# How To: Modify A Marga Mill.



## fixa (12/1/07)

So when i was looking at buying this mill, there was a bit of info out there about it, but no pictorial on how to modify it for home brew use. So here i go. :huh: 

The mill ready to be modified;






Easiest job first, use the grain hopper supplied, and make it wider; by wider i mean so it goes the width of the mill, not just a narrow slot like it is now. (photo to come of this)

Use a small flat blade screwdriver, and a mallet, and hit the adjuster cap at the join between the knob and the cap, and the cap will cock to one side. It took a fair blow, and if it doesn't move, move say 1cm left or right and give it another hit;












So now you take the cap off and this is whats underneath;







Now pry the white plastic spring off the spindle and the adjuster knob will come off. But first... adjust the knob until the top two rollers ;







Are at their widest setting. Note where on the knob the locking notch is. On mine it was just near the number 1 marked on the knob (if you look closely you can see the 1 on the outside of the knob. Note this position may not be exactly the same for each mill). The, take the knob off, and drill it;








The hole i drilled is the one all by its lonesome. The size is slightly larger than the others due to my spasticness in not drilling it exactly in the centre of the knob.

Then, I put the knob back on, to lock the upper rollers into position. Now you need to adjust the crush gap;








This gap should be 0.060 thou (see post #14). Use the adjusting nuts;








and








to adjust this gap. It is important to ensure that the gap is even;IE the same at both ends of the roller.
Then, put the white plastic spring back on over the adjuster knob, put the cap back on, and roberts your fathers brother. :chug: 

This took me under 20 mins to do all of the above, except for the very first step.

Now all's left is to make a bigger hopper!!

Hope this helps some.


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## therook (12/1/07)

Theres been some helpfull hints on this, but FIXA this is legendary :beer: 

rook


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## fixa (12/1/07)

Cheers mate! hope this helps!


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## lonte (12/1/07)

If you are a little apprehensive attacking a brand new $95 mill I found 1 bottle of Pale Ale and 1 bottle of IPA prior to commencing work settles the nerves. Booze and power tools, what a mix! Also, call it luck but I haven't had to adjust my crush gap at all; I just left it as delivered and have gotten 75-80% efficiency on the first two brews.


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## Cortez The Killer (12/1/07)

Makes my approach look a little fiddly 

Great photos!

Cheers


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## Adamt (12/1/07)

I think this would make a great addition to the wiki.

Well done!


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## DarkFaerytale (12/1/07)

top work Fixa, i'v never even seen a marga befor and even i get this how to guide

unfortunatly taking a drill to a 95$ mill gives me the heebies, any word from Ross on if/when he will start selling modified mills?

-Phill


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## Ross (12/1/07)

DarkFaerytale said:


> top work Fixa, i'v never even seen a marga befor and even i get this how to guide
> 
> unfortunatly taking a drill to a 95$ mill gives me the heebies, any word from Ross on if/when he will start selling modified mills?
> 
> -Phill



Phill,

After seeing Fixa's excellent post, I may have to make it sooner rather than later. I have a new order on the way but been told it will be a while, so will take a look when they arrive. 1 unmodified left in stock at the moment.
Also, for those that want it, here is Screwtops excellent hopper design:
View attachment Mill_Hopper.doc


cheers Ross.


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## fixa (12/1/07)

Thanks guys.
Really, the only part your drilling is the adjusting knob, so your not really stuffing it if you get it wrong. As Ross pointed out to me, you can just tape the adjuster in place if you don't want to mod it. But it's dead set easy, one hole drilled and thats it.


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## Thirsty Boy (12/1/07)

Cool, $95.00 for one of these is a hell of a lot cheaper than any other roller mill, even if it does require a bit of drilling.

I have actually been looking at pasta making machines and thinking that they look a hell of a lot like roller mills to me. Any thoughts about whether they might work or not?? I suspect the fact that the rollers aren't knurled might be the killer for this idea.

Thrsty

PS: Thanks for the photso and info fixa. I think that one of these puppies might just be for me


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## barls (12/1/07)

what are you on thirsty boy i can plainly see the knurling in this picture


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## benno1973 (12/1/07)

That aint no pasta maker - that's a Marga Flour mill. Pasta makers don't have knurling, which puts the kaibosh on using it as a grain mill... 

Oh, and thanks for the piccies fixa - just got my mill yesterday and will be using your instructions for the upgrade!...


EDIT: Added polite thanks to fixa - why didn't I include this originally?...


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## eric8 (12/1/07)

He's talking about the pasta roller Barls.


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## fixa (17/1/07)

Folks;
I have amended the crush gap to 60 thou. 40-45 was way too fine, much flour ensued.
You can adjust this gap to suit your own needs, and maybe even 60 was a tad fine.


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## Screwtop (17/1/07)

fixa said:


> Folks;
> I have amended the crush gap to 60 thou. 40-45 was way too fine, much flour ensued.
> You can adjust this gap to suit your own needs, and maybe even 60 was a tad fine.




You sure it's 60 thou fixa, check your feeler guage. Couldn't get the gap that wide by any stretch of the imagination on my Marga. Sure it wasn't .60 mm not .060 Inch.

