Knurling on a Mashmaster Mini Mill

[user 35653]

well I sent an email off this morning (didn't see the point hassling people over the xmas break), will see what comes of it. From posts in the other thread it sounds like some of the replacement knurled rollers are beginning to have the same issue. I wonder if they will replace with the fluted or offer a pay-the-difference arrangement for the upgrade (the new mills are 50 bones dearer than what I paid a year ago).

link to post in other thread: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/70875-millmaster-mini-mill-slow-after-adjusting-gap/?p=1340497

Thanks. Please let us know the outcome of the email.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Will do.

 

[HBHB]

Will have a bunch of them here within a few days and will hook one of them up as a second mill on the bench to give it a run. The new style rollers are being done by a couple of US manufacturers as well, with good results.

Be interesting to see what it's like with 1.5hp explosion proof auger motor driving it. :blink:

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Update - retailer got back to me quickly and I'm now in contact with mashmaster.
just took a pic of the knurling:



update:
reply within minutes, fluted rollers being posted as a replacement. great customer service from both craftbrewer & mashmaster.

 

[SBOB]

for those of us playing at home, whats the issue with the knurling in that pic?

 

[Liam_snorkel]

It's flattened off at the 'tip'. It doesn't look too bad at this stage but it's enough for some grain types to slide above the gap & not be pulled through. I'm sure if I persevered with it, it would get worse.

there's a comparison photo in this thread (it's a bit blurry but you get the idea):

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/70875-millmaster-mini-mill-slow-after-adjusting-gap/?p=1263001

 

[SBOB]

It's flattened off at the 'tip'. It doesn't look too bad at this stage but it's enough for some grain types to slide above the gap & not be pulled through. I'm sure if I persevered with it, it would get worse.

there's a comparison photo in this thread (it's a bit blurry but you get the idea):

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/70875-millmaster-mini-mill-slow-after-adjusting-gap/?p=1263001

Thanks
I have a crankenstein mill but never compared against other brands for what 'good knurling' or 'bad knurling' looked like

 

[Liam_snorkel]

it's strange. My old Marga (adapted flour mill) had much smaller knurling and never skipped a beat. It was a 3-roller though.

 

[Rocker1986]

That's basically what the knurling on my rollers looks like as well. I got mine over 3 years ago and only started running into problems probably about a year ago. Wouldn't mind giving the fluted rollers a go but I have no idea where the receipt for the original purchase is now. :blink:

 

[Liam_snorkel]

if you bought them online you'll probably have an order confirmation email somewhere

 

[Rocker1986]

I bought the whole thing new in store from Craftbrewer when I got my urn and whatever else to begin doing AG. I'll have a look around though.

 

[Zorco]

I got mine from Craftbrewer about a year ago and noticed on my last crush that grain wasn't pulling through. I tuned the gap adjusters and achieved the feed rate that seemed normal, but the crush was too large and I ran it through again.

The photo of the knurling is excellent so I'll compare mine with that to try and identify if the problem is replicated on my unit... but do I need to have worn knurling to justify getting in touch with Craftbrewer? Or is it a systemic/engineering matter and Mashmaster are offering replacements when approached?

I could run another 100 kg through it and see if it isn't pulling through / worsening. Advice?

 

[Liam_snorkel]

I don't know. I just described my experiences over the last few brews and that was enough. You should be able to go straight to mashmaster according to Australian consumer law:

You can claim a remedy directly from the manufacturer or importer if the goods do not meet one or more of the following consumer guarantees:

acceptable quality
matching description
any extra promises made about such things like performance, condition and quality
repairs and spare parts - the manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that spare parts and repair facilities (a place that can fix the consumer’s goods) are available for a reasonable time after purchase unless you were told otherwise. How long is ‘reasonable’ will depend on the type of product.

https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/consumer-guarantees#consumer-guarantees-on-products-and-services

and a credit card statement should be enough as proof of purchase:
https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/prices-receipts/receipts

 

[bradsbrew]

Update - retailer got back to me quickly and I'm now in contact with mashmaster.
just took a pic of the knurling:

IMG_9144.jpg

update:
reply within minutes, fluted rollers being posted as a replacement. great customer service from both craftbrewer & mashmaster.

Ouch. No reply to me yet.

 

[user 35653]

Ouch. No reply to me yet.

Me neither.

 

[Batz]

update:
reply within minutes, fluted rollers being posted as a replacement. great customer service from both craftbrewer & mashmaster.

That's great news Liam, try getting service like that from a ebay order. Well done Mashmaster and Craftbrewer!! :beerbang: :beerbang:

 

[Hpal]

I'll throw my 2c in here. These cheap mills use small diameter rollers to save money and that is their downfall. The angle of the rollers is not enough to drag the grain in easily so they have to put heavy knurl on the rollers to compensate. My mill http://cdn.aussiehomebrewer.com/uploads/albums/gallery/album_1215/gallery_26644_1215_98010.jpg uses about a 60mm diameter stainless roller. Because the stainless is fairly hard, I could only get (any only needed) a very light knurl on them. It drags the grain in no worries at all. It's all in the angle!

 

[nosco]

I think thats why the original MM mills were so good. I wish they still made em.

 

[Mardoo]

70mm rollers, way pricey, but looks interesting...

http://www.braufox.com.au/index.php/en-AU/shop-accessories/product/10-matt-mill-70mm/lang-en-AU

And the manufacturer's page, in German but Google Translate does a pretty good job:

http://www.mattmill.de/mattmill-kompakt/

 

[Liam_snorkel]

^ they look great. chews through 3kg of grain per minute. Rollers are much shorter but I just did a quick calc on the volume of steel (which explains the price):
previous (dodgy knurling) mashmaster: 147cm^3 per roller
new (fluted roller) mashmaster: 155cm^3 per roller
braufox mattmill: 192cm^3 per roller

PTC the new minimills (with the fluted rollers) aren't "cheap" any more, coming in at just under 300 bones. I'm looking forward to giving it a whirl.