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Post by brewbama on Sept 30, 2021 7:05:04 GMT -6
A mill with a passive roller could be “driven” by an o-ring installed on the active roller (if the mill can be disassembled to install the o-ring). Such a setup would provide slip protection that a geared mill wouldn’t provide if something were to get into the mill (i.e. a rock or twig).
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Post by Ken on Feb 19, 2022 11:02:34 GMT -6
I'm posting this in one of our many mill threads. Last week when I brewed my first batch in this place my mill was not cooperating. It was also the first time I was using a new cordless drill... which, of course should not matter but it was a data point. I got through it but there was a delay and some swearing. I am brewing now and prior to milling I just decided to take some compressed air and clean up the rollers, etc. Super smooth milling today. I don't know that I have ever used compressed air on the rollers (I have cleaned them with the hose) but it really made things smoother today. Very similar grain bill last week and this week... 2-row, crystal, wheat.
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Post by tommymorris on Feb 19, 2022 13:16:22 GMT -6
Interesting. My mill has been cooperating lately, but that seems like a good tip. Especially since I own an air compressor
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Post by gusso on Feb 19, 2022 15:42:08 GMT -6
I always blow out my mill after I'm done.
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Post by brewbama on Feb 19, 2022 21:26:24 GMT -6
I always *think* about blowing out my mill occasionally, sometimes, oh what the… I haven’t done it in a long @$$ time. I’ll put it on the to-do list.
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Post by Ken on Feb 20, 2022 8:28:11 GMT -6
As I started to mill yesterday, the mill caught the grain immediately and the milling was super smooth. I run the grain through the mill twice so I poured it out and back into the hopper and started to mill again and everything was going well until I had about ¼ of the grain left in the hopper and then things slowed down. It eventually worked but that suggested that dust in and around the rollers might make it so it won't grab the kernels properly. When it was extra-clean... it worked. So I will probably hit it with compressed air before milling each time going forward. The mill not cooperating might be the most frustrating thing I have dealt with on brewday... mainly because I'm thinking IF I CAN'T MILL THIS GRAIN, THE WHOLE BREWDAY IS DOWN THE TOILET!!
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Post by denny on Feb 21, 2022 13:08:20 GMT -6
As I started to mill yesterday, the mill caught the grain immediately and the milling was super smooth. I run the grain through the mill twice so I poured it out and back into the hopper and started to mill again and everything was going well until I had about ¼ of the grain left in the hopper and then things slowed down. It eventually worked but that suggested that dust in and around the rollers might make it so it won't grab the kernels properly. When it was extra-clean... it worked. So I will probably hit it with compressed air before milling each time going forward. The mill not cooperating might be the most frustrating thing I have dealt with on brewday... mainly because I'm thinking IF I CAN'T MILL THIS GRAIN, THE WHOLE BREWDAY IS DOWN THE TOILET!! One reason I mill the day before.
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Post by cliffs on Feb 23, 2022 10:29:06 GMT -6
I have had a three roller for a while now. It really is nice. The crush it gives is just beautiful
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Post by Ken on Feb 23, 2022 13:16:20 GMT -6
Loosely related tangent: I have been using some compressed air (in cans) lately because I have been doing a lot of work in my new place. It's a bit spendy. I went onto Amazon to look for more when I noticed they make USB-charged "compressed air" guns that are portable. After looking at a few and reading reviews, I bought THIS one. It's got some nice power. No, it's not a compressor-strength gizmo but it's got some good mojo. I'll use this on my mill rollers each time I use it.
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Post by Ken on Feb 26, 2022 13:15:31 GMT -6
I milled this morning for my blonde ale (GW 2-row, Vienna, Copper Malt, all Liberty hops, S-04) and blew off the rollers with that gizmo above prior to milling. Super smooth milling session. This is probably something I should have been doing all along. The instructions for most mills suggest we keep them clean knowing how much dust they see. When I was done I blew it out again so it's ready for next time. Toodles Beerheads.
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Post by denny on Feb 27, 2022 13:32:51 GMT -6
I have had a three roller for a while now. It really is nice. The crush it gives is just beautiful But has that beautiful crush improved your beer or your brewing experience?
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Post by cliffs on Mar 4, 2022 9:52:20 GMT -6
I have had a three roller for a while now. It really is nice. The crush it gives is just beautiful But has that beautiful crush improved your beer or your brewing experience? It makes dough in easier and I get clearer runoff faster, so in that respect it has improved my brewing experience. As far as beer quality goes, probably not.
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Post by Ken on Mar 4, 2022 10:59:50 GMT -6
The crush itself is kind of strange because we're all going to have our own experiences. At some point I found myself in a thread where we crushed grain and took some pics. This is a good way to at least SEE the crush of other brewers so you know what to expect and you can compare. When I showed pictures of mine, some mentioned that they saw too many whole kernels. I think I started to mill TWO times after that. In various books, you see it mentioned that we just want to lightly crack the grains, not pulverize them. Other times you see brewers say CRUSH IT UNTIL YOU'RE SCARED! I don't know what the middle ground or ideal crush looks like but I seem to have found a good place with my milling process.
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Post by cliffs on Mar 4, 2022 15:22:28 GMT -6
The crush itself is kind of strange because we're all going to have our own experiences. At some point I found myself in a thread where we crushed grain and took some pics. This is a good way to at least SEE the crush of other brewers so you know what to expect and you can compare. When I showed pictures of mine, some mentioned that they saw too many whole kernels. I think I started to mill TWO times after that. In various books, you see it mentioned that we just want to lightly crack the grains, not pulverize them. Other times you see brewers say CRUSH IT UNTIL YOU'RE SCARED! I don't know what the middle ground or ideal crush looks like but I seem to have found a good place with my milling process. alot of the info on crush we get comes from probrewers, where stuck mashes are a real concern, and grain bed compaction is very worrisome. Us homebrewers simply dont have to worry about it that much. Most homebrewers that I've come across (myself included) crush much finer than commercial brewers
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Post by gusso on Mar 4, 2022 20:37:08 GMT -6
The crush itself is kind of strange because we're all going to have our own experiences. At some point I found myself in a thread where we crushed grain and took some pics. This is a good way to at least SEE the crush of other brewers so you know what to expect and you can compare. When I showed pictures of mine, some mentioned that they saw too many whole kernels. I think I started to mill TWO times after that. In various books, you see it mentioned that we just want to lightly crack the grains, not pulverize them. Other times you see brewers say CRUSH IT UNTIL YOU'RE SCARED! I don't know what the middle ground or ideal crush looks like but I seem to have found a good place with my milling process. alot of the info on crush we get comes from probrewers, where stuck mashes are a real concern, and grain bed compaction is very worrisome. Us homebrewers simply dont have to worry about it that much. Most homebrewers that I've come across (myself included) crush much finer than commercial brewers I crush very fine with my BIAB (actually mash in a bag). Works for me.
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