One of the most important factors when using a Marga is to mill using very low speed, otherwise lots of husk tearing and lots of flour. You want to go as slow as possible on the low speed of your drill, 250 - 500 rpm if possible, provides a really good crush. All you really want to do is squeeze the grain to make it break up into pieces, which will then fall out of the husk.
Cheers


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## fixa (17/1/07)

yeah. pretty sure its 60 thou. I was hand cranking too, so speed wasn't the issue. Even at this setting, some broken grains and stripped husks aswell.... more tinkering i guess. But got 75% efficiency with this crush


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## Screwtop (17/1/07)

fixa said:


> yeah. pretty sure its 60 thou. I was hand cranking too, so speed wasn't the issue. Even at this setting, some broken grains and stripped husks aswell.... more tinkering i guess. But got 75% efficiency with this crush




Hey fix, gotta be happy with that eff you'll be up at 80+ real quick after tinkering with your mash and sparge tecniques. Broken grains - good, torn husks = feed gap too narrow.

Diagram Here Post # 61


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## fixa (17/1/07)

Cheers. Thanks screwtop. Yeah, that's where i got the 40 45 thou from. Far too narrow for my mill...


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## DrewCarey82 (17/1/07)

I've only done one batch but my efficiency was fine on what I think must be the mid setting.


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## warrenlw63 (17/1/07)

Screwtop said:


> One of the most important factors when using a Marga is to mill using very low speed, otherwise lots of husk tearing and lots of flour. You want to go as slow as possible on the low speed of your drill, 250 - 500 rpm



Yep. Screwtop's right. Best way to ensure this too IMO is to use an 18V cordless drill rather than a variable speed drill. Seems less ham fisted. 

Warren -


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## DrewCarey82 (17/1/07)

Lazy bastards!

Just use the crank lol.


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## Screwtop (17/1/07)

warrenlw63 said:


> Seems less ham fisted.
> 
> Warren -



You know me then! All the finesse of a bull in a china shop


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## jimmy01 (20/1/07)

Received my Marga and done the mods(except hopper). Only about 30mins work and I'm not handy with these sorts of things. So if I can do it I think anyone can

Thanks to everyone who posted hints on this thread

Fixa's photos were spot on and Screwtop, your diagram helped me understand what I needed to do with the rollers - except I also had to go with.060" for the gap Link

Done the first crush for a Pils I'm doing on Sunday. Not too bad doing the crush by hand. Will defiintely have to build a bigger hopper, though.

Cheers
Jimmy


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## fixa (20/1/07)

Good work Jimmy!
I did my first crush by hand to. Crushing 6kgs by hand has balls on it. Need to get a bit for the cordless drill for the next crush.


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## grabman (16/2/07)

top effort Fixa, geez sort of wish I seen this before I laid out on a crankenstsien, 

but hey a mill is a mill is a keg of beer!! (at least in the end anyway)

Grab


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## mimerbryg (5/3/07)

Inspired by this and other threads I bought a Marga Mill a while ago.
Today I give the hopper its first paint:






To-do list:
- paint again with teak and dustgreen colour
- give it a colourless wax
- make a house for the motor (motor is a disassembled power drill)
- assemble a speedcontrol for motor
- make a base for mill and motor

Thanks for a wonderfull forum

Kind regards
Flemming


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## fixa (5/3/07)

Nice work flemming! looks great!


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## lucas (7/5/07)

seeking some clarification. I get the part about opening the feed gap right up but the crush gap is a little foggy (i do understand which gap is the crush gap thanks to screwtop's diagram). am I right in thinking that this gap is adjusted by the nuts on either side of the mill and I need to adjust both so the gap is equal at both ends? how do you adjust the one at the end with the cap without altering the feed gap? when I turn it with the cap off it moves the feed gap too.

also, I dont have a set of feeler gauges. can anyone tell me something pretty standard that would be about the right width for the crush gap? would a drivers licence/credit card (ignoring the impressed text) be too thin/thick/about right?


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## hughman666 (7/5/07)

lucas said:


> seeking some clarification. I get the part about opening the feed gap right up but the crush gap is a little foggy (i do understand which gap is the crush gap thanks to screwtop's diagram). am I right in thinking that this gap is adjusted by the nuts on either side of the mill and I need to adjust both so the gap is equal at both ends? how do you adjust the one at the end with the cap without altering the feed gap? when I turn it with the cap off it moves the feed gap too.
> 
> also, I dont have a set of feeler gauges. can anyone tell me something pretty standard that would be about the right width for the crush gap? would a drivers licence/credit card (ignoring the impressed text) be too thin/thick/about right?



i got my feeler gauge from bunnings for $8. well worth it as the crush gap width is critical.


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## lucas (7/5/07)

ah, If they're that cheap I'll pick one up tonight


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## Maxt (7/5/07)

Another mod...I added a dynabolt to the shaft, and now the cordless drill works a treat!


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## Cortez The Killer (9/5/07)

Maxt said:


> Another mod...I added a dynabolt to the shaft, and now the cordless drill works a treat!



That's a brilliant idea - I'm gonna give it a go

Does the dyna bolt cause any damage to the hole?

