverse (if you are using one)?

haha, I wish that was the case.

When adjusting the gap with a feeler gauge, do you tighten it down as far as you can go and still be able to pull the feeler gauge out?


I used to get efficiencies in the mid 80s with my LHBS mill and haven't been able to dial mine in yet. I've been getting 50-55% with my new mill. I had what I thought was a great crush this weekend, but ended up with 56% efficiency. At one point I thought my crush was too fine.

 

[gab]

haha, I wish that was the case.

When adjusting the gap with a feeler gauge, do you tighten it down as far as you can go and still be able to pull the feeler gauge out?

I used to get efficiencies in the mid 80s with my LHBS mill and haven't been able to dial mine in yet. I've been getting 50-55% with my new mill. I had what I thought was a great crush this weekend, but ended up with 56% efficiency. At one point I thought my crush was too fine.

When i set mine I also make sure the gauge can go back in without too much effort.

I only asked about the reverse because i actually did that last weekend, another strike for buzzed brewing

 

[rgarry]

I do it the same way we did spark plugs...snug but able to pull out. I had an issue with the grains not going through and went to the corded drill rather than my cordless and no issues.

 

[Accidic]

haha, I wish that was the case.

When adjusting the gap with a feeler gauge, do you tighten it down as far as you can go and still be able to pull the feeler gauge out?


I used to get efficiencies in the mid 80s with my LHBS mill and haven't been able to dial mine in yet. I've been getting 50-55% with my new mill. I had what I thought was a great crush this weekend, but ended up with 56% efficiency. At one point I thought my crush was too fine.

Shake your mill to reposition the grains slightly. If the grains are way too fat you may have to use a slightly larger gap. I suspect that once you get them started/going though you'll be fine. I've rapped against the board mine is mounted to pretty solidly to get mine started occasionally as well.

 

[WileECoyote]

When i set mine I also make sure the gauge can go back in without too much effort.

This ^

Cheers

 

[WileECoyote]

I set my MM2 2.0 to .035 and couldn't seem to get any of the grains to fall through. The roller just spun while the grain sat there. Is there any tricks to get the gap down that low .035 and have the grain crush? Conditioning?

I have the MM2 2.0 too, I am not conditioning my grain, I also BIAB, I have my gap set at .040 and the grain crush is great, it also still has flour, Im getting 82% efficiency with this gap setting, .038 gap seemed to work really well for me, but still had to much flour for me.

When I first got my mill, I ran my mill at .035 and it had way to much flour, you could have made bread with it.

I found that when I had my mill set at .035 a full trigger pull of the drill to start the grain moving helps, then as soon as the grain is moving through the rollers back off the drill speed.

Also the fuller the hopper, the more weight is on the grain at the rollers to help start the grain through the rollers.

hope this helps

Cheers

 

[bierandbikes]

I have not begun milling my own grain but plan to soon...what do you mean by conditioning? I assume you lightly spray the grain to get it to swell, presumably to aid in removing the husk, or keeping it in tact.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I have not begun milling my own grain but plan to soon...what do you mean by conditioning? I assume you lightly spray the grain to get it to swell, presumably to aid in removing the husk, or keeping it in tact.

Correct in one.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Buy decent screws or bolts to install from the get go...I snapped the thumb screw on mine this weekend tightening it down. Luckily I had adjusted the settings, made it through the crush, and was able to extract the screw without resorting to drastic measures!

 

[m00se]

Buy decent screws or bolts to install from the get go...I snapped the thumb screw on mine this weekend tightening it down. Luckily I had adjusted the settings, made it through the crush, and was able to extract the screw without resorting to drastic measures!

any particular screws or bolts you recommend? Thanks

 

[Bigscience]

I replaced mine with set screws that allow the hopper to be removed easily for gapping They are not full length and I use the thumb screws as a jamb to keep the set screws from coming out without having to be over tightened.

 

[alestateyall]

I set my MM2 2.0 to .035 and couldn't seem to get any of the grains to fall through. The roller just spun while the grain sat there. Is there any tricks to get the gap down that low .035 and have the grain crush? Conditioning?

Mine got stuck this weekend at 0.037. Backed off to 0.040 still stuck. Backed off to 0.045 and turned perfectly. Then I went back to 0.040 and it worked great. I decided I must have had piece of grain jamming it or something the first few times. When I moved back to 0.045 I was careful to clear out all the kernels I could spot. I am not sure what my exact problem was.

 

[DustBow]

interesting thread - whenever I get a mill I was planning on the Monster 2-2.0
Lots of good tips here, sounds like it's a good idea to replace those thumb screws right off the bat before I ever even use it

 

[funnycreature]

Any chance your drill is on reverse (if you are using one)?

+1 on that! I had the grains "dance" on the rollers (although a different mill) when I have the drill in clockwise mode. Try it in counter-clockwise direction.

