Grain Mills

[Steve]

Ross do the margas come with a drill bit extension? Whats the modification for?
Cheers
Steve

Steve,

The mod is simply an adjustment & making extra settings, to ensure the rollers are set to give you the best possible crush. By doing this for you, the unit will arrive ready for use. The Marga is specifcally designed for milling grain, but the factory settings are preset for home use rather than brewing.
They don't come with a drill bit extension (may look at it though) but it's extremely easy to knock one up, or simply use a screw driver bit of the right size.

This pic should help you see more clearly
View attachment 10269

cheers Ross

Thank you
Steve

 

[Ross]

Well the Marga's unexpectedly arrived today & are now online

The modified version might be up to a week away (assuming it doesn't sell out before then), as I've got so many new products going online this week I haven't physically got the time to mod them.
It is very easy to do though & there are several guides on AHB if you fancy doing yourself & saving a few dollars.

cheers Ross

 

[Tony]

AHHHHHHHHHHH the marga

Do you still have my old one ross...... does it still work?

that was one of the early ones sold by grumpys when they got hold of them.

Ahhhhhhh it was a rippa of a mill but just couldnt handle the 12kg of grain for the 50 liter batches

here is mine in a comparison

cheers

 

[Ross]

AHHHHHHHHHHH the marga

Do you still have my old one ross...... does it still work?

Sure do - that's the pic of it above ...

cheers Ross

 

[fixa]

Ross, how much extra will the modified mills be?

 

[Ross]

Ross, how much extra will the modified mills be?

Fixa - will be just for my time, so I'd take a stab at max $30. Hopefully less, but not having actually done one yet, I'm not totally sure...

cheers Ross...

 

[Steve]

How do you remove the gap adjustment knob so you can modify the marga mill? Anyone?
Cheers
Steve

 

[Ross]

How do you remove the gap adjustment knob so you can modify the marga mill? Anyone?
Cheers
Steve

Just a gentle tap on the shaft from the other end & the whole thing slides out.

cheers Ross

 

[Steve]

How do you remove the gap adjustment knob so you can modify the marga mill? Anyone?
Cheers
Steve

Just a gentle tap on the shaft from the other end & the whole thing slides out.

cheers Ross

Thanks Ross!
Steve

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

I swear, once the bank account has recovered from Christmas and New Years I'll be gettin' me one of these!

Keeping grain at home until ready to use and no more Sorry, none cracked and still setting up the new mill from the HBS :super:

PZ.

 

[Punter]

you can expect an order from me very soon Ross.
Cheers :beerbang:

 

[Ross]

Not many left guys... & new stock is unlikely before the new year, if you're planning one for Christmas...

cheers Ross...

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

I'll have to wait 'till at least mid-January before I can get one...but rest assured I will

PZ.

 

[Maxt]

Just want to say a big thank you to Warrenlw63 and Screwtop. You guys have been extremely generous with your advice, stepping me through the Marga mods. Nothing is ever simple, but it just goes to show that with the help of patient fellow brewers, any challenge can be overcome!

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

 

[Screwtop]

Just want to say a big thank you to Warrenlw63 and Screwtop. You guys have been extremely generous with your advice, stepping me through the Marga mods. Nothing is ever simple, but it just goes to show that with the help of patient fellow brewers, any challenge can be overcome!

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

Your welcome Maxt, and thanks for passing on the DNS tips.

 

[Ross]

Hi Marga men,

Just got the following email from Andrew, who isn't finding the mods as simple as indicated. Any clarification or tips would be most appreciated.

