Grain mill broken...

[ChuckS1]

I just put a new O ring on mine yesterday. Solved the same problem.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I just put a new O ring on mine yesterday. Solved the same problem.

What type of o-ring are you using?

As I recall mine came with a rubber ring that shredded on the first use of the mill. Is there something more durable? When I have had issues with my mill, it is with getting the second roller to engage. Once both rollers are spinning there are no issues.

 

[ChuckS1]

I think it was a #13 I got at Home Depot. 11/16 inside diameter, 7/8 outside diameter. Comes in 10 packs for $2.50 or so.

 

[NoCornOrRice]

Well... my BC mill finally had its last mission. I hope the Malt Muncher 3 I bought lives up to the hype.

 

[wepeeler]

I have a Barley Crusher that I purchased at least 15 years ago. It is starting to show its age...though I had zero issues until a few years ago when I started milling finer for BIAB. These days, sometimes it mills fine and sometimes I have a hell of a time getting the rollers to engage.

A few batches ago I was using some really plump barley from a local maltster and I could not get it to mill. I ended up widening the gap to a bit wider than the factory setting, milling the grain, resetting the gap, and remilling. It worked well enough that I have been doing the exact same steps for my last couple of batches. So maybe my Barley Crusher will live for another year or longer!!

In theory, crushing twice would be a huge pain and time suck...but it much faster than having to fuss and empty out the hopper to fix an issue.

As a replacement I have been looking at the Monster Mills. I like the idea of "All of our products are Made in the USA from USA made materials!"

I had been having the same issue with my Cereal Killer, but I wasn't doing a great job of cleaning it after every use. I took it all apart, cleaned it out and actually widened the gap a touch, and it's been working great ever since. I also invested in compressed air bottles to spray it clean immediately every use. Cross my fingers, but I haven't had any issues since.

 

[MaxStout]

I find a small paint brush handy to brush the caked-on dust from the rollers.

 

[mashinary]

Interesting story. They do come with a lifetime warranty. I have read stories of people having a hard time getting a response.

I tried to use the lifetime warranty and could never get a response after trying many, many times. I bought a cheaper mill that has outlasted the BC. I don't think I would ever buy another Barley Crusher.

 

[Zenmeister]

I did reverse my rollers on my BC as mentioned earlier in this thread and it worked for me. But I gave up on my BC and ordered the Blichmann mill. I brew about twice a month, with 30-40 pound grain bills depending on what I am brewing. And, I love it.
I know I promised a video of it, and I will try to put one together from my next brew, because this thing does have some minor assembly issues.

• The mill with motor is freakin' heavy. I mean, it is a monster. (No offense Monster Mill...)
• If you get it with the stand, and intend to move it at all, get the casters. This is not something you will want to just pick up and move around.
• The assembly is easy if you follow directions and the order of assembly exactly.
  • The only challenge in the assembly (outside of not following directions..) is tightening the casters. Their "hint" to just lock the casters so they won't spin worked on only one of them. Otherwise it took a little time to work with different tools to figure out how to tighten them.
• Milling grain on it is absolutely fantastic. Yesterday's batch included several different kinds of grain ... 2-row, rye, etc. About 35 pounds total went through in just 3-4 minutes. Changing the gap setting is essentially like flipping a switch, and is great for different kinds of grain. And unlike using the old BC, it is wonderful being able to pour the grain into the hopper, turn on the switch, and do something else for the minute or two that it takes for the grain in the hopper to get crushed. No more bending over a drill, balancing that over a 5-gallon bucket and slowly milling grain for 20-30 minutes.

If you are looking at upgrading to one of the high-priced products (MM3, etc...) I am sure they are all pretty darn close as far as their performance. And unfortunately, this mill is not currently available, likely due to shipping issues and supply chain problems. But when it is available, if it is in your budget, I will recommend this product whole-heartedly.

Attached is a comparison pic of the Blichmann mill to the Barley Crusher.

 

[PCABrewing]

I did reverse my rollers on my BC as mentioned earlier in this thread and it worked for me. But I gave up on my BC and ordered the Blichmann mill. I brew about twice a month, with 30-40 pound grain bills depending on what I am brewing. And, I love it.
I know I promised a video of it, and I will try to put one together from my next brew, because this thing does have some minor assembly issues.

• The mill with motor is freakin' heavy. I mean, it is a monster. (No offense Monster Mill...)
• If you get it with the stand, and intend to move it at all, get the casters. This is not something you will want to just pick up and move around.
• The assembly is easy if you follow directions and the order of assembly exactly.
  • The only challenge in the assembly (outside of not following directions..) is tightening the casters. Their "hint" to just lock the casters so they won't spin worked on only one of them. Otherwise it took a little time to work with different tools to figure out how to tighten them.
• Milling grain on it is absolutely fantastic. Yesterday's batch included several different kinds of grain ... 2-row, rye, etc. About 35 pounds total went through in just 3-4 minutes. Changing the gap setting is essentially like flipping a switch, and is great for different kinds of grain. And unlike using the old BC, it is wonderful being able to pour the grain into the hopper, turn on the switch, and do something else for the minute or two that it takes for the grain in the hopper to get crushed. No more bending over a drill, balancing that over a 5-gallon bucket and slowly milling grain for 20-30 minutes.

