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Date: 24 Jul 2006 06:53:37
From: Adam Preble
Subject: Corn mills at Big Lots
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When I was mill shopping, I looked for Corona mills before getting what
I have now. When I saw a Corona mill, I could have sworn I saw
something like it at Big Lots. It turns out I did, but I don't know if
it really is the same thing. Over the weekend, I managed to find one in
the store that I could open up and peek at.
clamps on to a surface and feeds into a single roller. It looked like
solid metal. Where I think it might be different is the roller. This
wasn't a roller as much as a big corkscrew; think like something that's
acting like it's drilling into the side of the mill as it turns. Is
this what's used in Corona mills?
If it looks useful and you can find a Big Lots that has it, it'll set
you back $15.
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Date: 24 Jul 2006 14:19:15
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Corn mills at Big Lots
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On Mon, 24 Jul 2006 06:53:37 GMT, <rockobonaparte@hotmail.com > wrote:
> When I was mill shopping, I looked for Corona mills before getting what
> I have now. When I saw a Corona mill, I could have sworn I saw
> something like it at Big Lots. It turns out I did, but I don't know if
> it really is the same thing. Over the weekend, I managed to find one in
> the store that I could open up and peek at.
>
> clamps on to a surface and feeds into a single roller. It looked like
> solid metal. Where I think it might be different is the roller. This
> wasn't a roller as much as a big corkscrew; think like something that's
> acting like it's drilling into the side of the mill as it turns. Is
> this what's used in Corona mills?
Yeah, that sounds like a Corona. The corkscrew basically feeds the grain
towards two plates on the front which are designed to grind the grain into
flour.
> If it looks useful and you can find a Big Lots that has it, it'll set
> you back $15.
That's a pretty good deal. Usually I've seen them for around $30. IMO
though, a homebrew roller mill is going to work a lot better than a Corona.
They are a lot more expensive though.
John.
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Date: 24 Jul 2006 06:01:10
From: John F
Subject: Re: Corn mills at Big Lots
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Adam Preble wrote: This wasn't a roller as much as a big corkscrew;
think like something that's acting like it's drilling into the side of
the mill as it turns. Is this what's used in Corona mills?
Yes, a corkscrew drives the grain over to two plates. One plate is
stationary and the other is adjusted to make the desired gap. Turning
the handle spins both the corkscrew and plate.
John F
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Date: 24 Jul 2006 13:59:28
From: Adam Preble
Subject: Re: Corn mills at Big Lots
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John F wrote:
> Yes, a corkscrew drives the grain over to two plates. One plate is
> stationary and the other is adjusted to make the desired gap. Turning
> the handle spins both the corkscrew and plate.
>
I couldn't tell if it could be adjusted; I'd probably have to put one
together. Do some come in an unadjustable version or would that just be
unacceptable for any use?
Sounds like some people can get into milling for $15 though.
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Date: 24 Jul 2006 14:23:39
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Corn mills at Big Lots
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On Mon, 24 Jul 2006 13:59:28 GMT, <rockobonaparte@hotmail.com > wrote:
> John F wrote:
>> Yes, a corkscrew drives the grain over to two plates. One plate is
>> stationary and the other is adjusted to make the desired gap. Turning
>> the handle spins both the corkscrew and plate.
>>
>
> I couldn't tell if it could be adjusted; I'd probably have to put one
> together. Do some come in an unadjustable version or would that just be
> unacceptable for any use?
They're intended to make flour, so an unadjustable one probably wouldn't
be very useful for homebrewing. The one I have lets you loosen the
plates enough to sort of get a decent crush out of it. The throughput
is really slow though.
> Sounds like some people can get into milling for $15 though.
They are a cheap way to get into milling, but IMO the more expensive
homebrew roller mills are definitely worth the increased price. They
work a lot better for what we want than the Corona.
Some people do use them and seem happy with them. I've used both, and IMO,
there really is no comparison.
John.
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Date: 26 Jul 2006 04:28:18
From: Gwidman
Subject: Re: Corn mills at Big Lots
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"Adam Preble" <rockobonaparte@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:R7_wg.16695$ST.6900@tornado.texas.rr.com...
> When I was mill shopping, I looked for Corona mills before getting what I
> have now. When I saw a Corona mill, I could have sworn I saw something
> like it at Big Lots. It turns out I did, but I don't know if it really is
> the same thing. Over the weekend, I managed to find one in the store that
> I could open up and peek at.
>
> clamps on to a surface and feeds into a single roller. It looked like
> solid metal. Where I think it might be different is the roller. This
> wasn't a roller as much as a big corkscrew; think like something that's
> acting like it's drilling into the side of the mill as it turns. Is this
> what's used in Corona mills?
>
> If it looks useful and you can find a Big Lots that has it, it'll set you
> back $15.
Adam,
I've used a Corona since I've been all-grain brewing. With a few
modifications, it does a great job. I took a file and lightly smoothed the
grinding plates, knocking off the high spots. I also put a couple of
washers between the mounting flanges and the cover, allowing a greater
adjustment range. I found that a large juice can with the flange cut off
will fit snugly in the hopper, so I can pour in several lbs of grain at a
time. I mounted it to a piece of plywood, and replaced the crank and
thumbscrew with a hex head bolt that I mated up with an electric drill and
socket, and mounted that in position on the board. The drill is an old
variable speed Crapsman with a locking trigger and a knob speed control, so
it's easy to adjust the speed of the mill on the fly. The gap between the
plates can be adjusted as the grain is grinding, giving just the right
amount of control to get a good crush. The hulls come through pretty much
intact. It does make more flour than a roller mill, but since I do all my
beers by batch sparge, it's not an issue. In fact, I've been crushing my
grain finer and finer and have not experienced any stuck sparges. I don't
use any wheat or other sticky grains tho. I just recirculate the the first
gallon or two and all my beers come out just fine. I consistently get 80%
efficiency according to Pro Mash.
The nice thing is, I just hang the whole rig on the wall when it's not being
used. When I want to brew, I get it down from its hook, plug it in, and
grind 15 to 20 lbs of grain in about 15 minutes, and hang it back up out of
the way.
I don't have any pictures, but I could take some if you were interested. A
roller mill is really the best way to go, but it's not worth the price
unless you really feel you need one.
Gary
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