[JT]

I have a MM3, so I can't say anything about the BC.  If it crushes your grain, you did good!

[Frankenbrew]

if you do pull the trigger, i think the advice here is solid on mills.  hand cranking is fun...once or twice. putting 12+ lbs and cranking by hand get olds pretty quick. mine works well with cordless dewalt with variable speed- but its kind of high end.

Neither of my Schmidling Malt Mllls have been motorized.  I hand cranked almost two tons of malt through my original Malt Mill before selling it when I left the hobby for a few years. 

As I have mentioned before, I currently own a Schmidling (JSP) Model P Malt Mill and a 3-roller Monster Mill.  Of the two, the JSP mill is better built.  What the JSP design lacks in bling, it more than makes up in manufacturing tolerances.   There's less side-to-side play in the rollers. One does not have to do the alignment dance while setting up a JSP Malt Mill.  The bearing to bushing interface is also tighter tolerance.   The first thing to go out on a cheaper mill is the knurl on the rollers, as Barley Crusher owners eventually learn.  The second thing to go is usually the bushings (or bearings).  It is not unusual to see twenty-year-old JSP Malt Mills still in use at home brew stores.

+1

This sturdiness and longevity is why I recently, after thinking about it and weighing all the variables, went with the JSP MaltMill.

I haven't had it long enough to personally verify its virtues, like S Cervisiae, but I've also seen them last over the years at the home brew stores. Though, I can see the sturdiness in just the short time that I've had it.

[narcout]

I wonder if powering a mill with a drill causes more wear and tear on the rollers than hand cranking.

I've had a Barley Crusher for over 7 years, and I've probably put somewhere around 1,500 lbs. of grain through it (almost all of it with the hand crank). 

I've experienced a stuck roller once or twice, but it wasn't anything that a bit of cleaning didn't fix, and the knurl on the rollers is still very much intact.

The JSP and Monster Mills look pretty nice though.  If/when my Barley Crusher dies, I'll probably give one of those a try.   

[dannyjed]

I wonder if powering a mill with a drill causes more wear and tear on the rollers than hand cranking.

I've had a Barley Crusher for over 7 years, and I've probably put somewhere around 1,500 lbs. of grain through it (almost all of it with the hand crank). 

I've experienced a stuck roller once or twice, but it wasn't anything that a bit of cleaning didn't fix, and the knurl on the rollers is still very much intact.

The JSP and Monster Mills look pretty nice though.  If/when my Barley Crusher dies, I'll probably give one of those a try.

Man, 1,500 lbs. of grain with the hand crank...you must have Popeye forearms.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

I got a Barley Crusher, be gentle....

You're not the first, and you won't be the last!  It will get the job done.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[flbrewer]

Ran some 2 row through the Barley Crusher today, what are your thoughts on what this crush looks like? Left it alone set to the default gap setting of .39 thousands.

[69franx]

Looks great to me, .039 looks like a good spot

[jaftak22]

So I ordered the same crusher you did about a week ago. Did a crush on mine today and I am only used to doing my grain at the LHBS. When I used mine when I got it today, I was suprised. The grain when its milled at the LHBS looks nothing like this at all. My grain seemed a lot more powdery. Was yours like this as well, and could someone else enlighten me?

[Pinski]

I got a Barley Crusher, be gentle....

No, you be gentle.

[flbrewer]

I got a Barley Crusher, be gentle....

No, you be gentle.

So far so good...only 25 or so pounds in but zero issues, aside from my right arm getting much bigger than my left.

[TMX]

I have a BC just got it back from the mfg for some repairs. I think mine is at .37 or .38 for best results I have found that crushing slow and conditioning the grain works wonders

[flbrewer]

What is grain conditioning? Too tired to Google.

[TMX]

What is grain conditioning? Too tired to Google.

And I am too tired to Google it, copy and paste a link. There is always tomorrow

[jeffy]

What is grain conditioning? Too tired to Google.

It is the process of moistening the malt with a little water before crushing it.  It helps keep the husks intact.

[BrewBama]

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Malt_Conditioning

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk