My Ugly Junk- Corona Mill Station...

[tennesseean_87]

If I were you, I'd get rid of the black rubber thing. That's only necessary if you're attaching it to a piece of wood that you're worried about marring. I'd remove the black rubber and then put some screws in those side slots where the rubber used to be. My mill wandered around a bit, so I got rid of the rubber.

The rubber helps mine not wiggle, since I don't have screws in it. I'm not worried about the wood, but it helps with stability.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

Everyone likes to show off thier ugly junk so here comes show and tell once again. http://youtu.be/iGQIpt3y-Os

 

[signpost]

That is awesome. That makes it much easier to store the rig in a smaller space in between uses. I haven't quite decided yet how I'm going to expand the hopper on mine.

 

[deadfall]

Everyone likes to show off thier ugly junk so here comes show and tell once again. http://youtu.be/iGQIpt3y-Os

I'll admit I had some apprehension on watching a video of your junk. Nice work.

 

[tennesseean_87]

So I just got a 3/8" 2.5 amp old craftsman on CL for $5. $1 for a hook-bolt, and we'll see what happens next brew session.

Get some pics of the smoking gun, I mean drill...good luck w far...cheers

I ran a grain bill for a 4.25 gallon tripel with the drill. It seemed the crush left a lot more un-cracked grains than when I hand mill. I guess that's because I had to mill it so fast to actually get it to turn (It wouldn't budge at low speeds). I was scared of low efficiency, so I milled it again. No problem iwth run-off, but I didn't check the crush for a visual comparison with a hand-cranked batch. Maybe I'll do half and half with my next batch and compare, or try without the double crush and see if the eff takes a hit, since it was still on 85% with the double crush.

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

I ran a grain bill for a 4.25 gallon tripel with the drill. It seemed the crush left a lot more un-cracked grains than when I hand mill. I guess that's because I had to mill it so fast to actually get it to turn (It wouldn't budge at low speeds). I was scared of low efficiency, so I milled it again. No problem iwth run-off, but I didn't check the crush for a visual comparison with a hand-cranked batch. Maybe I'll do half and half with my next batch and compare, or try without the double crush and see if the eff takes a hit, since it was still on 85% with the double crush.

You need to tighten it up then if its leaving uncracked grains

 

[rico567]

^^^^^^

Per the above post, when I first started with my Corona mill, my uncracked grains were all about failing to tighten down the plates enough. When I finally listened to the sage advice of "wilserbrewer," I started getting a great grist, and hitting all my numbers. That advice was something to the effect: "Crank it down until you're scared, then give it another quarter-turn."
I was originally going with the "credit card gauge," but that simply wasn't tight enough.

I also found out a while back that the speed of my drill had little to do with the crush. I have an ancient all-metal Craftsman 1/2 drill, old enough that the variable trigger has a dead spot between "too slow" and "pretty quick." I was trying to use the slower speed for a while, but one day I got impatient and milled fast, and the results were the same.

 

[tennesseean_87]

I've been hitting 80-90% for a while, and when I got my mill, I dialed down until sparges got slow-stuck, then backed off a bit. I'm sure my mill is set fine. My issue would have been related to crushing really fast with the drill. You're saying that hasn't mattered for you, but it seemed to matter for me after a cursory looking at my crush with the drill. Maybe I always have a few uncracked and enough flour to make up for it, and the drilling isn't a concern (I hope, it sure was fast and easy!).

 

[troy2000]

Hmm... I don't have time to read the whole thread, but that looks like the 'Farm Market' mill I got from Discount Tommy for 25 bucks... all the way down to the ill-fitting chunk of black rubber.

I've only used mine once, to mill some raw wheat. I was intending to grind all the grain for my saison with it, but the owner of Murrieta Homebrew Emporium was so quick to run them through his roller mill for free that I didn't have time to say so...

My solution to the way it sprays cracked grain around was just to stuff a piece of aluminum foil over the top and sides of the grinding plates. Primitive and completely inelegant; worked fine.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

I'll admit I had some apprehension on watching a video of your junk. Nice work.

Thanks, I figured that anyone wanting to expand the hopper size and didnt want to use wire and duck tape would appreciate it, I just milled a 13 lb grain bill with it and didnt have to stop every 30 seconds and refill the hopper. Its also nice for me in that I can remove it easily and store it away. One note is that the hopper is top heavy so the way I worked around this was to take a 5 gallon bucket and fill it with rocks and then slip the main bucket into the rock bucket. it is now stable, but I have some more upgrading to do. not to the hopper, thats perfect, but to the base. Thanks for watching the vid.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

Hmm... I don't have time to read the whole thread, but that looks like the 'Farm Market' mill I got from Discount Tommy for 25 bucks... all the way down to the ill-fitting chunk of black rubber.