Cheers


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## stillscottish (10/5/07)

I modded my mill as per the info in this thread but felt that the gap was a little bit narrow and very slow to draw grain in.
What I did yesterday as I was crushing was open the gap a little using the knob and slowly closed it until grain looked just right coming out. Marked the position, drilled another hole and got the best crush ever.
I haven't measured the gap yet but the new hole was right beside the existing one so it hasn't opened it up that much more but obviously just enough to give me the right crush with the grain I'm using.
It's easy to drill knob without taking it off, just put a little bit of timber behind it as someone said here somewhere.

Campbell


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## Cortez The Killer (10/5/07)

stillscottish said:


> as someone said here somewhere.


That was me!


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## warrenlw63 (10/5/07)

Maxt said:


> Another mod...I added a dynabolt to the shaft, and now the cordless drill works a treat!



Sounds vaguely similar to what I did with mine. Works well and no more jumping screwdriver blade. :beerbang: 

Warren -


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## stillscottish (10/5/07)

Cortez The Killer said:


> That was me!



Shhh, I'm reading this at work just now and it keeps getting in the way of proper attribution.

Campbell
having a reasonably quiet arvo so far


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## Maxt (10/5/07)

Dyna bolt just happily crushed 6kg of grain tonight. Has not missed a beat since I put it on (after I used a screwdriver bit on the drill and gouged the beejezus out of the spindle).


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## dicko (10/5/07)

Hah! Good old Marga Molino!!

I modified and used one for a good many AG brews when I first started out.
They are a good mill and do the job quite well.
All Marga users need to know that the mill is essentually is a flour mill and it its original form will produce flour (for bread making).
The gearing on a Marga Mill has a differential between the rollers to deliberately create a "tearing" effect on the grain husks (so as to easily achieve "flour")
*The gap you choose, create, redrill, etc, needs to be in direct relation to the speed at which you drive the mill.
For example, if you are driving the mill at high speed you will need a wider gap so as not to produce too much flour, in comparison to if you are turning it at hand cranking speed you will generally achieve a lot of grains that aren't fully broken open.*
Pick a speed with a variable speed drill or a fixed electric motor that remains the same each time you use the mill for malted barley for brewing so that you will achieve the same crush and therefore achieve the same (or close to) efficiency every time you crack grains to create your favourite brew.
If at all possible, get rid of the plastic hopper that is supplied with the mill and build a hopper that supplies the mill with grains that will cover the full length of the rollers.
Speed is not that important with cracking malted barley for beer production in the HB situation but the uniform cracking and being able to reproduce the same result each time is paramount when brewing the same recipe time after time.
I no longer have the pics of my modified Marga Molino but a hopper is very easy to make out of MDF Board that slips into the top of the mill body and covers the rollers with grain to produce a reasonably speedy crush without having to run the mill rollers at high speed.

I hope that all you Marga users achieve your desired results,
BTW I am not Italian and not married to an Itilian and have no affiliation with the manufacturers of the Marga Molino Flour Mill.  

Cheers


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## Ross (10/6/07)

Went round the other morning to drop off some grain to RichardR & while we had a breakfast beer he showed me his Marga setup - His hopper mod was nothing short of brilliant, for us tool challenged individuals - Straight off the shelf from Bunnings, just slots straight into the exisiting hopper - How easy is that  
Richard is a retiree who has just made the plunge into AG, so shows you're never too late to start - He's putting a great little rig together & already making beautiful beer - Great work mate :super: 




Cheers Ross


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## blackbock (10/6/07)

Ross is that one of those 'leaf eater' things? :unsure:


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## craig maher (10/6/07)

blackbock said:


> Ross is that one of those 'leaf eater' things? :unsure:



Looks like a first flush diverter - upside down to me  

Cheers,

Craig


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## oldbugman (10/6/07)

you can read the label on the side if you zoom in.
quite a big picture.


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## blackbock (10/6/07)

Thanks guys, didn't realise that pic was so big & clickable!


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## yardy (12/9/07)

dicko said:


> Hah! Good old Marga Molino!!
> 
> I modified and used one for a good many AG brews when I first started out.
> They are a good mill and do the job quite well.
> ...



Guys,

Just wondering if anyone has found this to be correct, not slagging off dicko, i intend getting a Marga and want to be sure before i mod it.

Cheers

Yard


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## fixa (12/9/07)

Haven't found any difference in the crush with variences in drill speed mate. I have found that if you do run the drill too fast it doesn't seem to grab the grain and so the actual crush speed goes down. but the crush quality remains the same.


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## Steve (12/9/07)

fixa said:


> Haven't found any difference in the crush with variences in drill speed mate. I have found that if you do run the drill too fast it doesn't seem to grab the grain and so the actual crush speed goes down. but the crush quality remains the same.




agree - crush quality remains the same on mine whether its going flat out or canking by hand when the drill battery has died :angry: 

Cheers
Steve

P.S. Best investment ive made in my brewery....you wont regret it. Its a bit of fiddling to get it right but if I can get it crushing right anyone can.