If you are looking at upgrading to one of the high-priced products (MM3, etc...) I am sure they are all pretty darn close as far as their performance. And unfortunately, this mill is not currently available, likely due to shipping issues and supply chain problems. But when it is available, if it is in your budget, I will recommend this product whole-heartedly.

Attached is a comparison pic of the Blichmann mill to the Barley Crusher. View attachment 747353

So according to the photo, You drain the hot water into the BC, I presume with the hopper filled with grain.
Then it flows through the mill into the waiting Korny keg that I assume is the mash tun. Then I guess you go directly from the outlet of keg into the boil kettle. Very nice and simple setup. I never tried wet milling before.

 

[PCABrewing]

I've got a BC mill that is about six years old. So far it has worked well.
All the posts about wear on the rollers has me checking mine.
I just ordered a bunch of ingredients to brew next weekend and I don't want any surprises.

 

[PCABrewing]

I just checked my BC and it is still working well.
I did open the gap up to .045" because at .039 & .042 it was creating too much dust in the crush bucket.
I know this may only be optimal setting for the base malt that I tested (Rahr 2-row) but it resulted in some nicely cracked vs flour.
I will definitely re-test with the specialty grains.

 

[day_trippr]

Having run a BC for many years, that is a huge gap for barley...

 

[bracconiere]

I just checked my BC and it is still working well.
I did open the gap up to .045" because at .039 & .042 it was creating too much dust in the crush bucket.
I know this may only be optimal setting for the base malt that I tested (Rahr 2-row) but it resulted in some nicely cracked vs flour.
I will definitely re-test with the specialty grains.

do you use software to calculate effec? with my original phil mill, that smashed grain on a slant i was only getting like 65%? now i'm still using a JSP, at 028....

 

[PCABrewing]

Having run a BC for many years, that is a huge gap for barley...

Well my understanding is I want the hull split and the starchy-part fractured but not powdered.
I got that at .045 using feeler gauge and checking at both ends of the rollers.
I believe two row and six row may warrant different setting as well since the presumably smaller grain size would require tighter setting to achieve the same result, no?
In any case my OG measurements usually match those predicted by Beer Smith.
What gap do you usually run? I will admit the possibility of a Gauge R&R error.

 

[day_trippr]

It's more a curiosity than anything else. I always ran my BC at .035" gap, tops, using an automotive feeler gauge set, and for some base malts I had to tighten it down to .032" (as you imply, all kernels are not equal) to get a quality crush. Also trying to preserve some capability of milling white wheat and oats without re-gapping.

I target low-90s for extract efficiency and will admit to minor aggression towards that end wrt mill gap and I also typically condition the malt which intrinsically allows a tighter gap without stalling the mill...

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

Well my understanding is I want the hull split and the starchy-part fractured but not powdered.

i always heard crush till you're scared, so mill as close to flour as possible?

 

[PCABrewing]

i always heard crush till you're scared, so mill as close to flour as possible?

Well I haven't had a stuck mash yet and my yield seems on-track so I must have dumb-stumbled onto something right.

 

[PCABrewing]

I target low-90s for extract efficiency and will admit to minor aggression towards that end wrt mill gap and I also typically condition the malt which intrinsically allows a tighter gap without stalling the mill...

Cheers!

I have noticed a tendency for the mill to stall with some of the specialty grains, they are obviously harder when roasted or crystal.

 

[bracconiere]

I must have dumb-stumbled onto something right.

LOL, i guess i wasted money on the duct tape i used to mount this cheap ass 1/2" HF drill to my mill! should have just bought one of these and vented on brew day!

https://www.amazon.com/CALIDAKA-Pun...ocphy=9030250&hvtargid=pla-1238864818467&th=1
(and we are still having humor right? )

 

[RM-MN]

i always heard crush till you're scared, so mill as close to flour as possible?

I thought it was keep tightening the mill each time you brew until you get a stuck mash, then open it just a little. The closer you come to getting a stuck mash the higher your mash efficiency but clearing a stuck mash every time becomes a real chore.

 

[bracconiere]

I thought it was keep tightening the mill each time you brew until you get a stuck mash, then open it just a little. The closer you come to getting a stuck mash the higher your mash efficiency but clearing a stuck mash every time becomes a real chore.

sounds like a good plan

 

[passedpawn]

Some folks here have reported getting a little more life out of a BC by reversing the rollers. Take the base apart, remove the rollers, turn them end for end, and reassemble. This puts the opposite edges of the knurling in contact with the grain providing enough ”bite“ to produce a useable crush.

I finally got around to doing this. Man, it's like a new mill - ran 50# through it, never skipped a kernal. With the rollers out, I rubbed my finger in both directions and it was clear that the original direction had less bite.

The only problem is that I have to run the driven roller in reverse. Fortunately, the chuck on my DeWalt drill locks in a way that prevents it from loosening when run CCW.

Thanks for the idea, Grampa. Saved me some dollars.