# Montser Mill Hopper Project



## Mantis (21/11/09)

Mill positioned on base





Attatched and tightned up to see if roller spin freely, and they did




Hole cut in bottom



Top plate for hopper attatched and tightned and rollers still spin freely, so all good so far




Bits for hopper cut out



Supports attatched to sides



Hopper put together and top plate and mill attatched




Base attatched 




Done




I also added a slide shutoff and the bottom of the hopper so I can fill the hopper, get the mill going then open the slide. Hopefully this will make the job easier and get the free spinning roller going 



Slide open



And closed


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## matt white (21/11/09)

Be careful that the mill doesnt move in the plywood. My first attempt using mdf saw the rollers end up scouring away the side of the rollers on the edge of the mill. I ended up going to the local alloy welders and came up with the following bling. Although not powered it does 5 kgs of grain in about three minutes.


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## sama (21/11/09)

gilbrew said:


> Be careful that the mill doesnt move in the plywood. My first attempt using mdf saw the rollers end up scouring away the side of the rollers on the edge of the mill. I ended up going to the local alloy welders and came up with the following bling. Although not powered it does 5 kgs of grain in about three minutes.




thats a tank of a hopper! nice


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## komodo (21/11/09)

Mantis nice work!

Gilbrew - thats a beefy looking hopper - how much did that set you back?


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## Mantis (21/11/09)

gilbrew said:


> Be careful that the mill doesnt move in the plywood. My first attempt using mdf saw the rollers end up scouring away the side of the rollers on the edge of the mill. I ended up going to the local alloy welders and came up with the following bling. Although not powered it does 5 kgs of grain in about three minutes.




Its 12mm ply so I dont think the mill will budge. Been using a marga mill mounted like this and only secured with crappy little screws to thin mdf and it hasnt moved in 40 odd brews.

Cant wait to try it out tommorow along with the new mash tun


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## matt white (21/11/09)

Komodo said:


> Mantis nice work!
> 
> Gilbrew - thats a beefy looking hopper - how much did that set you back?




The whole lot $400 incl mill


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## Mantis (22/11/09)

Well , once I got the gap set right and the new drill worked out this puppy chewed through the grain at one rapid rate. 
I did 5kg in the first lot and I am guessing less than a minute to chew it through
Now to see what eff I get, but I am using a mash tun for the first time as well so meh


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## komodo (22/11/09)

Its insane how quick these things are!


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## Mantis (22/11/09)

Komodo said:


> Its insane how quick these things are!



Yes, after using a marga and sitting holding the drill for 15mins to do what this thing did in 2, it is insane
Great looking crush too

I only got 67% eff today but I think I stuffed up the sparging


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## komodo (22/11/09)

Not great eff., but not bad concidering you've just made two MASSIVE changes to your brewery - infact I dont think there would be two other items in your brewery that you could change that would have as big of an impact as those two items so im not supprised to see a bit drop in efficiency on your first run.


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## brettprevans (23/11/09)

now mantis you just have to redraw the plans and post them so every one who just bought monstermills can copy it!

nice work fella.

re efficency, yeah dont worry bout it.


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## Mantis (23/11/09)

Thanks. 
If you want plans/dimensions I will have to measure it up as I just made as I went with the idea in mind of course of how I wanted it. 
The hopper is probably too big as I am guessing it will hold 15kg, so it could be pruned down a bit


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## brettprevans (23/11/09)

15kg is a great size as it accomadates double batches of about 6%. well all my double batch recipes of about 6% use about 13kg of grain


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## WarmBeer (4/2/10)

Any progress on posting the designs for the hopper/base, Mantis?

Am about to order an MM2, and am curious as to whether the design is within my tool-tard abilities, or whether I will need to rope in the (much more handy) father-in-law.


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## Kleiny (4/2/10)

WarmBeer said:


> Any progress on posting the designs for the hopper/base, Mantis?
> 
> Am about to order an MM2, and am curious as to whether the design is within my tool-tard abilities, or whether I will need to rope in the (much more handy) father-in-law.



Order one of the kits Warm for the hopper and base its reasonably priced, i just got one in the last buy.

You can even have my old hopper and base if you just need it to get started.