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## warrenlw63 (12/9/07)

Yeah they're funny things. Unfashionable looking pieces of jerry-rigged shit that you buy with a view to never being a permanent thing in your brewery. Keep telling myself I'm going to get that 3 roller Crankandstein sometime soon.

Yet oddly enough my Marga has been going strong for around 2 years and has crushed an estimated 200kg of grain and still really hasn't skipped a beat. So really I have no need to superannuate it just yet. :beerbang: 

Hey Steve... I manage to flatten 2 batteries crushing 9kg of grain so I'm feeling twice your pain. I however am not so motivated enough to stick that hand crank back in. It then becomes the variable speed corded drill for me. :lol: 

Warren -


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## yardy (12/9/07)

Thanks Fellas :beer:


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## AndrewQLD (12/9/07)

70 rpm or there abouts, crushes 5 kilo of grain in 30 minutes. I noticed when modifying Hennos new marga that the knurl(sp) is much better than on my 3 year old one. So I imagine the crush would be great. I don't feel the need to rush the crush and I get a good flour/grit ratio with the husks still intact.




Cheers
Andrew


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## Cortez The Killer (12/9/07)

I was hand cranking mine for a little while and have recently hooked it up to a drill (via a dyna bolt) and have not noticed any change in the crush or efficiencies

I drill makes it sooo much easier and faster

Cheers


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## Maxt (12/9/07)

I have noticed that if I crush slower, it is better. Too fast and things get a bit shredded.


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## bugwan (12/9/07)

AndrewQLD said:


> 70 rpm or there abouts, crushes 5 kilo of grain in 30 minutes.
> .
> .
> .
> ...



Is this an average time for a 5kg crush? Looking to get a mill at some stage, but 30 minutes sounds like a long time!!


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## Cortez The Killer (12/9/07)

5-10 mins max

Cheers



bugwan said:


> Is this an average time for a 5kg crush? Looking to get a mill at some stage, but 30 minutes sounds like a long time!!


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## brettprevans (12/9/07)

love the info fellas! keep it coming. I got my marga mill last week and am heading to bunnings on the w/e to get some odds and ends for some mods (like the massive homemade hopper shown by Ross)


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## AndrewQLD (12/9/07)

bugwan said:


> Is this an average time for a 5kg crush? Looking to get a mill at some stage, but 30 minutes sounds like a long time!!



With a drill, 5-10 minutes but I found it tended to shred the husk, as Dicko said, these mills tend to shear. 30 minutes isn't that long when it is almost silent running and I am setting up the brewery at the same time.

Cheers
Andrew


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## Kingy (12/9/07)

my marga crushes beuitifully and the drill dont make any differance to the crush, like others said if its going to fast i wont pull the grain in. 
I have a dyna bolt mod as well. Im more worried about my drill burning out as opposed to my marga  

cheers,kingy

edit: i use a zip tie to control the speed while i prepare my brewing area and wait for the water to boil


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## Maxt (12/9/07)

I take about 20mins for 5kg, going just above what i could hand crank. Mine is a set and forget system, so I can walk away, so i don't really care how long it takes. When I used to have to stand there and hold it, I went a lot faster!


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## Hargie (12/9/07)

Maxt said:


> I take about 20mins for 5kg, going just above what i could hand crank. Mine is a set and forget system, so I can walk away, so i don't really care how long it takes. When I used to have to stand there and hold it, I went a lot faster!




....imagine how fast you could go if you had a Cougarmatic 5000....


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## choppadoo (12/9/07)

i'm in the process of 'tuning' my new marga at the moment. i found that the crush differences between hand cranked and drill cranked were significant. in the end i ended up drilling 3 holes in the adjustor cap quite close to each other; they allow the widest possible feeder gap with 3 slightly variant crush gaps. this way i can tune the crush pretty easily to what i want for each brew/different grains.


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## Steve (13/9/07)

About 10 mins for me to do 5kg....my hopper only holds 2.5 kilos....should make a new one.
Cheers
Steve


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## warrenlw63 (13/9/07)

About 30 mins for me to do 9kg. Slow but not that bad.

Warren -


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## jayse (13/9/07)

Some nicer looking marga's in this thread than mine, I didn't even do the drilling mod, just duct tapped it in the right spot and made the slot in the hopper bigger and extended it with a cardboard box. Also made a shute etc.
That bunnings drain parts hopper is awesome though, oneday...........

Mine works wonderfully and would have done at least a half a tonne with it like this. I run it pretty fast with a drill and spade bit on a chair next to it.


The beast :lol:


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## Kingy (13/9/07)

i made my hopper out of the box that the marga came in  its fairly small but i just top it up as it goes through


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## blackbock (13/9/07)

Ahhh if I had a dollar for each time the name B*nnings gets free advertising on this site...


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## Henno (16/9/07)

Can somebody shed a little more light on the dyna bolt mod for me please? Any pics would be greatfully accepted.


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## Maxt (16/9/07)

I just went to a hardware store and bought a dyna bolt that fitted into the slot ( I bought two sizes because I wasn't sure which one to get...should have measured). The dnya bolt just slots into the hole and the first turn locks it, and then the drill turns the rollers.