I've only used mine once, to mill some raw wheat. I was intending to grind all the grain for my saison with it, but the owner of Murrieta Homebrew Emporium was so quick to run them through his roller mill for free that I didn't have time to say so...

My solution to the way it sprays cracked grain around was just to stuff a piece of aluminum foil over the top and sides of the grinding plates. Primitive and completely inelegant; worked fine.

Most LHBS should mill it for free. I buy my 2 row in bulk 50 lbs, and save about .30 to .70 per lb. So I had no choice, but to pull ours out of storage, I line the 5 gallon bucket with an over size bag and hold the bag around the drop of the mill i loose less than a 1/4 teaspoon of grain! way less!

 

[signpost]

Well, I haven't done anything to corral the grain, expand the hopper, or even attach a drill yet, but it was time to test out my corona mill anyway. I just used a big plastic bag I had saved from a NB all-grain kit, and held it in place over the mill outlet. Anyway, it was my first time grinding my own grain, so I busted out the camcorder and uploaded the video to youtube.



I got some good close-ups of the crush. I'd be curious how it compares with the crush the rest of you get. It looked good to me, but it didn't even seem like I had the plates tightened together all that much. I crushed this today, so I can brew the batch on Saturday. So, I'll find out what kind of efficiency I get from this crush soon.

 

[LandoLincoln]

It looked good to me, but it didn't even seem like I had the plates tightened together all that much. I crushed this today, so I can brew the batch on Saturday. So, I'll find out what kind of efficiency I get from this crush soon.

This grain mill is designed to grind grain into really fine particles, so don't be surprised that the plates seem awful loose. Your grind looks pretty good to me. I definitely wouldn't call it TOO fine, though.

 

[signpost]

I assume that means, it should be fine for this brew. But I could go ahead and tighten it up a bit the next time around.

Cool.

 

[dlovin]

New to HBT saw this thread and wanted to post pictures of my ugly mill

 

[troy2000]

OK, this setup is a take-off of wilserbrewer's design (post #144), with my own modifications. My Chinese Corona-style corn grinder is enclosed in a very sturdy food-grade bucket from Lowes, with lid. It's supported by a chunk of 2x4 Douglas fir, that's held in place with two pan head screws at either end. Yes, cutting and fitting that chunk of wood was loads of fun...

The bottom of the mill bucket is cut completely out. To use the mill, I drop it into a second bucket. When I'm finished grinding I simply pull the mill bucket out, leaving the grain behind.

My hopper is a 3 gal water jug from Winco, that I had originally bought for something else. I cut the bottom out with a Rotozip tool, but I wouldn't recommend anyone else doing it that way... if I had my druthers and could start over, I'd use the finest-toothed sabre saw blade I could find, and lay down a layer of tape first. Or better yet, cut it with a hot knife.

I set the mill off-center, so the shaft would stick through the side of the bucket and allow me to grind by hand. I had to put an extension on it anyway though, so the handle would clear the hopper. For power grinding with a drill motor, I just screw in the appropriate hex-head bolt and go after it with a drill motor. My battery-operated drills overheat and start smelling of burnt windings while I'm grinding, so I went to a heavy duty corded one. It downright sucks the grain out of the hopper...

I really like this setup. Setting it on a table or workbench places it at a good height for grinding, either by hand or with the drill. When I'm hand grinding, I lay my left arm across the lid to keep everything stable. But it isn't necessary when power grinding.

 

[troy2000]

New to HBT saw this thread and wanted to post pictures of my ugly mill

I just realized after looking at your setup that mine isn't official yet. It doesn't have any duct tape....

 

[yewtah-brewha]

OK, this setup is a take-off of wilserbrewer's design (post #144), with my own modifications. My Chinese Corona-style corn grinder is enclosed in a very sturdy food-grade bucket from Lowes, with lid. It's supported by a chunk of 2x4 Douglas fir, that's held in place with two pan head screws at either end. Yes, cutting and fitting that chunk of wood was loads of fun...

The bottom of the mill bucket is cut completely out. To use the mill, I drop it into a second bucket. When I'm finished grinding I simply pull the mill bucket out, leaving the grain behind.