"Ross..

think you need to know this, Ross...

it wasn't easy getting the cap off the Marga.. a little tap just didn't
work... a big tap, didn't work (moderate hammer blows)... eventually, I
found out the spindle just wasn't long enough on my version to get it off by
tapping the other end...

anyway, I got it off eventually by levering off the unit with the holes
(which tore the nylon circlip/spring a bit, but that isn't mission critical)
then banging the cap off from the inside.. it took a bit of force... the cap
has ?5mm of lip holding it in... and the spindle doesn't have that much
play, so believe me, tapping the spindle can't work.. like the spindle
doesn't even get to touch the cap, and it has to move the cap by 5mm or so
to get it off... (and mine was a tight fit, too)

I reckon I am getting there.. a setting way around from the 2 mark seems to
be the closest to the mark.... I need to get onto a mate with a drill and
bit for now, but playing around, with all the adjusters, it seems that I
will need to get holes around the 1.25 to 1.3 zone..

this setting is way different from the photos I have seen posted on AHB....
so my guess is that the Marga is slightly different in days gone by.. like a
setting similar to AndrewQlds' photos on the net just wont' work with my
sample... the gap between the upper rollers is about right, but the lower
roller is way too wide... so yes, Ross, something tells me all Margas
weren't created equal... (mine has Sept 05 inscribed on the feet)

Cheers, Andrew"

 

[warrenlw63]

Just want to say a big thank you to Warrenlw63 and Screwtop. You guys have been extremely generous with your advice, stepping me through the Marga mods. Nothing is ever simple, but it just goes to show that with the help of patient fellow brewers, any challenge can be overcome!

No worries Max always glad to be of help.

In regards to what Andrew's saying my Marga which I bought about 12 months ago was stamped around Sept. 05 as well. The cap on mine was pretty difficult to remove also. I found the best way was to carefully drill a hole through the cap. Push a phillips head screwdriver through and try and open it in a similar fashion to a can opener (you don't need the cap at all). Maybe the Marga guys found out too many of us blokes were trying to tamper with them? :blink:

OTOH the crush setting worked well via the prescribed "2.30pm" methods found in most posts on brewing forums eg; the 2 on the adjustment wheel facing exactly due south (or 6 on your standard clock). The 1 should sit around north-east (or 2 on the standard clock). Then I just drilled a matching hole to lock the setting in.

IMO once you find the "sweet spot" the adjustment knob need never be changed and you can get yourself a really top crush.

Just proceed carefully and patiently guys. Margas are worth the effort in terms of saving.

Oh! I'm also pretty certain that Margas don't corrode or rust like their more expensive, mild steel competition.

Warren -

 

[Steve]

Maxt - you and I should've modified them together. I stuffed mine. No way would the cap come off. I undid the two screws on the side where the knob is. Took the side plate off. This left me with the spindle, and knob. Tried knocking the end of the spindle to get the cap off. No chance. Nope just broke/snapped the white spring holding thing inside the knob. The knob fell off in my hand. Bugger! Oh how I swore! Anyways drilled a hole next to the no.2 hole as per AndrewQLDs photos. Stuck it back on the spindle, screwed the side back on. Knob fell off. Gaffer taped the knob on around the mill. Worked a charm after that. So my advice is to the home modifiers and the craftbrewer modifers be gentle as possible with the tapping/banging and watch you dont bust the white spring/holder thing inside the knob or else your mill will have to be held together with tape.
Cheers
Steve

In hindsight I would have waited and paid the extra for a modified one. But now thats its done and working im looking forward to using it for many years to come.

 

[warrenlw63]

This should give a better indication of the position you need to have for optimum crush.

Geez Steve! Sounds like you did it the hard way. :blink: My cap was hard to remove I just found the drill, swearing and levering with the screwdriver eventually did the trick. Too much body english is probably nto a good thing.

That being said using a screwdriver blade as a mill driver never worked for me (I was too ham fisted). I found tapping out the guts, shoving in a bolt head and adding some spider couplers really made a "great" difference. Just makes the whole mill feel about 20% more robust now. :super:

There's a pic in my gallery showing the modification here.

They're cheap little mills but fairly open to a bit of modification.

Warren -

 

[AndrewQLD]

Wow guys, these margas must have changed since I bought mine!

All I had to do was prise the cap off the adjuster knob with a thin flat screw driver (took about 1 minute), undo the bolt on the shaft, remove the spring, slide off the adjuster knob and drill 1 hole then put it all back together :blink: . These mods took me a whole of 5-10 minutes.

I certainly would NOT be banging the shaft and I really don't think the shaft should be removed at all.

But like I said, maybe they have changed since I bought mine.

Hope it all comes together for you all.

Cheers
Andrew