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## Cortez The Killer (17/9/07)

As above

Cheers


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## RobB (27/9/07)

I took delivery of mine last night and I'll be modifying it over the coming weekend.

I'm going to use the existing hopper as the base for my 'real' hopper. What is the best way to widen the slot to the full width of the rollers? I'm worried that if I just attack it with a hacksaw, the whole thing might shatter.


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## Steve (27/9/07)

Malty Cultural said:


> I took delivery of mine last night and I'll be modifying it over the coming weekend.
> 
> I'm going to use the existing hopper as the base for my 'real' hopper. What is the best way to widen the slot to the full width of the rollers? I'm worried that if I just attack it with a hacksaw, the whole thing might shatter.




it wont shatter....I drilled 15 or so little holes in a line first and then went to it with a hacksaw.
Cheers
Steve

Edit....and then file off the burr bits.


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## Cortez The Killer (27/9/07)

I simply filed mine with a round file and cleaned it up with a normal file at the end

Cheers


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## RobB (27/9/07)

Thanks for putting my mind at ease. I'll just take it slowly.


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## olskoolsoulja (12/1/08)

G'day,
Ive got a pasta maker imperia or somthing like that and the motor from it fits the mill. Works great , but i cant see the point of buying one if your not gunna use it on a pasta maker too.

Cheers
Rich


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## bigbanko (12/1/08)

Heres a photo of what I have done to my Marga Mill.
It is svery simple and cheap to make and has done over 50 brews already.
A 12 volt car battery charger runs the drill or I can disconect the wire in the base and use the original battery.
I used the original hopper and filed the slot longer and extended it with carboard.


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## Fents (12/1/08)

warrenlw63 said:


> About 30 mins for me to do 9kg. Slow but not that bad.
> 
> Warren -



your doing it wrong!

finally fired yours up today mate and we crushed 15kg in about 15-20 mins. fantastic little mill for what they are, was set pretty fine though had to adjust it out. well worth the $70 though, cheers bloke.


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## Quintrex (12/1/08)

Fents said:


> your doing it wrong!
> 
> finally fired yours up today mate and we crushed 15kg in about 15-20 mins. fantastic little mill for what they are, was set pretty fine though had to adjust it out. well worth the $70 though, cheers bloke.



Great to hear you've entered freshly cracked heaven dude!
:icon_cheers: 

Good work
Q


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## Sammus (12/1/08)

bigbanko said:


> Heres a photo of what I have done to my Marga Mill.
> It is svery simple and cheap to make and has done over 50 brews already.
> A 12 volt car battery charger runs the drill or I can disconect the wire in the base and use the original battery.
> I used the original hopper and filed the slot longer and extended it with carboard.
> ...



How does your drill interface with the mill?


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## Fents (13/1/08)

Quintrex said:


> Great to hear you've entered freshly cracked heaven dude!
> :icon_cheers:
> 
> Good work
> Q



brew and catchup soon?


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## warrenlw63 (13/1/08)

Hey top results Fents... You'll get the old girl off side hammering her that hard though. :lol: 

Warren -


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## Fents (13/1/08)

warrenlw63 said:


> Hey top results Fents... You'll get the old girl off side hammering her that hard though. :lol:
> 
> Warren -



only the strongest survive in my brewry  passed 15kg's through it like it was childs play.


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## The King of Spain (6/9/08)

I see Ross already has a pic in here but I'm past the point of no return. Here is my hopper. Rainwater deflector and a Square-to-round cost me about $20 this morning.


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## Effect (3/10/08)

I was thinking of just getting my grain crushed and sent to me...but now I am seriously considering getting this marga mill and the little extras from bunnings.

Should save me a lot with buying 25kg sacks of grains...just thinking, which grain should I buy in such a large amount?? decisions decisions...


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## FreemanDC (3/10/08)

Base malts.


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## Mantis (11/3/09)

I dont seem to be able to get my crush gap down to 1mm. Also the gap varies from one side to the other. 
What am I doing wrong here ??

Ok, my bad. 
Figured out that you have to adjust both nuts by taking off the feed gap knob again. 
Doh


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## ruttager (17/9/09)

Hi all,

Can some one repost the pics in the first post, as I wish to modify my marga mill


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## buttersd70 (17/9/09)

ruttager said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Can some one repost the pics in the first post, as I wish to modify my marga mill



ummm, why would you need them reposted? Why not just go back to the first page of the thread and look at them again?


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## ruttager (17/9/09)

buttersd70 said:


> ummm, why would you need them reposted? Why not just go back to the first page of the thread and look at them again?




Haha, my bad. It would seem that the work proxy has filtered out those images. I will look again at home 

Cheers.


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## fergi (9/11/09)

as i am just getting some bits together to start BIAB i am wondering how a pasta roller machine would go crushing grain, at the moment i have tried the wifes kenwood chef with the glass blender on top , this tends to crush very fine but okay for the biab bit
fergi


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## clean brewer (9/11/09)

fergi said:


> as i am just getting some bits together to start BIAB i am wondering how a pasta roller machine would go crushing grain, at the moment i have tried the wifes kenwood chef with the glass blender on top , this tends to crush very fine but okay for the biab bit
> fergi



Not very well, the rollers on Pasta Machines are smooth so the Grain would not grip and get pulled through the rollers... :unsure: Im sure someone else on here tried the same thing with very limited success, they even tried to rough the roller up and only wasted a whole machine.... :blink: 

:icon_cheers: CB


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## Mantis (9/11/09)

Yeah, pasta roller is for pasta, and a marga grain mill is for milling grain into flour. Opening the gap via the instructions here allow a good crush for brewing.
Trying to use a pasta roller will lead to tears


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## stillscottish (10/11/09)

Here's my latest Marga Moment.

