[blatz]

Learn what a proper crush looks like, and set your mill accordingly. Check it every time. With heavy use, and all the vibration from the drill, the settings can change over time. Run some through, catch it in your hand, and visually inspect it.

I agree with that, but here's where the benefit of a feeler gauge comes in, which with a BC or MM is easy, not so much for GS's setup.  Definitely visually inspect the crush, but IMO you can have a greater chance of consistent efficiency with a precise measurement of the gap rather than just eyeballing what comes out.  I can't visually tell the difference between a crush using 0.040 and 0.037" but it can mean 5% difference in my efficiency at the end of the day.  

I'm German and thus incredibly anal though,  

If you can get a feeler gauge down there, I recommend it.

+ 1 on the malt conditioning too - the lautering clarity and speed is incredible

[bluesman]

I am also a proponent of calibration using gauges.  I have pin gages that I use to check the setting of the mill.  I feel that a proper crush is an important factor in acheiving good efficiency from the mash.  Grain size is also a factor in that as the grain size varies so will the crush with the gap being a constant.  It will be necessary to adjust the mill as the grain size varies in order to keep the crush consistent. 

That being said I don't change the mill gap setting to compensate for the grain size variability.  I live with the slight variances in efficiency.  However, I check the mill gap setting from time to time to keep it calibrated.

[Hokerer]

I am also a proponent of calibration using gauges.  I have pin gages that I use to check the setting of the mill.  I feel that a proper crush is an important factor in acheiving good efficiency from the mash.  Grain size is also a factor in that as the grain size varies so will the crush with the gap being a constant.  It will be necessary to adjust the mill as the grain size varies in order to keep the crush consistent. 

That being said I don't change the mill gap setting to compensate for the grain size variability.  I live with the slight variances in efficiency.  However, I check the mill gap setting from time to time to keep it calibrated.

Yep, I check with the feeler guage before every use.  It's simple to pop the guage in right, left, center, just to make sure things haven't slipped.  When the mill was new, it would come out of adjustment after use.  Now that's it's been around a while, it stays solidly where it's supposed to.  I still check it each time, though.

For the oddball grains, I too don't change the gap.  For wheat or rye or whatever, I just run them through by themselves and then add them to the rest of the grain bill to be crushed.  Effectively "double crushes" the oddballs.

[jptheelder]

Also, if you spray your malt with water to do the malt conditioning trick I wrote about in the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp article for Zymurgy, you'll be able to set your mill tighter.

I was just trying to figure out where I have read your article on wet milling. would you remind me please of wich issue that was in? I remember that I wanted to try it but I dont know how and my stack of beer mags is starting to get out of control. at least thats the term my wife uses for it I remember it being a great article btw . thanks for writing it. ( now if only I could find it again)

[Hokerer]

Also, if you spray your malt with water to do the malt conditioning trick I wrote about in the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp article for Zymurgy, you'll be able to set your mill tighter.

I was just trying to figure out where I have read your article on wet milling. would you remind me please of wich issue that was in? I remember that I wanted to try it but I dont know how and my stack of beer mags is starting to get out of control. at least thats the term my wife uses for it I remember it being a great article btw . thanks for writing it. ( now if only I could find it again)

If you can't find the article (heck, even if you can), Kai's got a good bit on his wiki about malt conditioning...

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Malt_Conditioning

[jptheelder]

thanks

[tschmidlin]

Also, if you spray your malt with water to do the malt conditioning trick I wrote about in the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp article for Zymurgy, you'll be able to set your mill tighter.

I was just trying to figure out where I have read your article on wet milling. would you remind me please of wich issue that was in? I remember that I wanted to try it but I dont know how and my stack of beer mags is starting to get out of control. at least thats the term my wife uses for it I remember it being a great article btw . thanks for writing it. ( now if only I could find it again)

Gordon's beer camp article was in Jan/Feb of Zymurgy, but Chris Colby wrote one on conditioned milling for Mar/Apr of BYO.

[richardt]

In re "malt conditioning," pay attention to how much water you use--more water is NOT better. 
If you overdo the water--you'll end up with rollers that look like corndogs. 

[Thirsty_Monk]

In re "malt conditioning," pay attention to how much water you use--more water is NOT better. 
If you overdo the water--you'll end up with rollers that look like corndogs. 

I have the same experience. Less moisture is more.
And for this reason I would stay away from BYO (Chris Colby) approach.