Millmaster Mill

[Pumpy]

You may be a top poster, brewer, with good info and heaps of experience to share(bless ya) .............But that is the worst type of rhyming what not that I've seen.It's almost as bad as the butchery that Aussie Hip Hop artists(?) inflict on us under the dubious title of lyrical poetry.

Cheers for that Lowtech, well I take it as a compliment :huh:

I regard myself as the self appointed cultural attach for the AHB site !!!

My poetry is classical ,it has to rhyme and if it dont I modify the word to make it rhyme rather like Edward Lear (1812 - 1888)who wrote the Owl and the pussycat .

Pumpy

 

[Screwtop]

Cheers for that Lowtech, well I take it as a compliment :huh:

I regard myself as the self appointed cultural attach for the AHB site !!!

My poetry is classical ,it has to rhyme and if it dont I modify the word to make it rhyme rather like Edward Lear (1812 - 1888)who wrote the Owl and the pussycat .

Pumpy

You need to chill about the mill, maybe take a pea green Pill

 

[NickB]

LOL, Screwy's been into the Bock again!

 

[justsomeguy]

Speaking of stands....wouldn't mind seeing how you hand-crankers (I'll be one too) have setup the mill.

I bought a 20L pail from Bunnings today to catch the cracked grain and am using the long weekend to devise a simple (hopefully!) setup for the mill.
cliffo

I've just bolted the thing to a piece of chipboard (not that MDF crap ). I added a couple of blocks of wood to the bottom to stop it slipping off the top of the 20 litre bucket the crushed grain goes into. Simple, cheap and does the job. I could weld up something more substantial in the future but I'm happy with what I've got at the moment. My hopper also comes off the top of the mill so that it doesn't take up quite so much room in the shed. Given I'm currently brewing every second weekend at the moment its not too big a deal to spend ten minute setting the mill and hopper up.

jsg

 

[cliffo]

Guys,

I have been trying to attach the crank handle to the mill and can't get the bloody thing on.

The pin that goes in the grooves does not seem to be the right size and won't slide more than 1/2 the way along before it seems to wedge in place.

Additionally, even with the pin out, the handle only seems to slide on 1/2 way before refusing to go any further...is that normal? Do I need to apply force to get it on?

Now, I am a self-confessed tool tard so will greatfully accept any advice to get the handle on so I can start crushing my grain.

cliffo

 

[Ecosse]

Guys,

I have been trying to attach the crank handle to the mill and can't get the bloody thing on.

The pin that goes in the grooves does not seem to be the right size and won't slide more than 1/2 the way along before it seems to wedge in place.

Additionally, even with the pin out, the handle only seems to slide on 1/2 way before refusing to go any further...is that normal? Do I need to apply force to get it on?

Now, I am a self-confessed tool tard so will greatfully accept any advice to get the handle on so I can start crushing my grain.

cliffo

Cliff,

I've been experimenting with the my Millmaster this morning and experienced exactly the same thing with the handle and the pin and I've been pondering applying the hammer to it...

One thing I've noticed that I can get the crush going without the pin provided I keep the grain out of the gears. Once it gets in there the handle spins helplessly.

There weren't any instructions in the box and being a widely recognised as the unhandiest person in my postcode I'm proceeding with caution.

Cheers,
Ecosse.

 

[cliffo]

Cliff,

I've been experimenting with the my Millmaster this morning and experienced exactly the same thing with the handle and the pin and I've been pondering applying the hammer to it...

One thing I've noticed that I can get the crush going without the pin provided I keep the grain out of the gears. Once it gets in there the handle spins helplessly.

There weren't any instructions in the box and being a widely recognised as the unhandiest person in my postcode I'm proceeding with caution.

Cheers,
Ecosse.

Hi Ecosse,

I've contemplated the hammer as well but I would most likely bugger the thing up and render it useless.

I was thinking about sanding the pin but it looks like quite a bit of sanding would be required so might need to give it some more thought or wait until it magically fixes itself.

 

[Korev]

Some gentle sandpapering/filing of the keyway and the rectangular key to get it to fit properly worked for me to get the handle on . Plus some gentle persuasion with a few taps with the rubber mallet!

Cheers

 

[cliffo]

Some gentle sandpapering/filing of the keyway and the rectangular key to get it to fit properly worked for me to get the handle on . Plus some gentle persuasion with a few taps with the rubber mallet!

Cheers

Thanks Korev - looks like the sanding option might be the way to go.

Ecosse - does your handle go all the way on without the pin coz mine only gets 1/2 way on...maybe thats where the hammer will come in to play.

 

[Ecosse]

Some gentle sandpapering/filing of the keyway and the rectangular key to get it to fit properly worked for me to get the handle on . Plus some gentle persuasion with a few taps with the rubber mallet!