Up till now I've moistened the grain with about 100 mls water and let it sit for 10 mins till the husks softened a bit.
The last 2 brews I've just put the bucket of grain under the tap, given it a good sized burst (grain almost dripping wet), quick stir, nip in the gap to its narrowest (about 0.8 i think) and go like the clappers with the drill. Crushed it in a few minutes instead of the usual 20 or so.

Got an extra few % efficiency and no run-off problems.

This is with my setup. YMMV.

Cheers

Campbell


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## Pollux (9/3/10)

Was just re-reading this before I consider adjusting my mill and I spotted stillscottish's post.

I'm interested in trying this idea out, but the only problem might be that I generally mill the afternoon before a morning brew session, leaving the milled grain in a sealed bucket. Now if I were to try this "wet milling" technique, would I just be asking for trouble leaving moist cracked grain in a sealed bucket overnight?


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## gava (24/3/10)

Maxt said:


> I just went to a hardware store and bought a dyna bolt that fitted into the slot ( I bought two sizes because I wasn't sure which one to get...should have measured). The dnya bolt just slots into the hole and the first turn locks it, and then the drill turns the rollers.



what size did you end up with??


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## Wolfy (24/3/10)

*Pollux*, using 100ml water per 5kg grain, should be just enough to soften the grain but not enough to wet it through.

*gava*, they dyna bolt that I found in my cupboard that fits the Marga exactly, has 8mm written on the side.


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## Snow (24/3/10)

Pollux said:


> Was just re-reading this before I consider adjusting my mill and I spotted stillscottish's post.
> 
> I'm interested in trying this idea out, but the only problem might be that I generally mill the afternoon before a morning brew session, leaving the milled grain in a sealed bucket. Now if I were to try this "wet milling" technique, would I just be asking for trouble leaving moist cracked grain in a sealed bucket overnight?


Yes you would be asking for big trouble in the form of stale stinky malt.


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## Pollux (24/3/10)

That was my thinking.....


mmmm, might just start a touch later in the day and do a wet crush just prior to mashing.....Sounds intriguing...


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## gava (24/3/10)

Wolfy said:


> *Pollux*, using 100ml water per 5kg grain, should be just enough to soften the grain but not enough to wet it through.
> 
> *gava*, they dyna bolt that I found in my cupboard that fits the Marga exactly, has 8mm written on the side.



i tried a 8mm it only went in a few cm.. i screwed the nut down and tried but it kept spinning.. Is it suppose to go in any further?


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## Wolfy (24/3/10)

gava said:


> i tried a 8mm it only went in a few cm.. i screwed the nut down and tried but it kept spinning.. Is it suppose to go in any further?


The one I had was an almost too-tight fit, it went in as far as the handle usually does, and one tightening-turn (by hand) is enough to lock it into place, and it will only come out again if it's loosened completely - it would seem that you need to get one that is a bit bigger - sorry it was not more help, but the ones I have do say 8mm on the side.


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## gava (26/3/10)

Fix my marga mill.. cheers people! just crushed 4.5kilo within 10-15mins..


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## yardy (3/4/10)

pimped the marga today B) 

before 






after










too much time on my hands according to the fun spoiler :lol: 

cheers

Dave


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## mr_tyreman (16/5/10)

sweet bottle tree in the backyard....are they close to coming in season?


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## yardy (21/5/10)

mr_tyreman said:


> sweet bottle tree in the backyard....are they close to coming in season?




i'd like to see a few bottles of hobgoblin sprout from it B)


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## chadjaja (26/8/10)

Bump!

After doing some reading on various threads I thought a 10mm spade head bit would just slot in no probs. Seems its a bit too big though. A 9mm standard drill bit is a tight fit and I guess once its in its in for good.

Whats the easiest and best way to connect the drill to the mill? With a dyno bolt I take it I just screw one in till it turns the rollers and use a hex head on the drill?

I'd rather learn from the mistakes of others than make my own LOL


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## stillscottish (27/8/10)

chadjaja said:


> Bump!
> 
> After doing some reading on various threads I thought a 10mm spade head bit would just slot in no probs. Seems its a bit too big though. A 9mm standard drill bit is a tight fit and I guess once its in its in for good.
> 
> ...



Yes, although I found I had to hold the drill dead straight or it would sometimes jump off the nut. The nut was starting to get a bit rounded from this till I found another similar nut and screwed it on.
Double nuts, Yay!!!!


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## pk.sax (2/11/10)

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NORPRO-1056-Grain-W...f#ht_1748wt_905

Looks like a marga clone... procastrinating.... any thoughts?


