malt grind/crush

[Jayjay1976]

... re-read this thread... it kinda goes off the rails at a point up there!!!

IT WAS MEEEEEEE!

 

[bracconiere]

My plan is to spend about 2/3rd the cost of what it would cost to just buy a mill that is already set up for optimum speed....
'cause we're home-brewers, so we:
-Do it as cheap as possible the first time. Spend a few extra bucks here and there to tweak the 1st gen
-Spend a fair amount of money on getting the "extras" to measure, test, and tweak our updated 1st gen
-finally save up and break down and just buy the proper set-up as our 2nd gen, but only after we have exhausted at least as much money on the 1st gen as the proper 2nd gen costs

Lol... j/k all. It is just this darn obsession/hobby...
BUt... re-read this thread... it kinda goes off the rails at a point up there!!!
Any excuse for a new toy & gadget, right?!?!?

hmmm, i'm still using my equip from ~2002....

 

[keesh]

You guys are waaay overthinking this. Since that's par for the course here, please continue...

I was suggesting to record 10-20 secs (t), and simply playback in slow motion (half or quarter speed is probably sufficient) to make counting the mark passages (x) easier:

x rotations / t secs​

That was my plan, I was just going to set it up so the shot is clear and not blurry so the counting is easier

 

[balrog]

You guys should have already built and hooked up @LBussy 's photo interrupter bubble counter BrewBubbles and with some duct tape, dental floss and a paper clip, figured how to use that to measure rpm

Just sayin'

 

[Nate R]

hmmm, i'm still using my equip from ~2002....

You are indeed not counted with the normal group.
You sir a legend!
I learned about you before ever reading a post from you.
Anytime there is a post regarding how to get costs down, advice is given for what mosr of us could do and the savings. Then it's mentioned what you do, and how greater the savings can be!
Who knew to get malt at a feed store?? Rice hulls by the bale??
And i just ordered paid another $1.99 a pound like a sucker!!

 

[keesh]

I can't believe I just spent over an hour recording this and editing it on my phone, but here we go! It's not exact by any stretch but it was a fun experiment as a starting off point for figuring out drill speed

 

[bracconiere]

You are indeed not counted with the normal group.
You sir a legend!
I learned about you before ever reading a post from you.
Anytime there is a post regarding how to get costs down, advice is given for what mosr of us could do and the savings. Then it's mentioned what you do, and how greater the savings can be!
Who knew to get malt at a feed store?? Rice hulls by the bale??
And i just ordered paid another $1.99 a pound like a sucker!!

LOL, maybe i should change my tag line..."Trying to brew the cheapest beer possible since 2004!"

 

[MikEH86]

I can't believe I just spent over an hour recording this and editing it on my phone, but here we go! It's not exact by any stretch but it was a fun experiment as a starting off point for figuring out drill speed

It will be interesting to see how it performs under load. probably need about 1/3 power but willing to bet it will be up and down a lot.

Is anyone willing to share a pic of there grind? "To use as a reference.

 

[MikEH86]

How do you all feel about this grind? ( not using the proper mill as i am budget-restricted and just using what i have. )

 

[IslandLizard]

How do you all feel about this grind? ( not using the proper mill as i am budget-restricted and just using what i have. )

As long as there are no whole, unbroken kernels in it, that looks pretty decent!

 

[MikEH86]

As long as there are no whole, unbroken kernels in it, that looks pretty decent!

Whole kernels won't be able to be converted or sugars extracted? Or do they give off flavors

 

[IslandLizard]

Whole kernels won't be able to be converted or sugars extracted? Or do they give off flavors

Correct. Not even flavors or color, or very minimally.
The husk is a very efficient wrapper.

If you have 5 whole kernels in an oz of milled grist, that skipped the mill, you don't have to worry, except for losing some efficiency.

 

[VikeMan]

Just to add some confusion... Whenever anyone says that a roller gap of "X" is ideal, they are at best describing what works best for them with their mill and their mash/lauter vessel(s). Here are some things that also have an impact on determining any "ideal" gap.

- Number of rollers
- Diameter of rollers
- Speed of Rollers
- Smoothness or Knurld-ness of rollers
- Type of grains being crushed
- Crushing Dry or Hydrated
- Mash/Lauter Tun Design/Process
- Average Credit Card Thickness <JK>

For most of us, this means finding the gap that helps us get reasonable efficiency and that doesn't create process problems (like stuck lauters).

 

[IslandLizard]

Just to add some confusion...

No, you're absolutely right. All those factors weigh in.

For example, a crush worthy of a good and efficient BIAB mash will likely cause lauter and efficiency problems when used in a fly sparge setup.

Most homebrew mills in use are 2 roller, few are 3 roller, and typically 1.3-1.5" diameter and fairly aggressively knurled.

 

[day_trippr]

I'd go a few thousandths tighter if possible...

Cheers!

 

[MikEH86]

Just to add some confusion... Whenever anyone says that a roller gap of "X" is ideal, they are at best describing what works best for them with their mill and their mash/lauter vessel(s). Here are some things that also have an impact on determining any "ideal" gap.

- Number of rollers
- Diameter of rollers
- Speed of Rollers
- Smoothness or Knurld-ness of rollers
- Type of grains being crushed
- Crushing Dry or Hydrated
- Mash/Lauter Tun Design/Process
- Average Credit Card Thickness <JK>

For most of us, this means finding the gap that helps us get reasonable efficiency and that doesn't create process problems (like stuck lauters).

Thanks. Good to keep in mind. Also grain size the stuff i have is from a feed mill so one kernal can very greatly from the next. Some getting destroyed some skipping the mill all together. I just went for a genrial not to much tear and not to much whole stuff. Atleast for my first run.


Here are a couple others much finner. What do you think of this?

Edite: Sure wish i could zoom in a little and not all the way suddenly

 

[day_trippr]

Looking at the second pic of that pair, if you were to condition the malt just prior to milling, I think you'd have a really good non-BIAB crush there.
The first pic might be a good BIAB crush, I don't roll that way so I'll leave that judgement to others...

Cheers!

 

[Jayjay1976]

Yeah looks good to me, that's how my crush looks, I BIAB and have no issues with efficiency.

 

[Edward's Beer Cellar]

Thanks for that! Is there a cheap/simple/mechanical way to rig up a tachometer? I hoped to find something on Amazon but so far no luck. Maybe there is something made for bicycles or something, I just don't know what to search for. I would hate to go to a digital tach, seems like overkill.

I have had some success using a strobe tachometer app on my Iphone. It didn't cost anything and it gives me some idea about RPM

 

[Jayjay1976]

I'm just looking at the speed of the chuck as I crush the grain, and running the drill at a speed that looks pretty close to when I would use the handle to crush it by hand. Definitely not over 300 rpm, or even 150 rpm. I crush now at a walking pace that I would try to keep up with if the handle were attached. 250 rpm might be an ideal max crush speed, but like 45 rpm works just as good. Crush slow people, cos fast is bad. There is no such thing as crushing too slow.

BTW I use a cereal killer set to lightly grip a credit card. I just tore my mil down yesterday to clean and lube the bearings for the first time after 45+ batches. The knurling on both rollers was still perfectly sharp, and after a good clean out and lube the rollers are super free and ready for several dozen more batches before needing any further attention.

I used Boos mystery oil to lube the bearings, which is a blend of food safe oils and waxes designed to maintain their chopping blocks and cutting boards. Mineral oil or other food-grade oils or waxes should work just as well, just be careful with your choice and apply sparingly to the bearings and the ends of the rollers.