Mill doesn't grab grain. Fixes?

Mashing
21

[quote=“T Liza”]First of all, you have to accept that the barley crusher is a piece of crap. After you accept that fact, you can apply the following fix.

When you take the mill apart for cleaning, take the dead roller to the hardware store. Go to the drawer that contains the LARGE O-rings and find the ring that slides perfectly onto your roller. These rings are strong…much much stronger than the soft, pliable, breakable junk that originally comes with the mill. Assemble the mill with the new O-ring on the dead roller. Set the mill at 0.40…don’t go lower. After you finish milling the grain, YOU MUST OPEN THE ROLLERS all the way until the next use, to prevent excessive squeeze on the O-ring.

I have been using the same O-ring for over a year. It shows no signs of wear.

(The barley crusher supposedly comes with a lifetime guarantee, but the cheapskate that makes it won’t replace your worn rollers for free. The soft O-ring that he provides will last just long enough for him to cash your check…then it breaks. The least he could do is provide a dozen O-rings with the purchase.)[/quote]

I bought my BC years ago and it’s still going strong. My OEM o-ring did break after first use but I was under the impression that it was there to keep the idler roller from moving during shipping. Once my grain hits the rollers the idler is forced to move - no o-ring required to drive it.

Mike

22

I have a BC and my brother has a monster mill. Mine is like a schwinn, his is like a harley.

I am constantly messing with the BC to keep it working. Every few batches, full dissassemble, clean, oil.

23

Thanks for all the responses. When I took mine apart, the second roller had a bearing that was stuck (could be from grain dust) so that’s why I thought that roller was stationary (it didn’t roll at all). I oiled it and forced it to spin a few hundred times in each direction). Double brew day today, so we’ll see how it goes.

24

Not an extended period of use, but I’ve had my BC for 10 batches or so…no issues yet. As mentioned before, I believe the o-ring is only there to spin the idle roller while grain is not loaded. I removed mine before the first batch fearing I’d end up mashing rubber…never had a problem with the second roller spinning or either grabbing with grain loaded.

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If I try to tighten the gap on my bc any more than the factory setting It starts having trouble grabbing the grain. I have used it for over 60 batches many of them 10 gal and not cleaned it. guess it may be time

26

When I bought my BC about a year ago, I did a ton of research and never found negative comments like you guys are suggesting.

I have probably done about 20 batches, never touched the settings and it chews through grain without any issues, so far

27

All I tried to do here is offer a bonafide fix for those who might be having trouble with their crappy Barley Crusher…but this thing has turned into a very interesting comedy of “defense” theories.

One guy says you shouldn’t run the mill backwards. REALLY??

Two guys say that the motor and rollers must be started first, before any grain is added.

One guy finds it necessary to condition his grain for the mill to work.

One guy doesn’t even own a Barley Crusher, but feels the need to tell us his Corona is working fine.

One guy has used his mill for only 10 batches, another for only 20. EXPERTS…no doubt.

One guy grinds thousands of grains flawlessly, but finds it necessary to throw away the last ten.

But these two that follow are the best:

One guy says the o-rings only purpose is to stop the dead roller from turning while being shipped. REALLY?? What damage or problem could arise if the roller turns during shipment? What could possibly happen if it turns a little?? Where’s it gonna go?

One guy says the o-rings only purpose is to turn the roller while the hopper is empty. He must enjoy watching it spin for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

AHAHAHAHAHAHahahhahahhahaaaa.

BBWAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahhahahahahaaaaaaaa

28

T Liza, the problem with your fix is that milling at .040 is just a coarser crush than many of us would like. In an ideal brewery, the lauter system should dictate the crush and the mill should be adjusted to support that.

For the record, I probably did 30 or 40 batches before i started having trouble with mine.

Also I’d like to point out that a hokie and a wahoo agree on something in this thread that is some crazy s*** right there now.

29

Awesome, best news I have heard all day! We can shut the forum down, you can post your phone number and email address and we can just contact you as the defacto expert on home brewing? No point at all in discussing or getting different viewpoints on any subject than yours?

30

What timing, i had this happen today. My fix was to use a straightened paper clip to remove the packed grain and dust on the roller sides. Then stick a small brush into the side of the rollers and spin the rollers to get the rest out. no disassembly required.

31

EVERY time I use my BC, I use a 2" paintbrush to blow out any grain dust in the roller, especially between the rollers and the frame.

32

I’ve had a BC for about three years and mill at .032 (conditioned). In the instructions it says the o-ring won’t last, but isn’t necessary.

