Knurling on a Mashmaster Mini Mill

[dicko]

I doubt it's the knurling dicko, most knurling tools offer the same diamond cut, I am sure an old fitter like you would know the only purpose of the knurled face of the rollers is to get a bite on the grain,I would imagine that speed of the rollers plays a major part on the efficiency of the grind, if I try to grind mine on a fast speed it can't get a bite on the grain, go on a slower speed the grain isn't getting thrown back by the rollers.

Yep WEAL, when at trade school I got the highest mark in the class for knurling, be it for a tap wrench handle that we had to make, but back on topic.
I spoke to Anthony at CB and apparently there was an issue with the knurling tool being used in manufacture where over time they wear out and considering that these things probably made in China, quality control would be pretty much non existent.
The knurling wheels lose their edge over time but for a bowl of rice per week, the bloke on the lathe doesn't give a Fat Yaks Toss Bag.

how is this thread still going?post 1) hi, my mill rollers are fkd, see vid.post 3) yeah, that manufacturer had a batch of faulty rollers and has been replacing them, give them a buzz. Here's a link to the relevant thread.post 4) will do, cheers.</thread>

It is amazing how some of us continue on over a glass or two at the end of each day.

I'll be back....

 

[dicko]

I'm back......

So I spoke to Anthony at CB and he put me onto Francis at Mashmaster.

Francis is aware that there is a problem at times with the rollers and that he is onto it...apparently it does not affect all mills but he is currently working on an overall solution which sounds great.

Anyway, so to keep Liam happy and keep this topic as short as I can, :lol: Francis sent me two new rollers which I just fitted and have tested it with 5 kg of grain (Weyermann plus some Crystal) and it ripped through it like I would have expected it to.
I will be milling some grains for another brewer on Saturday so it will get a second test then.

Great service and back up from both CB and Mashmaster and Francis sent me a little gift for my troubles as well.

 

[krausenhaus]

Looks like I've got a dud pair of rollers too as it now takes me 20 min to do a 5kg batch of grain. I've only done six batches on it; first one it tore through but it's never been the same since then.

I got in touch with Frank but it looks like he's not giving replacement rollers out anymore until the new design is finalised, which will be a few months.

 

[Rocker1986]

Are you using a drill or some sort of power on it or just the hand crank?

I find 20 minutes is a pretty normal timeframe for milling a 5kg grain bill just using the hand crank, it's always taken me about that long ever since my first batch, but if you have a drill or such like connected to it then yeah I'd expect it should be done in a few minutes.

 

[krausenhaus]

Yeah it's on a drill. First batch only took a few minutes so something is definitely up.

 

[Rocker1986]

Yeah I would agree then, with a drill it shouldn't be taking anywhere near 20 minutes to mill 5kg of grain.

I did have one sack of Simpsons MO that just flat out refused to go through my mill, all other grains have been perfectly fine. However if you're experiencing this issue with all grains then obviously it's the mill itself that's the problem.

 

[Feldon]

Is it possible to see any difference between the good and bad knurled rollers with the naked eye?

Just thought that if people know how to spot the dodgy mills before buying it might save a bit of grief.

 

[Dan2]

I've been having the same issue - 6.2kg in 16.5 minutes a few days ago.
The points on the knurling are quite shiny and smoother than they should be, so I figure they're heading down the same path as others here.

I run mine with the Motion Dynamics motor with variable speed circuit.
Dialed it back to half pace (about 100rpm) yesterday and crushed 5kg in 5 minutes.

Hopefully others will find this helpful enough to get us through til the new rollers are available :icon_cheers:

 

[nala]

I must have the same problem...milled 5.950 kilos of grain this morning it took 1 hour 20 minutes.
The mill is about 18 months old and I think that the knurling is worn out.
Mill is powered my Ozito high torque drill on it's slowest speed.
I mean to try double pass milling, can't be any worse.
I appreciate that grain mills have to deal with the variables in grain size but this is unacceptable.