Kleiny


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## Cortez The Killer (4/2/10)

Here's mine http://hyperfox.info/webalbum03/rollermonstermill.html

A little less work than Mantis'

Here's a diagram of the build http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...st&p=334603

Cheers


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## Mantis (4/2/10)

I can go measure it up if you still want it, but the water bottle hopper above looks easier

Edit: to add that these mills are friggin awesome. 9kg of grain in 1min , and got 79% eff with the last brew


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (4/2/10)

out of curiosity, are the rollers on the grain mill just knurled rollers and a bit of plate at each end to retain them?


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## WarmBeer (4/2/10)

Mantis said:


> I can go measure it up if you still want it, but the water bottle hopper above looks easier



I agree, gonna keep an eye out for some empty water bottles.

Kleiny, thanks for the offer, but don't think I'm going to get up your way for a while.

Cheers


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## husky (5/2/10)

Is anyone able to take some accurate measurments of the MM2? Mainly bolt spaces and sizes for hopper and base and end plate dimensions. Working for a steel fabricator, I would like to get a hopper and base drawn up so I can have it made up before I order a mill(when funding permits).
Im in Knox and work in Dandy South if anyone in the area is looking at purchasing a mill soon, let me know.
edit:Just looked up the density of brewers grain to be 432kg/cubic metre, how many kg of grain to people recommend a hopper be built to hold?


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## Fourstar (5/2/10)

husky said:


> edit:Just looked up the density of brewers grain to be 432kg/cubic metre, how many kg of grain to people recommend a hopper be built to hold?



14-15L servies to be enough for a single batch (23L) of 1.50-1.60 OG wort. Its roughly 600g per L.

Im currently using an ikea dustbin which is 14L ($2 bucks) strapped to the top of my mill hopper plate. Works well, just the last 200g you have to shake the bucket around to get the lat bit of grain to fall into the mill.


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## brettprevans (4/3/10)

upgraded time - finally got around to putting my new monstermill hopper and base together - link


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## Kleiny (4/3/10)

citymorgue2 said:


> upgraded time - finally got around to putting my new monstermill hopper and base together - link



Hey CM2

My hopper seems to be too tight of a fit and doesn't allow the rollers to turn freely. It does not really worry me it just mens i need to do some custom mods. Did you have the same problem or did it all fit together without a hitch?

Kleiny


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## brettprevans (4/3/10)

Kleiny said:


> Hey CM2
> 
> My hopper seems to be too tight of a fit and doesn't allow the rollers to turn freely. It does not really worry me it just mens i need to do some custom mods. Did you have the same problem or did it all fit together without a hitch?
> 
> Kleiny


ahh bugger didnt even think to give it a test run. but then again it was 10pm when i started putting to together. will go home and try tonight. everthing else went together ok. the nuts were a bit of a PITA to tighten as you had to hold the other end with a screw driver or vice-versa. but other than that it seemed to fit together ok. and base is big enugh to fit over a 25L 'bunnings' fementor that i use as my grain bin. 

will try tonight. maybe with some metal hard rye.


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## komodo (4/3/10)

mine spins freely - if anything its opened the rollers a bit from the side so theres a bit of play. I've had to off set my 10" pulley on the shaft to stop it banging up against the aluminium. 
Also I dont thing I'd want any bigger than a 10" pulleyor you'd have clearance problems with the hopper.


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## brettprevans (4/3/10)

Komodo said:


> mine spins freely - if anything its opened the rollers a bit from the side so theres a bit of play. I've had to off set my 10" pulley on the shaft to stop it banging up against the aluminium.
> Also I dont thing I'd want any bigger than a 10" pulleyor you'd have clearance problems with the hopper.


im using a high torque drill so thats no issues for me. but it does seem to be a good amount of clearance for the drill so im happy


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## komodo (4/3/10)

Having just gone from a drill to a pulley setup - OMG its a fricken weapon. Dont get me wrong the drill was doing a mighty fine job. But having a dedicated bit of machinery... Well lets just say it makes me feel rather well endowed.


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## Hutch (4/3/10)

Komodo said:


> Having just gone from a drill to a pulley setup - OMG its a fricken weapon. Dont get me wrong the drill was doing a mighty fine job. But having a dedicated bit of machinery... Well lets just say it makes me feel rather well endowed.