My hopper is a 3 gal water jug from Winco, that I had originally bought for something else. I cut the bottom out with a Rotozip tool, but I wouldn't recommend anyone else doing it that way... if I had my druthers and could start over, I'd use the finest-toothed sabre saw blade I could find, and lay down a layer of tape first. Or better yet, cut it with a hot knife.

I set the mill off-center, so the shaft would stick through the side of the bucket and allow me to grind by hand. I had to put an extension on it anyway though, so the handle would clear the hopper. For power grinding with a drill motor, I just screw in the appropriate hex-head bolt and go after it with a drill motor. My battery-operated drills overheat and start smelling of burnt windings while I'm grinding, so I went to a heavy duty corded one. It downright sucks the grain out of the hopper...

I really like this setup. Placing it on a table or workbench places it at a good height for grinding, either by hand or with the drill. When I'm hand grinding, I lay my left arm across the lid to keep everything stable. But it isn't necessary when power grinding.

Nice work, I like the smaller water bucket, I am using the 5 gallon water container If I had to do it over again I would cut 1 inch below the taper, the reason for this is so I can put the bucket flat on my scale and fill the grain. the top would then snap on and could be inverted into the hopper, It would save me atleast 2 steps and dirtying a bowl!

 

[troy2000]

Nice work, I like the smaller water bucket, I am using the 5 gallon water container If I had to do it over again I would cut 1 inch below the taper, the reason for this is so I can put the bucket flat on my scale and fill the grain. the top would then snap on and could be inverted into the hopper, It would save me atleast 2 steps and dirtying a bowl!

Let me make sure I understand. Instead of cutting out the bottom, you'll cut the water jug in two an inch below the curved top, use it to weigh your grain in, then stuff the top part back over it so you can use it as a hopper?

Interesting thought. Have you tried it, to make sure the top will slip over the sides without too much trouble?

By the way: the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that a hot knife is the way to go when cutting the water jugs. They sell hot knife tips that screw on in place of the normal tips on soldering irons...

 

[inamays]

Here's version 2 of my ugly mill.

 

[deadfall]

Here's version 2 of my ugly mill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4V9mBEWEDM

Very nice. The only issue I see is you really need to stir the grain into the water. Dough balls are going to mess with your efficiency.

 

[rknerem]

I saw an Instructable page containing mods for corona mills, and the poster had removed the plate and cotter pin and cut threads on the shaft with a 1/2" die, and replaced the plate and pin with a nut and rubber o-ring. Just curious if anyone has tried this?

 

[Chefboubou]

Personnally, I wouldn't recommend this sinceI found a little rock mixed with my grain lately. Allowing the plate to wobble a bit allows also little rocks to go through without damaging tne plate I guess.....

 

[atimmerman88]

Personnally, I wouldn't recommend this sinceI found a little rock mixed with my grain lately. Allowing the plate to wobble a bit allows also little rocks to go through without damaging tne plate I guess.....

Wow....if your getting rocks in your grains.... Who knows what else is in there?!?

Whose your primary grain supplier

 

[hautlle]

Wow....if your getting rocks in your grains.... Who knows what else is in there?!?

Whose your primary grain supplier

I've had a small stone in with my 2-row from Canadian Malting, also some non-barley, dark black seeds. As long as it's the proper size and shape it will fit through the sieve they use to sift and sort the grains.

 

[Chefboubou]

Gambrinus malting ESB 2 row....

 

[Vellum]

I think rocks are somewhat common, I've had one in a bag if fawcett marries otter as well as weinman pilsner malt. Sorry for any misspelling, my phone keeps auto correcting to weird things.

 

[brewinginnc]

I dont mind the rocks. I guess efficiency suffers a little though.

 

[Oginme]

I saw an Instructable page containing mods for corona mills, and the poster had removed the plate and cotter pin and cut threads on the shaft with a 1/2" die, and replaced the plate and pin with a nut and rubber o-ring. Just curious if anyone has tried this?

I've made the modifications based upon this instructable and I think it has helped greatly in being able to adjust the grind. My change in the modification was to replace one of the metal washers with rubber washers, both behind the rotating head and at the side bolts. This gives the plates a slight ability to bounce with a large particle (rock) going through, although I've never seen it happen.

 

[Epimetheus]

The castings on my mill are so bad, they form pivot points for the moving plate. It would continue to wobble even if I cut threads and bolted it tightly. I have filed and Dremeled the surfaces to reduce the rocking but I have not eliminated it. I am certain the early mills before the 1970's were made to better tolerances - the molds were not worn out - and I will look in flea markets for an old one.

It still does a decent job. A few barley-sized pebbles and odd organic bits are acceptable in massive amounts of grain.