 

[Diesel80]

I must have the same problem...milled 5.950 kilos of grain this morning it took 1 hour 20 minutes.
The mill is about 18 months old and I think that the knurling is worn out.
Mill is powered my Ozito high torque drill on it's slowest speed.
I mean to try double pass milling, can't be any worse.
I appreciate that grain mills have to deal with the variables in grain size but this is unacceptable.

Holy sh1t that is a nightmare.
Just did 9.5KG (8.8 of it TF M/O) on Friday with a different mill in about 2 minutes - if that with a similar drill to you.
Totally not acceptable.

If I lived closer to you I would offer to mill for you. maybe find others brewers in your area that could help out? At least until you get a solution / new mill.

I know a AHB member on here helped me out a few times when I put the call out. Helpful bunch round here normally!

Cheers,
D80

 

[dicko]

I would have thought an email from the manufacturer with the current status as to the new rollers would be almost due considering the time frame involved and the inconvenience these faulty rollers are generally causing the users of the product. :unsure: :angry:

 

[Rocker1986]

That's insane! :blink: It didn't even take me that long with the hand crank when I had that stupid sack of malt that refused to go through the mill. I'm glad I have gotten rid of that malt now. All other malts are fine going through my mill, which is the Mashmaster. It's nearly 3 years old now.

 

[dicko]

That's insane! :blink: It didn't even take me that long with the hand crank when I had that stupid sack of malt that refused to go through the mill. I'm glad I have gotten rid of that malt now. All other malts are fine going through my mill, which is the Mashmaster. It's nearly 3 years old now.

As I said above, I had a mill of a different brand that was not geared but relied on the grain being drawn through to keep it feeding and turning.
During its ten or eleven year life it never failed regardless of the brand or type of grain.

I think you are blaming the grain when the problem could ge the knurling on the rollers.

 

[Crusty]

My Minimill is a few years old & flawless thus far. If it does crap out, I hope they agree to replace it with a MM3 Pro.

 

[SJW]

I have a very old home made single roll mill that I bought of an old bloke who was getting out of brewing. He said it had milled 1000's of kgs of grain before I bought it. I had used it for years and worked out I ran about 50 25 kg bags through it before my son dropped some small stones in the hopper. That fixed the knurling. So I took it to work and a machinist ran a fresh knurl? over it and it is great....again. Only problem is because its only a single roller its pretty slow. So I set my drill up on the side and let it do its thing. About 5 min for 6 kgs, and I run the grain through twice. I think the mill was called a Phil Mill Mk 1

Steve

 

[Rocker1986]

As I said above, I had a mill of a different brand that was not geared but relied on the grain being drawn through to keep it feeding and turning.
During its ten or eleven year life it never failed regardless of the brand or type of grain.

I think you are blaming the grain when the problem could ge the knurling on the rollers.

Well that doesn't really explain why that was the only grain that I had trouble with though, does it? Every other type/brand of base grain, crystal, roasted, or whatever, has had no problem at all being drawn through the mill. It was only that one sack of Simpsons MO. That suggests to me that it was the grain and not the mill. Not having a go, that's just what my experience has been.

 

[dicko]

No probs Rocker,

If you have trouble with any other grains just give them a slight moisten with a spray bottle to soften the husk a bit. :beer:

 

[stompnground]

same problem with my Keg King...really looking forward to the new Mashmaster model... anyone got an ETA on its arrival?

 

[huez]

Well that doesn't really explain why that was the only grain that I had trouble with though, does it? Every other type/brand of base grain, crystal, roasted, or whatever, has had no problem at all being drawn through the mill. It was only that one sack of Simpsons MO. That suggests to me that it was the grain and not the mill. Not having a go, that's just what my experience has been.

I started noticing issues with mine when i tried milling maris otter, then after that i had issues with every type of grain.

same problem with my Keg King...really looking forward to the new Mashmaster model... anyone got an ETA on its arrival?

couple of months yet apparently

 

[Diesel80]

Why are ppl looking forward to new models of the same when they have failed so bad? Long live the monster with SS rollers! Maybe skip a gen and make sure their sh1t is sorted out this time round?
Is the appeal the fact they are geared mills?
Curious as mine isn't.

Cheers
D80