+1.

I used a high-torque cordless drill for about a year until I stripped the gear-box (grrrr), so I bit the bullet and motorised it using one of these motors from Oatley.
No pulleys or gears, just direct spider coupling - 2 minutes to crush 5kg, all from 12V. Too easy.

Will post picks some time soon.


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## AndrewQLD (4/3/10)

Hutch said:


> +1.
> 
> I used a high-torque cordless drill for about a year until I stripped the gear-box (grrrr), so I bit the bullet and motorised it using one of these motors from Oatley.
> No pulleys or gears, just direct spider coupling - 2 minutes to crush 5kg, all from 12V. Too easy.
> ...



That's what I have been using for the last 2 years Hutch, great little motor with a ton of torque, I've powered mine with a 12 amp AC to DC power adaptor and it just grinds through the grains without missing a beat.

Andrew


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## WarmBeer (4/3/10)

Hutch said:


> +1.
> 
> I used a high-torque cordless drill for about a year until I stripped the gear-box (grrrr), so I bit the bullet and motorised it using one of these motors from Oatley.
> No pulleys or gears, just direct spider coupling - 2 minutes to crush 5kg, all from 12V. Too easy.
> ...



Nice looking motor, Hutch.

Noticed this motor and speed controller package on their website, at a bargain price of < $30! It doesn't have any technical details, but wondering if anybody has experience with these motors, and whether they would be sufficient to drive a mill?


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## Hutch (4/3/10)

AndrewQLD said:


> That's what I have been using for the last 2 years Hutch, great little motor with a ton of torque, I've powered mine with a 12 amp AC to DC power adaptor and it just grinds through the grains without missing a beat.
> 
> Andrew



Yep, I think I might have got the idea from you, most likely!
I'd be interested in what power supply you're using - I tried a PC power supply (rated at 20+A @ 12V), and it couldn't handle the in-rush current required, so I use a 12V gel-cell instead.



WarmBeer said:


> Nice looking motor, Hutch.
> 
> Noticed this motor and speed controller package on their website, at a bargain price of < $30! It doesn't have any technical details, but wondering if anybody has experience with these motors, and whether they would be sufficient to drive a mill?


My guess is that it wouldn't have the torque required to turn a MM.
The one I'm using is geared, and spins at 350RPM with no load, probably about half that pulling grain. I'm only running mine at 12V (half it's rated voltage) with no spead controller, and surprisingly it goes fine without stalling, though tends to slow right down with narrow gap settings (below 0.75mm).

Sorry for going off topic - probably should shift this discussion to one of the motorised mill threads.


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## AndrewQLD (4/3/10)

Hutch said:


> Yep, I think I might have got the idea from you, most likely!
> I'd be interested in what power supply you're using - I tried a PC power supply (rated at 20+A @ 12V), and it couldn't handle the in-rush current required, so I use a 12V gel-cell instead.



It's a 12v 12amp switch-mode adapter, centre pin positive 150w and it's fan cooled.
Best of all it's made in China  





Andrew


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## Batz (4/3/10)

Hutch said:


> +1.
> 
> I used a high-torque cordless drill for about a year until I stripped the gear-box (grrrr), so I bit the bullet and motorised it using one of these motors from Oatley.
> No pulleys or gears, just direct spider coupling - 2 minutes to crush 5kg, all from 12V. Too easy.
> ...




That ones 24v, do they have 12v models as well?

What about a link to the coupling? Yes please post a few pictures as well.

Batz


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## AndrewQLD (4/3/10)

This is the spider coupler I used from jaycar Batz, simply drilled out one end a little to fit the mill shaft and the motor shaft fit straight in the other end, the ends are tightened with grub screws.




Jaycar spider coupler

Andrew


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## Kleiny (4/3/10)

Andrew and Hutch

could either or both of you put together or point in direction of a thread that has all the parts you used where you got them from and some pics of the finished project.

I think there may be more people interested than just me.

Kleiny


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## Hutch (4/3/10)

Kleiny said:


> Andrew and Hutch
> 
> could either or both of you put together or point in direction of a thread that has all the parts you used where you got them from and some pics of the finished project.
> 
> ...



Here's a link to AndrewQLD's post with more info on mounting and specs.

