Help - mill just spinning!

[NewkyBrown]

I have a grain mill which I believe is identical to a Barley Crusher in design.
I have assembled it and set the rollers to 0.035".
Whether I use a drill or hand crank slowly, after a few turns it stops crushing and the active roller just spins. It seems to be when the passive roller gets some grains caught between the roller and the body which stops it turning.

The small amount I have crushed seems to look great but it is taking me forever to grind a few pounds.

Has anyone heard of this issue - it is driving me mad!
Thanks...

 

[BradleyBrew]

I condition and crush my grain at .045 and even then my drill sometimes gets stuck. I think your setting is just to close. I've only been milling for a few months though.

 

[NewkyBrown]

I condition and crush my grain at .045 and even then my drill sometimes gets stuck. I think your setting is just to close. I've only been milling for a few months though.

Thanks for the reply. What do you mean by 'conditioning'?

 

[BradleyBrew]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Malt_Conditioning

 

[jeffjm]

Another option is to put an o-ring on one of the rollers so there's always contact between the active and passive sides. The malt is supposed to catch the passive roller as it is moved by the rotation of the roller with the crank. Unfortunately that doesn't always happen. An o-ring will guarantee contact between the two and make sure both turn.

 

[NewkyBrown]

Awesome. Thanks

 

[mpcluever]

The o-ring broke on my barley crusher after just a couple batches. I've heard it's mostly there just for testing at the factory as it's clearly not meant to survive anywhere close to as long as the rest of the mill.

 

[wilconrad]

It seems to be when the passive roller gets some grains caught between the roller and the body which stops it turning.

This sounds like the root cause, the gap between the rollers and the body should not be large enough for grain to enter and jam the mill. 0.035" is not too tight a setting for the roller clearance, my monster mill is at 0.030" and no issues.

I would adjust/modify to close the body-to-roller gap.

 

[BanginBanjo]

I have this problem with my barley crusher often. You could try taking your mill apart and cleaning it along with reversing the secondary roller. Other than that, I would recommend loosening the screws that keep the roller in place just enough so that your roller is rolling freely. Test it before you pour your grain it to make sure it isn't getting stuck at all, it should roll completely freely

I keep my mill at .019 with conditioning grain and don't have a problem as long as I check that the secondary roller is moving freely prior to pouring the grain in.

As far as the O-ring that comes with the Barley Crusher, I've heard that it's only purpose is to keep the roller gap consistent during shipping. It's meant to break off after a crush or two.

 

[BradleyBrew]

wow... .019 is really tight

 

[NewkyBrown]

wow... .019 is really tight

Tighter than a camel's arse in a sandstorm!