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.
Looks great to me, .039 looks like a good spot
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?
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.
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
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
It is the process of moistening the malt with a little water before crushing it. It helps keep the husks intact.
Beat me to it, had a crap storm when I walked into work today…
Pay attention the the amount of water you need, it makes all the difference. I ran my BC at .37 or .38 and had some serious flour and dough balls when I masshed in…but almost all of the husks were intact, and had no issue with slow/stuck sparge. Might even pull it down even tighter for the brew after next, the next brew is 50% wheat, so, yeah…not gonna do it on that one
Odd question here, but it does pertain to breaking in a new mill, or as in my case, just beginning to use a mill at home. After milling my grist, their is grain dust all over the mill and base. Should I be trying to brush that in with the rest of the milled grain? Is is just dust and not necessary? I really had not thought of it when using the mill at LHBS, as I was not trying to clean or store that mill. I now see a lot of build up static clinging to my mill and the base of my mill. Do I need to get as much of this in as possible to protect my efficiency or is it essentially unwanted debris?
I knock my mill a few times with my palm to knock some loose but overall I don’t think it matters.
Thanks Steve
This time of year the static is a real pain when milling into a plastic bucket. You don’t lose enough dust to worry about but it can be a real pain to clean up.
I’m in the process of adding acrylic panels to my mill table so I can hook up my workshop dust collector to suck up the dust while I’m milling.
Paul
Sounds like a good idea. Hopefully you won’t find an empty bucket after you mill 20lbs of grain.
Just a quick update and question on my Barley Crusher…I’ve put around 25 or so pounds of grain through it and I noticed yesterday that the hand-cranking seemed much easier than the first time I used it.
Is it possible that the rollers loosened up and are making for a wider gap and an easier hand-crank? If so, how would I spot check the gap again to ensure that the .039" is there?
I should mention that my vorleuf was very quick this last batch. By quick I mean I only vorleuf’d (sp) about 2 quarts where I’m generally doing 4 or more. My point is that the grain bed is working so I don’t think my crush is way off.
You will want to get feeler gauges at some point. Cheap at harbor freight. They come coated in oil, so don’t be shocked. Just stack them for the gap you want and wipe them down.
A credit card is about 0.030" thick, so you could compare it to something else and try that. I used my Costco card once. I think it is about 0.035" thick.
My guess is you are breaking in the bushings vs. the gap widening. Check the set screws and gap before each use to make sure they haven’t wandered.
I’ve had one since 2007 and they do require regular maintenance to keep functioning re: stuck passive roller etc; you gotta take it apart and you’ll learn every piece. Whenever the f’ing #13 oring breaks I replace it. Think I might have graduated to running two rings now. Crush is still acceptable. I’m gonna send the rollers in for a retrofit so that’s good to know about the lifetime warranty.
I’d go with another brand to do it again tho. ???
I inquired about the o ring and was told it really serves no purpose after manufacturing. Mine is on the move though and I may just snip it off.