If you don’t clean it, you will have problems.

33

Re:>>I have a Cereal Killer (like the Barley Crusher).

There seems to be some confusion in this thread. The original poster does not own a Barley Crusher. I’m not familiar with the Cereal Killer, but a quick search revealed it as a lower priced alternative to the BC mill. The CK also seems to have had QC and design problems in earlier models. Perhaps the original poster could add a photo, state the date and price paid so as to clear up any further confusion.
With regards to the o-ring, I do recall the BC instructions saying that it is not needed. There should be no need to replace it. As for cleaning, I use a stiff bristled brush that came with my coffee bean mill.

34

[quote=“T Liza”]All I tried to do here is offer a bonafide fix for those who might be having trouble with their crappy Barley Crusher…but this thing has turned into a very interesting comedy of “defense” theories.

One guy says you shouldn’t run the mill backwards. REALLY??

Two guys say that the motor and rollers must be started first, before any grain is added.

One guy finds it necessary to condition his grain for the mill to work.

One guy doesn’t even own a Barley Crusher, but feels the need to tell us his Corona is working fine.

One guy has used his mill for only 10 batches, another for only 20. EXPERTS…no doubt.

One guy grinds thousands of grains flawlessly, but finds it necessary to throw away the last ten.

But these two that follow are the best:

One guy says the o-rings only purpose is to stop the dead roller from turning while being shipped. REALLY?? What damage or problem could arise if the roller turns during shipment? What could possibly happen if it turns a little?? Where’s it gonna go?

One guy says the o-rings only purpose is to turn the roller while the hopper is empty. He must enjoy watching it spin for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

AHAHAHAHAHAHahahhahahhahaaaa.

BBWAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahhahahahahaaaaaaaa[/quote]

You really are a cynical piece of work…

Have you tried using your BC without the o-ring? It works perfectly fine. Continue replacing it if you’d like.
Honestly whats the reason to attack everyone that responded to a rather general inquiry by the OP.

If you read BC’s documentation that ships with it, the stated purpose of the o-ring is to ensure proper operation / spinning of both rollers prior to shipping.

35

[quote=“dsidab81”]

You really are a cynical piece of work…[/quote]

Yea, he jumped all over me last week for suggesting to a new member that they did not have to post the same question in multiple categories.

36

He also was confusing the thread since the original post was about a Cereal Killer not a Barley Crusher. I have been very pleased with my BC. If it fails me, I might consider spending more to replace it, but so far I can’t (based on my experience) advise anyone that they really need to spend more. That said, if you want the best, knock yourself out and pay twice as much.

37

I’m not so sure you’d have to pay twice as much for the best.
After first of the year I’m going to make a few mill kits and probably sell the first few for around $75.
I plan to make mine a bit different, usable for a couple things besides just grains also maybe.

I got a thread going on these.

With the case hardened rollers I plan to do I think the closet thing to my $75 kit would be about $210 looking at what I’ve seen for sale.

38

[quote=“Wobbles”]
With the case hardened rollers I plan to do I think the closet thing to my $75 kit would be about $210 looking at what I’ve seen for sale.[/quote]

Not to make assumptions, but I have seen a lot of people that build things and anticipate they will build added ones to sell. I rarely see people in this situation build something that is then sold. However, more power to you if it works out, let me know if you want to sell it. I have seen your post. Don’t forget, pay yourself for your time :stuck_out_tongue: .

39

[quote=“brans041”][quote=“Wobbles”]
With the case hardened rollers I plan to do I think the closet thing to my $75 kit would be about $210 looking at what I’ve seen for sale.[/quote]

Not to make assumptions, but I have seen a lot of people that build things and anticipate they will build added ones to sell. I rarely see people in this situation build something that is then sold. However, more power to you if it works out, let me know if you want to sell it. I have seen your post. Don’t forget, pay yourself for your time :stuck_out_tongue: .[/quote]

I know what you mean, but I’ll have to make extra’s on these as I am buying too much material to make just one LOL

I’ll be paying myself about $1 an hour for my time also on about the first 4-6 units :lol:
Actually I’ll be building other things like jigs and a couple special tools which I can use some for many other things so need them anyway.

Keep active in the other thread for the mill kits, after I get the new to me trailer house/shop set up in Jan. I’ll be posting some on the building of the mills and may setup a web page for how I build them also later.

40

I always figure my material cost between 15-20% maybe up to 25% of the selling price.