Crankandstein Pics

[frog-inasock]

Hi Guys,

How do the crankandstein's get on with crushing by hand, is it feasible for an average 4-5kg grain bill (i.e < 10mins) or do you really need to motorise them?

I'm using an old corona at the moment and it seems to take forever sometimes.


cheers.

 

[Darren]

I bought a Valley mill years ago before there was really any choice. I remember the first 5 or so kilo batches I also cranked it by hand (some would say I do I lot of that).
I imagine the Crankandsteins would be the same. Bit of a novelty and workout when you first get one. 5kg is easy. Motorised mine only because I am lazy (and make the odd 25kg batch).
cheers
Darren

 

[tangent]

know what you mean frog
i look forward to the 4-5kg grain bills and dread the 7-8kg monsters
i'm still thinking of motorising my mill because what i have works and i could spend $300 on kegs, liquid yeasts & copper tubing for a chiller.

 

[Darren]

know what you mean frog
i look forward to the 4-5kg grain bills and dread the 7-8kg monsters
i'm still thinking of motorising my mill because what i have works and i could spend $300 on kegs, liquid yeasts & copper tubing for a chiller.

[post="100419"][/post]​

Tangent, keep your eye out for a free motor and your smokin'. Pully and belts cost nothing.
Cranking is good exercise too!

 

[tangent]

my old man's a sparkie, so he's got quite a collection of electric motors, i've just got to be careful as he tends to over-engineer things (i could hang our car off our new gate hinges)

 

[Kai]

Kai,
Your only likely to buy one mill in your lifetime. Get what your happy with. I would go the three roller. Ultimately, it will end up with a better crush and less flour. Not too much more cost either.
cheers
Darren

[post="100402"][/post]​

Thanks Darren, between you and the chatmonkeys I've been won over. I'm looking at the CGM-3D on the site and can feel the equipment lust rising.

However, I need a counterflow chiller before I need a mill, I think.

 

[Joel]

Two options I'm considering for motorising my yet-to-be-purchased mill are a washing machine motor (complete with belts and pulleys) or a car windscreen wiper motor. I'm leaning toward the washing machine motor as it has the belt and pulleys and will be mains powered.

 

[Jez]

Pully and belts cost nothing.

I've already got a 1/2 horsepower motor (1424 rpm) to motorise my crankandstein & recently went to a bearing place where they quoted me $150 for 2 pulleys!?!?

needless to say I thanked them & bid them gooday.

any suggestions for where I can salvage a cheap pulley or 2?

Jez

 

[Jazman]

the crankandstien looks good i would go the 3 roller option but i am happpy with the barley crusher but if you a tight arse light me and want to save a bit you can get the bc mill with body only and use your drill on the main roller to drive it is easy as

 

[fraser_john]

I too have one of these mills, though I bought the adjustable model and to be honest, RARELY adjust it once I had it set to my favourite crush! Quite cheap for what you get and its a very heavy duty unit, you could put a huge amount of grain through it and it would happily chew it up.

Pics of it on the website.

 

[berto]

Pully and belts cost nothing.

I've already got a 1/2 horsepower motor (1424 rpm) to motorise my crankandstein & recently went to a bearing place where they quoted me $150 for 2 pulleys!?!?

needless to say I thanked them & bid them gooday.

any suggestions for where I can salvage a cheap pulley or 2?

Jez

[post="100452"][/post]​

Jez, you thought about the pulleys on the front of a car motor? Surely you could reef one of that bastards off at a wreckers somewhere

 

[Darren]

Pully and belts cost nothing.

I've already got a 1/2 horsepower motor (1424 rpm) to motorise my crankandstein & recently went to a bearing place where they quoted me $150 for 2 pulleys!?!?

needless to say I thanked them & bid them gooday.

any suggestions for where I can salvage a cheap pulley or 2?

Jez

[post="100452"][/post]​

Jez, you thought about the pulleys on the front of a car motor? Surely you could reef one of that bastards off at a wreckers somewhere

[post="103588"][/post]​

I don't think the pulley from a car motor will slow the speed down enough. At a guess it would need to be around 25cm in diameter (or more) to slow from 1424rpm.

cheers
Darren

 

[Darren]

Jez, if I find some time I will try and find out the number of the guys I bought my pulley from. I reckon it was about $35 from memory. If I don't get back to you let your fingers do the walking and try the yellow pages.

cheers
Darren

 

[Jez]

Thanks for the input guys, after trying the yellow pages with not much luck I stumbled across a pulley place just down the road from me - "AIM Industrial" at Padstow.

I got a 2" & a 9" aluminuim pulley + belt & pulleys precisely bored out to fit my shafts for $70.

I stupidly told them at the time I needed to run the crankandtein at 300rpm then realized afterwards I should've told them closer to 100rpm.

I was too late to change it so I was stuck so I'll try it & see how it goes - if the crush is crappy I am able to replace the 2" with a 1.25" which will hopefully slow the crush to about 187 rpm by my calculations.

Jez

 

[Josh]

Any idea where I can pick up a used water carboy to use as a hopper?

Don't want to pay a whole lot.

 

[Linz]

Im workin on a freebie too, Josh.......

 

[PhilS]

Any idea where I can pick up a used water carboy to use as a hopper?

Don't want to pay a whole lot.

[post="108309"][/post]​

There are usually a few around in call centres