My Ugly Junk- Corona Mill Station...

[IanJ]

They get bad reviews cuz the plates not being aligned. I wouldn't think they have changed any.

So many people buy these mills thinking the machine will make flour and then rip it for being miss advertised.

I guess that makes sense, but it's always hard to tell with Amazon reviews. Ordering the one below via Prime for $25, suppose it'll be fine. I guess it's not a huge cost if not.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=111CD73F4S5M5GMJGZPV

this is the one you want.

Thanks

 

[rekoob]

Most likely you will be fine and it will do a great job for you.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

So i slightly upgraded my two bucket system, i got tired of having to hold the stupid drill while i milled. So i bought a $6 bit of 2x2 plywood, cut a big hole in it with a jigsaw, and threw some legs on it with some 2x4's i had left from my Coffin keezer and ended up with this. Now all i gotta do is plug the drill in and let it do its thing, when im all done i can just lift up the tiny table to get to the 2nd bucket underneath with all the grain. I thought about making the legs taller so i could slide the bucket in and out and may change to that but i was also worried about grain flying out of the gap, and my 2x4's werent long enough

Before

After

 

[wilserbrewer]

i got tired of having to hold the stupid drill while i milled. ]

Yes, me too!
After propping the drill precariously, I broke the drive bolt threaded to the mill....again

Rather than try and drill the bolt out as I previously struggled and cussed my way through, I coupled the shaft with heavy tubing and hose clamps, with a socket attached to the mill, and a bolt in the drill.

Works great! Hands free milling and the mill slides off the drill / power pack without having to fool with the drill chuck evertime I mill... Very pleased!


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[mb82]

Has anyone noticed a drop in efficiency when going to a motorized mill with these Corona mills? My last two batches have had a 5% drop in efficiency. The crush looks ok, it is kinda strange.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Has anyone noticed a drop in efficiency when going to a motorized mill with these Corona mills? My last two batches have had a 5% drop in efficiency. The crush looks ok, it is kinda strange.

Inspect your crush thoroughly, sometimes the cheap wing nuts will loosen and change the crush. I replaced the chintzy wing nuts with better quality from Ace hardware. Also you need to tighten the wing nuts well to maintain the adjustment on the mill. Good and tight with pliers...hand tight not so good IME.

Never hand cranked mine FWIW, but you should be able to adjust the crush to get your desired results.

Inspect the crushed grain, be certain there are no unbroken kernels of grain!

 

[Mojzis]

I use a large corded drill and go as fast as it will go with no ill effects. I average 80%eff.

 

[mb82]

Thanks I will go through my mill with a fine tooth comb. The first batch with the drill had 20% wheat so I blamed it on the wheat. The second batch was all barley so it should have crushed well.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Thanks I will go through my mill with a fine tooth comb.

Likely need to tighten it up a bit, then lock down all the nuts good and tight.

I crush pretty fine and still have no issues lautering with a SS braid in a cooler, BIAB never an issue.


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[RichBenn]

Me too! Mine is wobbly, but after getting the spacing right, the grain just centers the shaft while grinding.

That said, i just got a cereal killer mill, so i can get more consistent crush for fly sparging with a false bottom. Holes are bigger than my screen.

No real difference in in efficiency (82%+) with the corona on batch vs. the new mill, though. Probably will sell the corona on craigslist.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[poptarts]

Me too! Mine is wobbly, but after getting the spacing right, the grain just centers the shaft while grinding.

That said, i just got a cereal killer mill, so i can get more consistent crush for fly sparging with a false bottom. Holes are bigger than my screen.

No real difference in in efficiency (82%+) with the corona on batch vs. the new mill, though. Probably will sell the corona on craigslist.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

sounds like you should save time and money and stick with corona and batch sparge.

 

[RichBenn]

sounds like you should save time and money and stick with corona and batch sparge.

Naw, I actually built a full on HERMS automated electric system. No longer moving pots of water around for batch sparging, better consistency and more hands off operation. Efficiency is not the goal, otherwise I wouldn't have changed. Plus when SWMBO says "sure, get it" to a setup that's nicer, what would you do?

Although the corona mill works, it's not as good of a grind as a good roller mill and it is a bit of work to get one going. Good enough for batch and BIAB, though, and one does save money! Yes, and for those that will challenge this, you can get a grind that'll work fine with fly sparging and HERMS, I'd wager.

 

[sportpak]

Got my mill today. Wow, these things are a little crude. I'm a 20 yr machinist so I may be a little prude-ish, lol. For the price I can't make own. I plan to do the basic tune up tomorrow. Hopefully next week I can get grinding.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Wow, these things are a little crude. I'm a 20 yr machinist....

A little crude...how about a lot cude!
20 yr machinist should have no trouble figuring out what needs doing on a corona...just don't tryh and make it perfect haha. If the grind plate is bound crooked on the shaft, I would suggest a smaller cotter pin to allow the grind plate to float/ free wobble and align with the pressure of the grain feeding...

 

[yewtah-brewha]

My corona aligns fine until halfway through the batch it gets grain caught behind the wheel, then I gotta tear it down and clean it, Once I figured this out no problems other than the hassle of stopping midway, If yours is crooked right out the box,and your a machinist, you'll have to tell us what you did to fix it!

