Will it work? (try not to laugh)

[BubbaMan]

I picked this up from the local Goodwill today, hoping to use it to mill grain. I don't plan on making batches bigger then 10 gallons (probably only 5 gal.).

Goodwill accepts returns, so don't feel afraid to tell me if I chose poorly.

 

[Jtk78]

Not sure if it would work to crush grain, but if not that would make a sweet lamp.

 

[imasickboy]

It will definitely work. Here's a whole thread of people using those: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=90849

 

[urg8rb8]

It will work for sure! However it looks rusted! Lol. How much did you pay for it? Looks like double-digit dollars?

 

[Calder]

It will work fine. It just has a small hopper. Do some research, some people have fashioned cheap grain hoppers for these mills. I think some use plastic milk jugs.

You can also adapt it to use a drill to drive it.

 

[BubbaMan]

It will work for sure! However it looks rusted! Lol. How much did you pay for it? Looks like double-digit dollars?

It was $15. It's rusted but appears to have lots of life in it after a good cleanup. The Goodwill around here has meat grinders all the time, in fact has 4-5 of them right now...but this is the first time I saw a grain mill. There are a lot of Mennonites and Amish around here and they use stuff like this.

 

[BubbaMan]

It will definitely work. Here's a whole thread of people using those: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=90849

Thanks for that link...it really helps!

 

[kh54s10]

Well it is a corona style mill. There are plenty that use them, myself included. Clean it up make a guard over the grind plates, and a hopper.

At $15 you saved between $5 and $10 on a brand new one but....

 

[BubbaMan]

So, now that I see that everyone is "motorizing" these things...it begs the question...exactly how many 5 gallon buckets of grain am I gonna have to grind to make a 5 gallon batch of beer?

 

[urg8rb8]

It was $15. It's rusted but appears to have lots of life in it after a good cleanup. The Goodwill around here has meat grinders all the time, in fact has 4-5 of them right now...but this is the first time I saw a grain mill. There are a lot of Mennonites and Amish around here and they use stuff like this.

Return that thing! Spend five more bucks and get a new one that isn't rusted!

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Return that thing! Spend five more bucks and get a new one that isn't rusted!

What?!? Just use a wire brush and some steel wool and clean it off. Good as new when you are finished.

And motorizing is simple. I just used an old fan motor and attached it to the crank. Then wired up a normal cord. Works like a charm.

Good luck.

 

[imasickboy]

So, now that I see that everyone is "motorizing" these things...it begs the question...exactly how many 5 gallon buckets of grain am I gonna have to grind to make a 5 gallon batch of beer?

A batch worth of grain, after milling, is typically around half a bucket.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

A standard beer (ale or lager) requires around 8-1/2 to 12 lbs. of barley malt (grains) for 5-1/2 gallon to the fermenter batches, Going about it via crushed grain volume will not be as consistently repeatable as using weight measure.

Try 10 lbs. to start. Barley malt is often sold in 10 lb. bags, making this an easy choice for a single malt brew.

 

[kh54s10]

So, now that I see that everyone is "motorizing" these things...it begs the question...exactly how many 5 gallon buckets of grain am I gonna have to grind to make a 5 gallon batch of beer?

It depends on the beer. You could use between 5 and 25 pounds of grain. It would not fill one five gallon bucket.

 

[BubbaMan]

@urg8rb8
@kh54s10
@Silver_Is_Money
@imasickboy
@brandonlovesbeer

Thank you all for your help.
This is a great forum with a lot of really helpful people!

I thought about returning it, especially since a call to the local farm store reveals that a new one is on the shelf for $27, but I've already cleaned up the old one. It cleaned up well and I think I'll just go with it.

 

[urg8rb8]

@urg8rb8
@kh54s10
@Silver_Is_Money
@imasickboy
@brandonlovesbeer

Thank you all for your help.
This is a great forum with a lot of really helpful people!

I thought about returning it, especially since a call to the local farm store reveals that a new one is on the shelf for $27, but I've already cleaned up the old one. It cleaned up well and I think I'll just go with it.

Awesome! Show us a pic?

I use a Corona style grain mill as well for my grains and it works wonderfully!

 

[Transamguy77]

I've been using a corona mill for the last 5 years and have put several sacks worth of grain through it.

Your gonna want to look into a motor because hand cranking 10+ lbs is tiring and takes a bit of time to go through.

 

[kh54s10]

What?!? Just use a wire brush and some steel wool and clean it off. Good as new when you are finished.

And motorizing is simple. I just used an old fan motor and attached it to the crank. Then wired up a normal cord. Works like a charm.

Good luck.

What kind of fan motor did you use?? I had to get a more powerful drill motor. 1/2 inch Harbor Freight hammer drill with the hammer feature turned off. My 3/8 drill motors struggled and almost overheated.

 

[Calder]

Return that thing! Spend five more bucks and get a new one that isn't rusted!

The rust just looks like it is on the surface. A little wire wool should get rid of most if not all of it.

Agreed it is cheaper than new at $15, but not sure it is the greatest bargain, since you need to cean it up. I got a new one with a large hopper (like the one in kh54s10's picture) for $30 delivered a few years ago. But once you clean it up, it should work like new.

I am not as 'productionized' as kh54s10. I just clamp it to a table and put a large baking dish under it to catch the grain. I have to empty the baking dish roughly each time I fill the hopper.

Not really sure the volume grain takes up (never measured it), but at a guess, 8 lbs of milled grain is about 2 gallons.

 

[Calder]

I had to get a more powerful drill motor. 1/2 inch Harbor Freight hammer drill with the hammer feature turned off. My 3/8 drill motors struggled and almost overheated.

I just use a RIDGID 18 volt battery drill. Works fine.

 

[kh54s10]

I just use a RIDGID 18 volt battery drill. Works fine.

I also have a battery drill, but it is a small one and will not handle the load.

I find that I do not use battery operated appliances often enough to make it worth the cost in batteries, so I am replacing them all with corded ones. My last battery for my drill, about 9 volt, got me about 4-5 uses over a couple of years until it would no longer take a charge. So almost $10 per use......

My question to a post was about a fan motor. What kind of fan motor has enough torque to grind the grain?