$ 90.08, shipped


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## amiddler (2/11/10)

practicalfool said:


> http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NORPRO-1056-Grain-W...f#ht_1748wt_905
> 
> Looks like a marga clone... procastrinating.... any thoughts?
> 
> ...



Save for something bigger! I just scaled to 50L brews and it takes me 1.5 hours to mill 10Kg of grain by hand :icon_cheers: 
Looks identicle to a Marga thoe, not bad for the price.

Drew


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## felten (2/11/10)

practicalfool said:


> http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NORPRO-1056-Grain-W...f#ht_1748wt_905
> 
> Looks like a marga clone... procastrinating.... any thoughts?
> 
> ...



with the aussie dollar at what it is, you can get the super basic crankandstein for not much more than that.


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## stevem01 (3/11/10)

Drew said:


> Save for something bigger! I just scaled to 50L brews and it takes me 1.5 hours to mill 10Kg of grain by hand :icon_cheers:
> Looks identicle to a Marga thoe, not bad for the price.
> 
> Drew



Takes me 20 min for 9KG, by hand
Have you done all the recommended mods?

Extend the slot in the hopper to the edges
Replace the receiving bin with a chute, straight into a bucket
Adjust the roller gap


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## pk.sax (3/11/10)

Hahaha. Somebody bought one. Fess up 

Ummm.... I'll have to evaluate both options. See, I have a very reliable 36v cordless that I can adjust speed and torque on so it might not be such a PITA cranking the machine by hand. On the other hand, those custom made mills look so sexy and everlasting but would need more to be bought, motors, electrics, hoppers, cranks n all. So that is what I have to decide between. Btw, anyone know how much the shipping on the basic crankestein is? If it's not obscene I might even make a trip to the recycling centre and see what I can source to rig it up el cheapo.


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## The_Duck (3/11/10)

practicalfool said:


> Hahaha. Somebody bought one. Fess up
> 
> Ummm.... I'll have to evaluate both options. See, I have a very reliable 36v cordless that I can adjust speed and torque on so it might not be such a PITA cranking the machine by hand. On the other hand, those custom made mills look so sexy and everlasting but would need more to be bought, motors, electrics, hoppers, cranks n all. So that is what I have to decide between. Btw, anyone know how much the shipping on the basic crankestein is? If it's not obscene I might even make a trip to the recycling centre and see what I can source to rig it up el cheapo.



About US$45.00 which as of today appears to be about AUD$45.00 !!



Duck


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## amiddler (3/11/10)

stevem01 said:


> Takes me 20 min for 9KG, by hand
> Have you done all the recommended mods?
> 
> Extend the slot in the hopper to the edges
> ...




You must arms of steel if not using a drill of some kind. Yes I have done the mods to my marga but still takes some time. Funny Pils malt goes through better than Ale. The Ale feels softer and doesn't feed into the rollers so well.

Drew


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## Bribie G (1/7/12)

Necro alert.

If your Marga dies (mine did, the drive shaft is fcucked, could be fixed if I had some welding experience, vice, mechanical knowledge, but heck.... so I just bought another one and will use the handle for a while)

Now I'm about to state the bleeding obvious here. Don't do what I did and load up this thread, get drill out and select suitable drill bit......... then have a "Duhhhhhhhh " moment as the penny drops ...  

All you do is whack the cap off the new mill and just put in the custom-drilled "bowl" from the old, already modded mill. Of course they are identical.

Instant mod


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## Bribie G (1/7/12)

Spot the second "Duuhhhhh" moment of the day :lol: :lol: 







OK she's all set up and cranking away







OK this is going to get very old very quickly <_< 

*So what is involved in fitting a dynabolt to use the drill with? Do you just buy the right sized one from any hardware store, push it into the handle hole and tighten till it squeals?*


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## DKS (1/7/12)

Bribie I use the shaft of a philips head scewdriver Smash the handle off, a touch with a file and its snug as. Ive got a pic here somewhere Ill search. Beats the dynabolt because nothing gets chewed out, a problem I found using the bolt method.
daz
Found it


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## Bribie G (11/7/12)

Sorry I missed that post, Daz. How do you stop it slipping, super glue it in or something?


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## stillscottish (11/7/12)

I think he uses the end wot was in the handle, which looks a bit like the end of the original handle wot goes in the hole.


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## Bribie G (11/7/12)




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## Amber Fluid (11/7/12)

With my old Marga I just got a dynabolt and put it in the hole where the handle goes. Turning the drill will tighten it naturally.

I can't remember exactly now but I think it was a 8mm bolt. People also use a 10mm (I think is the size) spade bit successfully.


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## rotten (11/7/12)

Amber Fluid said:


> With my old Marga I just got a dynabolt and put it in the hole where the handle goes. Turning the drill will tighten it naturally.
> 
> I can't remember exactly now but I think it was a 8mm bolt. People also use a 10mm (I think is the size) spade bit successfully.



10 mm spade bit FTW. Although mine is starting to get a bit chewed out now. I will have to replace that setup soon and motorise it.


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## Bribie G (10/8/12)

After a month of total friggn around with a dynabolt that fell to bits and the old drill, I bought a new high torque low speed drill and took the Marga handle to a local engineering shop.