 

[Accidic]

If you flip it to backwards and then back to forward it can sometimes help start a stuck grind too. Forgot about that.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I can never get mine started without turning it back wards very slowly then going forward slowly until it catches. But I like I tighter crush...that sounded kinda dirty but I'm not sure why!

 

[DrunkleJon]

Going backwards seems to toss some uncracked grains in your catch bucket though. I find its easiest to start the drill while it is empty and add from there. I really need to find a reasonably priced motor and motorize and build a sturdy table for the thing because filling the hppper drilling and trying to keep from dping the whole setup is a tad hard to do with only two hands

 

[manhattanksbrewer]

I asked the homebrew supply store where i buy my grains from what they ground theres at so i could mill mine the same and this is what they told me

We typically have that set to an average of .30 and .35, but the front mill is adjustable so customers can change it, and depending on what grain is being milled sometimes adjustment is needed to get the crystal 50-60 to go through.

 

[outside92129]

I bought two of these for tightening the gap adjustments. In fact i replaced all the factory screws/nuts with thumbscrews and wingnuts so i could make all adjustments w/o tools. Last thing i need on a brewday is to be digging through the toolchest.

Btw, i got this info from Fred:
hoppers are 8-32 x 3/8, and mill bolts are 1/4-20 x 1 1/4

 

[DRog00]

If you are having trouble starting the mill, chances are you have grain stuck between your "free" roller and the end plates. I spin my free roller backwards to clear any grain, then start the motor, then dump in the grain.

I have a MM3-2.0 and I often wish I had a gear drive between the top two rollers.

 

[outside92129]

The gear drive would be nice on the mm3-2, i've had more than my share of jams that gearing would solve. The mashmaster looks like the best geared + adjustable mill out there.

Interestingly i've found that reducing the gap takes care of a lot of my jamming problems. Less slippage i guess.

 

[jammin]

Do they make something besides that 1.5inch, 2 roller?

Wouldn't trade my MM for that no-way, no-how

 

[Accidic]

I've never had the two roller outright jam but I have considered buying a second MM2 and mounting it underneath as a fully adjustable multi crush unit. Can even gear or belt connect them together and run them off off each on one motor without any of the hangups of the three. Coincidently, I think it'd still be cheaper than the mash master.

 

[Mashinations]

I set my MM2 2.0 to .035 and couldn't seem to get any of the grains to fall through. The roller just spun while the grain sat there. Is there any tricks to get the gap down that low .035 and have the grain crush? Conditioning?

I've been using a MM2 for about 5 years. It's been set to .03 from the time I got it and I haven't changed it. Consistently get an efficiency in the 80% range while fly sparging.

What does happen sometimes on my mill is that the non-driven roller will get a little stuck and I just nudge it with a finger (obviously careful not to be in a position to get pinched). Once it's rolling again the grain going through should keep it going.

I personally think "conditioning" the grain is an unnecessary step. Some swear by it - YMMV.

 

[m00se]

My non-driven roller doesn't seem to move at all. Should it?

I've been using a MM2 for about 5 years. It's been set to .03 from the time I got it and I haven't changed it. Consistently get an efficiency in the 80% range while fly sparging.

What does happen sometimes on my mill is that the non-driven roller will get a little stuck and I just nudge it with a finger (obviously careful not to be in a position to get pinched). Once it's rolling again the grain going through should keep it going.

I personally think "conditioning" the grain is an unnecessary step. Some swear by it - YMMV.

 

[logdrum]

My non-driven roller doesn't seem to move at all. Should it?

You should be able to roll it with very little effort. I recently disassembled my MM2 for the exact reason; couple of drops of vegetable oil on the shaft & bearings & she's good to go.

 

[logdrum]

I noticed that one of the thumbscrews backed out very difficultly today. Sounds like I might have the same problem. How did you deal with it?

Thanks.

I find the thumbscrews to be the weak link in an otherwise excellently engineered product. When I replaced mine w/ stainless hex head bolts, i had to retap the threads.

 

[logdrum]

Going backwards seems to toss some uncracked grains in your catch bucket though. I find its easiest to start the drill while it is empty and add from there. I really need to find a reasonably priced motor and motorize and build a sturdy table for the thing because filling the hppper drilling and trying to keep from dping the whole setup is a tad hard to do with only two hands

Here's a link to my CL milling cart build. That Harbor Freight drill is made for this mill.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/new-milling-stand-407495/

 

[m00se]

You should be able to roll it with very little effort. I recently disassembled my MM2 for the exact reason; couple of drops of vegetable oil on the shaft & bearings & she's good to go.

Thank you. It turns out the non-driven roller was stuck. After fixing it the mill is working like a charm. I'm eager to crush grains for next week's RIS.

 

[jm43654]

What do you mean by condition the grains? Do you soak them or something first?