 

[sportpak]

I'll see how it goes maybe today. I really don't want to start re-machining things, that defeats the purpose of having a $25 mill. Reading through this thread it looks like you guys have done some pretty cool stuff and I want to appreciate this thing for what it is and what smart guys have done before me. If I spent any real time working on this I'd have about the same time in making a roller type crusher. I'm more interested in trying some 1 gallon BIAB brewing.

 

[wilserbrewer]

If I spent any real time working on this I'd have about the same time in making a roller type crusher. I'm more interested in trying some 1 gallon BIAB brewing.

Fast corona mill set up...
1. wash mill in hot soapy water (to remove packing oils)and air dry
2. assemble
3. tighten until you have all kernels of grain well broken
4. mill grain / make beer

cheers!

 

[yewtah-brewha]

I'll see how it goes maybe today. I really don't want to start re-machining things, that defeats the purpose of having a $25 mill. Reading through this thread it looks like you guys have done some pretty cool stuff and I want to appreciate this thing for what it is and what smart guys have done before me. If I spent any real time working on this I'd have about the same time in making a roller type crusher. I'm more interested in trying some 1 gallon BIAB brewing.

Great thought, however with that attitude You will soon realize that making beer defeats the purpose of going to the store and just buying a six pack! lol!

 

[sportpak]

Great thought, however with that attitude You will soon realize that making beer defeats the purpose of going to the store and just buying a six pack! lol!

lol! Yeah, I'm still doing small batch stuff to dial in on technique. About 6 weeks is a long time to end up with a 8-9 pack of beer. When I nail something awesome I'll do up a big batch.

 

[ErinGoBuff]

Much later than promised, but here's a short clip of my newly powered mill in action:

http://youtu.be/kL5Yo8zYJhc

I used an old laptop power supply to provide the 24V, hence the slow response to the switch. I plan to make a more descriptive video once it's been tuned up. It's just been slow going.


If it ain't broke, fix it 'till it is.
- US Navy Maintenance Mantra

 

[MrG]

This might be a dumb question, but do you disassemble your mill and wash it after each time you use it?

 

[paperairplane]

This might be a dumb question, but do you disassemble your mill and wash it after each time you use it?

I sure don't - I kind of bang it on a table to knock any loose bits out and maybe brush it off...

 

[wilserbrewer]

This might be a dumb question, but do you disassemble your mill and wash it after each time you use it?

I clean the accumulated grain dust off my mill after about every 500 lbs crushed...whether it needs it or not


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[MrG]

Okay thanks! I figured as much.

 

[sportpak]

Ground my first small batch today. Very surprised how well it worked after a little trial/error. I think this thing is going to work very well.

Wort turned out a little more "trubby" then I expected. I might dial the crush back a fuzz. I went with a recipe not knowing anything about efficiency. My SG came in a little high, so I assume I did a little better then expected.

 

[ErinGoBuff]

I don't wash mine. I knock the dust off, or blow it clean with compressed air. It's a habit I picked up in culinary school. There are some tools that don't get washed, like grain mills, flour sifters, and pasta machines. Those tools will gum-up or jam if the materials that pass through them are or too wet or even remotely wet in some cases.

I know some guys condition their grain before milling to reduce dust and to increase efficiency, so "keep it dry" is certainly not a rule, just a matter of preference. In any case, care of these machines is left to their owners. I haven't used my mill enough times (at all) since enclosing it in a bucket to collect data on how efficient it is. ...and I might not, since I don't want to disassemble the contraption if it gets gummed up or jams.

All that being said, tools at a culinary school are being used in high frequency, with very high urgency. The lemon pepper crusted salmon or filet mignon you have on the fire aren't going to wait for you to de-gum and dry a pasta machine. Hence, through habit: "First, keep him out of the light, he hates bright light, especially sunlight, it'll kill him. Second, don't give him any water, not even to drink. But the most important rule, the rule you can never forget, no matter how much he cries, no matter how much he begs, never feed him after midnight."

 

[Riot]

How's this for ugly? Haven't gotten around to a bucket install yet.

 

[monkeyman1000]

All right, pulled the trigger on one of these things. Got it for $24 and some change shipped with Amazon prime. My grain bills are usually 4.5# or less so I plan on just hand cranking it. I don't have room for a drill anyway. I am debating the bucket setup too, mainly for space savings.k How much dust does this thing put off if you hand crank it?

 

[ErinGoBuff]

No more dust than baking a cake. It really depends on how neat you're being while you work. Before I enclosed mine in a bucket, I was just milling into large mixing bowls. There wasn't so much dust that I had to clean the whole house, just had to wipe up the counter.

Hand cranking isn't a hefty chore. I just like being able to do other things (HAHB) while my mill is running.

 

[wilserbrewer]

All right, pulled the trigger on one of these things. Got it for $24 and some change shipped with Amazon prime. My grain bills are usually 4.5# or less so I plan on just hand cranking it. I don't have room for a drill anyway. I am debating the bucket setup too, mainly for space savings.k How much dust does this thing put off if you hand crank it?

Hand cranking is not a problem, the issue is that you need to clamp the mill to something. The corona mill will make a mess all over if you let it, why I prefer the Bucket mount because it is set and ready to mill. You can also just wrap the face of the mill with a plastic bag to direct the grain into a bucket. Without a bucket mount, you will need to setup, or clamp the mill to something, wrap a bag on the face each time you use it.

Go ahead and try it , see what you think...

I went right to the bucket fwiw, but I knew I wanted to power it and didn't want to clean up grain pieces.



Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/