I used the exact same spider coupler AndrewQLD posted above. It does have to be drilled out to fit the motor shaft, which was a little tricky to do acurately without a drill press.
Other than that, you just need some way of mounting the motor so that it's shaft is in line with the mill shaft. I got some heavy steel angle-brackets and suitable bolts from the Green warehouse, but you could easily mount it using timber bracket. I was a little unsure of the torque load and"wobble-factor", so went the galvanised steal option, which allows a little flex when it's running (to accomodate my poor drilling of the coupler!).

Pictures would help more than me babbling - I'll try to remember to post a few pics of my mounting when I get home tonight - I have my mill above the base-plate, so this may help those of you with the same configuration (Andrew's is mounted below the base-plate).


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## Hutch (6/3/10)

Some pics of my mounting hardware.
Made with bits from Bunnings - I don't have access to welding equipment, so made do with galv steel, an angle-grinder and a few bolts.
Does the job fine, though looks a bit of a botch-job!


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## brettprevans (9/3/10)

Love it Hutch. I have those big galv plates at home for a differant project. they are awsome.

no need for welding. the bolts look like they do a fine job and its nice and neat.


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## Kleiny (9/3/10)

Hutch said:


> Some pics of my mounting hardware.
> Made with bits from Bunnings - I don't have access to welding equipment, so made do with galv steel, an angle-grinder and a few bolts.
> Does the job fine, though looks a bit of a botch-job!



Thanks hutch im going to have to motorize my mill and those motors look the goods.


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## brettprevans (9/3/10)

Kleiny said:


> My hopper seems to be too tight of a fit and doesn't allow the rollers to turn freely. It does not really worry me it just mens i need to do some custom mods. Did you have the same problem or did it all fit together without a hitch?
> 
> Kleiny





citymorgue2 said:


> ahh bugger didnt even think to give it a test run. will try tonight. maybe with some metal hard rye.



reporting back on this. all is fine with my mill. seems to turn freely. so maybe a manufacturing issue?


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## Leigh (9/3/10)

Looks the goods. Thread tracked for future reference when I firstly assemble, and later motorise my mill...


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## Kleiny (9/3/10)

citymorgue2 said:


> reporting back on this. all is fine with my mill. seems to turn freely. so maybe a manufacturing issue?



CM2 i turned my mill upside down and there was plenty of room. 

Kleiny


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## Kleiny (26/3/10)

Hutch said:


> Some pics of my mounting hardware.
> Made with bits from Bunnings - I don't have access to welding equipment, so made do with galv steel, an angle-grinder and a few bolts.
> Does the job fine, though looks a bit of a botch-job!
> View attachment 36165
> View attachment 36166




I have one of these motors and im looking how to power it.

guys using them do you use batteries or a power supply

Andrew i know you posted a power supply but you say its 12v the motor is 24v is this right and does that work or is it doing harm to the motor?

Kleiny


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## AndrewQLD (26/3/10)

Kleiny said:


> I have one of these motors and im looking how to power it.
> 
> guys using them do you use batteries or a power supply
> 
> ...



Yep, it's 12 volt and I wanted the 12 volt supply to slow the motor speed down from the 320 rpm to around 150 rpm, no it doesn't harm the motor at all and the slower rpm gives a better crush with less shearing.

Andrew


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## Kleiny (26/3/10)

Thanks Andrew

where did you get it?


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## AndrewQLD (26/3/10)

I get them from one of my wholesalers kleiny, I'd be happy to order one in for you if you want, my buy price from memory was around $65.00 so they are not cheap.

Andrew


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## gava (6/4/10)

AndrewQLD said:


> I get them from one of my wholesalers kleiny, I'd be happy to order one in for you if you want, my buy price from memory was around $65.00 so they are not cheap.
> 
> Andrew



Ill be up for one of them, Just ordered a motor today..

cheers
gav


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## gava (11/4/10)

Its not a monster mill mod its a marga but cheers for the motor idea.. used the spider coupler also, tested and working now just have to put some guards around mill so I dont loose all the goods 

cheers guys!


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## sav (11/4/10)

This is a gear box I got off my dad, it is 60-1 ratio so on the drill it has no load. 

This mill is going about 100rpm.


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