They straightened the handle then cut it off. The new drill is a keyed chuck so the new "bit" just stays in there, tightened up as far as it will go. 

The job cost me $14.45 - :mellow: - I guess they applied some sort of shop formula to arrive at that - probably the 5 cents is carbon tax.

Anyway, works great. I can mill grain at the BIAB hole setting I drilled, about a kilo a minute. Mill whirrs along nicely, maybe thinking "wow this fat Italian Mamma is sure crankin' it today"


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## porky (11/8/12)

I was cleaning out the shed the other day and came across the shaft I made to drive the marga mill.

I almost chucked it, but then it took me a bit of time to machine it so I decided to give it to someone here as it is too good to waste. 

It has four close fitting cogs, or splines, 20mm long. It will not damage a new mill, but it won't fit a mill that has been buggered already. 
As in from using a cement drill bit or something.

So please only take it if you have a new, or almost new mill. 

I will pay the postage, first response gets it. Such a deal huh?

Cheers, Bud

Pic attached


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## porky (14/8/12)

Marga drive shaft is gone.

Cheers


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## Bribie G (14/8/12)

Marga Rules :icon_drunk:

edit: and Bud you are a true gentleman and a scholar.


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## apost099 (20/1/14)

Found an old Marga mill from my Dads old homebrew setup. 60 bucks back then (15 years ago). Made the modifications and went with the skrewdriver method. Works great. Havent crushed any grain yet, but I will update when I do.


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## Scooby Tha Newbie (20/1/14)

My marga setup





You need 7mm square rod. It works well with a very little vibration. 



Takes me 5 minutes max to do 5 kg (hopper holds 3.5kg).


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## Scooby Tha Newbie (20/1/14)

i like to build stuff


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## Bridges (20/1/14)

Looks the goods Scooby! Have you modded the base so the grain can fall through or is their a chute set up on the other side?


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## Scooby Tha Newbie (20/1/14)

thats what the bucket does it catches the milled grain 


i will do some now brb 12:47 pm

OK had to weigh the grain






Upload the pics 




13 Min flat


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## Scooby Tha Newbie (20/1/14)

OK supose I should brew now.


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## Bribie G (20/1/14)

Funny that this thread has been necroed. I was milling last night and thinking that my Marga setup is running as well as the day I got it.

Since this thread has been revived, for any BIAB brewers, I drilled a new hole midway between the recommended hole in this original tutorial and the most coarse "factory drilled" hole on the control wheel.

Absolutely bloody perfect for BIAB. Takes a minute or so longer to put a batch through, but well worth it.


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## Rambo (20/4/14)

Bribie G said:


> Funny that this thread has been necroed. I was milling last night and thinking that my Marga setup is running as well as the day I got it.
> 
> Since this thread has been revived, for any BIAB brewers, I drilled a new hole midway between the recommended hole in this original tutorial and the most coarse "factory drilled" hole on the control wheel.
> 
> Absolutely bloody perfect for BIAB. Takes a minute or so longer to put a batch through, but well worth it.


Do you still keep the crush roller gap between .040" - .045" as is recommended earlier in this thread? I'm modifying my mill, and couldn't find a feeler gauge at Bunnings that went this wide. Thinking it could go a bit smaller for BIAB but not sure.


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## LiquidGoldBrewery (19/10/17)

Hey guys,

Do you cut the supplied handle to make the bit that goes into a drill so you can drill power this mill or is there something else that can be used?


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## pnorkle (19/10/17)

LiquidGoldBrewery said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> Do you cut the supplied handle to make the bit that goes into a drill so you can drill power this mill or is there something else that can be used?


You could do that, I just use a very short dyna-bolt.. not perfect but works.


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## bradsbrew (19/10/17)

LiquidGoldBrewery said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> Do you cut the supplied handle to make the bit that goes into a drill so you can drill power this mill or is there something else that can be used?


Can use a spade bit as well. Problem with cutting down the handle or using spade bit, is that it will eventually strip the drive. Dyna bolt works best, but make sure it is level.


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## bevan (19/10/17)

The one I have came with a drive that goes in my drill. It was made by the looks of it from a big screwdriver cut in half and then the plastic handle had removed (this is the end that goes into drive the mill. I’ll take a photo of it when I get home tonight.


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## bevan (19/10/17)




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## Bribie G (27/10/17)

LiquidGoldBrewery said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> Do you cut the supplied handle to make the bit that goes into a drill so you can drill power this mill or is there something else that can be used?


That's what I did with mine, I had the handle straightened at a machine shop and cut off to become a drill bit, so it plugged in perfectly, and it lived in the drill for about six years. Recently the two "lugs" wore off so I filled the hole with epoxy putty, tapped the "handle" remnant back in and now it resides full time in the mill. Still works fine but a bit wobbly now. 

Retiring it shortly and getting a mini mill in the bulk buy.


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## The7 (8/11/20)

Has anyone has an issue with grain not being able to pass through? Last weekend, I was using voyager compass pale as a base malt and could barely get any to pass through the rollers with the biggest gap possible. Thankss to the guys at Hoppy Days, for getting us out of the jam on brew day..


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