Cheers

Thanks Korev.

I'll give the sandpaper a rub and the rubber mallet a gentle whacking.

There isn't much that can't be fixed via the rubber mallet

Cheers,
Ecosse.

 

[Ecosse]

Thanks Korev - looks like the sanding option might be the way to go.

Ecosse - does your handle go all the way on without the pin coz mine only gets 1/2 way on...maybe thats where the hammer will come in to play.

Cliffo - yep my handle only fits about halfway onto the shaft and would need to be persuaded by the mallet to go any further. Also the pin will need a fair bit of sanding to fit the groove in the shaft.

 

[cliffo]

An update...using brute force and iggnorance I have managed to smash the handle on to the mill without the pin in the groove.

I even managed to get the handle off again. Still need to do quite a bit more filing on the pin for it to sit in properly.

I must say I am quite dissapointed that I have to go to all this effort for something that should just fit together out of the box. Nevermind, I'm sure once I get it up and running I will forget about this little exercise.

 

[geoff_tewierik]

Had the same keyway/handle problem with mine.

Handle goes on halfway and gets caught on the tiny bit of metal left in the centre i.e. a bit of swarf from when the hole was drilled out by the looks of it. Keyway fits into the handle but not the mill slot. Definately no leeway there.

*Edit - my bad - handle is cast, and the swarf is where the two parts of the mold join together in the hole.

Pulled out the persuader and a couple of knocks later it all fits together. The handle holes swarf got ground down by the tight squeeze and the keyway is designed to be an interference fit by the looks of it, so it's very tight and needs the persuasion to go in.

 

[Pumpy]

You need to chill about the mill, maybe take a pea green Pill

Just a note to the HandCrankers

when Handcranking and you wish to stop for a rest .

Stop cranking in the 6 o clock position

The reason is that if you stop at five past 12 position the hand crank may rotate clockwise on its own weight, spilling uncrushed grain into your crushed grain.

Pumpy

 

[Pumpy]

I must say I am quite dissapointed that I have to go to all this effort for something that should just fit together out of the box. Nevermind, I'm sure once I get it up and running I will forget about this little exercise.

Yes I know what you mean Cliffo , but with a little patience the fixes are relatively simple and at the end of it you will have the 'best Mill ever '

Pumpy

 

[cliffo]

Yes I know what you mean Cliffo , but with a little patience the fixes are relatively simple and at the end of it you will have the 'best Mill ever '

Pumpy

Looks the goods Pumpy.

I've given the mill a quick spin with it just bolted to some MDF and sitting on the bucket and I realise that I'm gunna have to get something a little more sturdy for hand cranking.

Went fine until the grain got into the gears then it didn't want to budge...either that or I'm weak

Off to Bunnings again tomorrow to part with some more of my hard earned on a stand of some type.

cliffo

 

[warra48]

I had the same problem with the grub screw.

I fixed it by inserting a short length of aluminium plate (bought at Bunnings), cut to the right size, and smoothed off with a file.

It fits into the recessed slot inside the handle and into the slot in the mill shaft. It is what takes the load of milling, and the grub screw is there only to fix the handle in place.

 

[Pumpy]

Looks the goods Pumpy.

I've given the mill a quick spin with it just bolted to some MDF and sitting on the bucket and I realise that I'm gunna have to get something a little more sturdy for hand cranking.

Went fine until the grain got into the gears then it didn't want to budge...either that or I'm weak

Off to Bunnings again tomorrow to part with some more of my hard earned on a stand of some type.

cliffo

The 'Pumpy Gear Guard' will fix that problem Cliffo dont you worry , One coming in the post monday

You will be on Cloud Nine

Pumpy

 

[cliffo]

The 'Pumpy Gear Guard' will fix that problem Cliffo dont you worry , One coming in the post monday

You will be on Cloud Nine

Pumpy

Thats good to hear.

Thanks for taking the time to help a fellow brewer, you're a good man Pumpy :super:

cliffo

 

[cliffo]

Success...of sorts.

I managed to get the handle (with pin) nearly all the way on and managed to crack around 5kg of grain in about 10mins. The grain seems to have had a good crush so will put down the brew sometime today and hope that a. no stuck sparges and b. I get good efficiency.

I fashioned a temporary gear guard out of one side of the cardboard box packaged as Steggles Chinese Crispy Chicken (with Honey Sauce*) and had no trouble hand cranking the grain through.

Given the ease of the cracking I may not need to knock up a stand as my MDF on top of the bucket system worked fine with a bit of down force on my part.

Ecosse - how have you got on with you troublesome handle?

cliffo

*NOTE: Using the Sweet & Sour Sauce variety may vary results as described here :lol: