Millmaster Mill

[cliffo]

So with quite a few us the proud owners of our new Millmaster Mill the question needs to be asked of the veteran millers...

What have you guys found to be the best setting on the mill for good efficiency/no stuck sparges?

I'm looking to mill some grain on ANZAC day so I am keen to get it right first go.

cliffo

 

[Juddy]

Hey Cliffo

I've done about 10 brews with grain crushed by my millmaster and a massive rotary hammer drill. The gap setting equation worried me at first but I now have a pretty simple philosophy.
- The finner I crush the better my efficency!
- The finner I crush the easier my sparge gets stuck!
- So! I find a crush as fine as I dare, and then regulate the speed of my sparge to hopefully avoid getting stuck!
This method is of course dependent on batch sparging, as if you get it wrong, and get stuck, you simply stir, wait, recirculate and try again.

Hope this helps, and sorry I don't have any actual gap specific settings! Just beware of any clock face related settings as these are dependant on which way up you mount the mill!

Cheers Juddy

 

[Pumpy]

One or two clicks past 12 o clock is about 1mm gap it may be a bit too fine for some peoples set up but my mash tun and pump handles it niceley

I have a hand crank handle as it is so easy to crush.

I dont really require a motor at this stage in life .

pumpy

 

[Pumpy]

One minute per kilo of grain at a steady pace with my daughter feeding the hopper untill I extend it a bit

pumpy

 

[razz]

12 o'clock position for me too. I tried it at up to 3 settings closer but I have problems fly sparging. I'm still using the hand crank, the brew I just knocked out on Monday gave excellent efficiency and the sparge was great !
Hey Pumpy, you forgot to say, you're not a brewer until...........

 

[Pumpy]

Cliffo

Warra48 said to make a gear guard out of card ,

I dont know if this pic is clear enough but I made mine from a clear piece of thin easy to cut perspex it just slides down the side of the hopper and stops the grain going in the gears works a treat simple .

I am very happy with the mill

pumpy

 

[Pumpy]

12 o'clock position for me too. I tried it at up to 3 settings closer but I have problems fly sparging. I'm still using the hand crank, the brew I just knocked out on Monday gave excellent efficiency and the sparge was great !
Hey Pumpy, you forgot to say, you're not a brewer until...........

Your right Razz ,

This is a real mill .

This is a 'Mans Mill' not a 'Mickey mouse mill'.

If you got the Will
Take a Chill Pill.
Get a real Mill
if not your Sill
Its so strong you can leave it in your Will ,
I would even Kill Bill for this Mill
there is no Frill on ths Mill
some cost you a Mill.
With Grain you can Fill
it really is Brill
gee what a Dill
Who needs a Drill



Its the next step up from having a March pump .

pumpy

 

[razz]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[justsomeguy]

1 notch past 12 o'clock for me too though I may go finer to determine what the point of stuck mash will be.

I cut up a 2 litre plastic coke bottle and used it as a guard for the gears. Cheap and easy to make !

I'm also a hand cranker B) Makes me feel like I'm trying to crank over an old model T Ford.

I also read somewhere recently that the speed of doing the crush will change your efficiency for a given roller gap. This means that grain crushed through a mill running at 150rpm will given you a different efficiency than if you hand-cranked it through. Dunno of there is any truth to the theory though...

gary

 

[Pumpy]

1 notch past 12 o'clock for me too though I may go finer to determine what the point of stuck mash will be.

I cut up a 2 litre plastic coke bottle and used it as a guard for the gears. Cheap and easy to make !

I'm also a hand cranker B) Makes me feel like I'm trying to crank over an old model T Ford.

I also read somewhere recently that the speed of doing the crush will change your efficiency for a given roller gap. This means that grain crushed through a mill running at 150rpm will given you a different efficiency than if you hand-cranked it through. Dunno of there is any truth to the theory though...

gary

JSG ,

Go the handcrankers ,

There is something satisying about handcranking your grain, it is far better than just pressing a button and its all over red rover in a couple of minutes


Pumpy

 

[warrenlw63]

Go the handcrankers ,

So being a handcranker means no rumpy-pumpy for pumpy? B)

You may need a new handle (or should that be crank?) :lol:

Warren -

 

[justsomeguy]

JSG ,

Go the handcrankers ,

There is something satisying about handcranking your grain, it is far better than just pressing a button and its all over red rover in a couple of minutes

Also works well as a punishment for the kids when they play up.

'You hit your brother again and I'll make you crush the grain for the next double batch', sounds mighty fine to me.


Contrary to popular belief I love my kids, I really do. <_<
gary

 

[warra48]

I initially set my gap at 1 mm, and got 87% efficiency into the kettle. I did find it a bit hard to hand grind, so I backed it off for my next batch to 1.2 mm, and got 90% efficiency into the boiler.
Although I batch sparge, they took over an hour to drain, but didn't get stuck, just very slow. I didn't use gulls. I had kg of wheat and rye in the first batch, and kg of rye in the second.

 

[bindi]

Cliffo

Warra48 said to make a gear guard out of card ,

I dont know if this pic is clear enough but I made mine from a clear piece of thin easy to cut perspex it just slides down the side of the hopper and stops the grain going in the gears works a treat simple .

I am very happy with the mill

pumpy

Pm sent Pumpy, I would love a copy of your design PLEASE. .

As I am sure others would .

Edit: Typo.

 

[BrissyBrew]

If you are hand cranking your gap setting will probably be reasonably consistent between brewers (depending on mash system). If you are motorsing I can different crush results by just varying the RPMs the mill is running at.

 

[Pumpy]

Pm sent Pumpy, I would love a copy of your design PLEASE. .

As I am sure others would .

Edit: Typo.

No worries Bindi will cut one out for you


Pumpy

 

[bindi]

No worries Bindi will cut one out for you


Pumpy

Thank you Pumpy :super: what a great guy.

Now to get a handle for it, in my haste I forgot to order the crank. :unsure:
I had the mill setup on a stand in half an hour of its arrival [yesterday], just removed the Marga mill from the stand and cut a bigger hole and bolted in on, but no bloody handle to do a test grind.

 

[cliffo]

Thank you Pumpy :super: what a great guy.

Now to get a handle for it, in my haste I forgot to order the crank. :unsure:
I had the mill setup on a stand in half an hour of its arrival [yesterday], just removed the Marga mill from the stand and cut a bigger hole and bolted in on, but no bloody handle to do a test grind.

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

 

[pint of lager]

Probably the easiest stand to make up would be to buy some dexion and joiners from the local hardware store. You cut that to whatever size you want. Then add some plywood to the top, cut a hole out for the discharge shute and bolt the mill down. You can mount the mill on top, or underneath.

You can make any sort of shelving, or even desks from dexion. It is square tubing, the joiners fit internally to the tubing.

Don't try and balance the mill on the bucket, it will end in tears. The mill weighs 12.8kg.

 

[lowtech]

Your right Razz ,

This is a real mill .

This is a 'Mans Mill' not a 'Mickey mouse mill'.

If you got the Will
Take a Chill Pill.
Get a real Mill
if not your Sill
Its so strong you can leave it in your Will ,
I would even Kill Bill for this Mill
there is no Frill on ths Mill
some cost you a Mill.
With Grain you can Fill
it really is Brill
gee what a Dill
Who needs a Drill





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.