JSP Malt Mill, Own One? Options

[Triple Freak]

Does anyone own one of these, other than me?
http://schmidling.netfirms.com/maltmill.htm
I motorized mine, along the lines of Mike Dixon's model. It works like a champ.
Link for motorizing Malt Mill

[cj in j]

I don't own one, but I used one of the adjustable models when I was helping out at the local brewpub. It does the job and does it well, but the hopper is pretty tiny. It's a good solid mill -- I gave it an 8.

[Triple Freak]

I made a larger hopper for mine from a small trash can & some plywood.

[huleoo]

I have the Model P and have been taking my time motorizing it. It works great for me, but as was mentioned the hopper leaves allot to be desired. I plan on making a new hopper for mine once I hook the 1/2HP motor I have to it.

[beerbaron]

I ordered one on the 26th of dec and it is still not here. yesterday I had to go mill grain at the local brewpub.

[crazy kegger]

i've got the basic JSP and it works great. i have nothing to compare it to tho.

i ordered the PhilMil from NB but they were out & Mike talked me into the JSP. he said that's what they used.

[Listermann]

I ordered one on the 26th of dec and it is still not here.  yesterday I had to go mill grain at the local brewpub.

Wow! Have you contacted them yet about this?

Dan

[mesabrewer]

I have had mine for 8 years niw and I love it but I did build a hopper that fits over the top of the hopper and had a 5 gallon water jug with the bottom cut off that works great. I use a drill to power it .

[Browndog]

I have been using my adjustable JSP Maltmill for several years. Works like a champ! I motorized it right away and recently added to the hopper capacity. If you would like some how-to ideas check out:

http://browndogbrew.blogspot.com/

[Brewpastor]

Home Depot (at least in Albuquerque) has a metal downspout that can easily be made into a hopper. I made a mill and used one of these as a hopper. FYI

[llama]

I used a friends fixed JSP and a LHBS's adjustable for years before buying my own. I went with the double adjustable model but think any of them would make a great mill. I gave it a 9 as the hopper is too small, although it is easy to modify.

FWIW I just use a heavy duty drill to power it and simply scoop my grain in one hopper full at a time. I figure this way I am giving my drill a break between hoppers. I did build a small stand for the mill and use an old pillow case to direct the grist down into a bucket.

I little ghetto but works well.

(IMG:http://www.xs4all.nl/~lamascus/Image(035).jpg)

[HighTest]

I have the adjustable model with hardened rollers. I motorized it and built a larger hopper - very pleased with its performance! (IMG:style_emoticons/brewboard/smile.gif)

[Triple Freak]

Since when did you start brewing beer, Hightest? I thought you were a mead mazer. (IMG:style_emoticons/brewboard/tongue.gif)

This post has been edited by Triple Freak: Dec 19 2005, 10:54 AM

[HighTest]

Since when did you start brewing beer, Hightest? I thought you were a mead mazer.  (IMG:style_emoticons/brewboard/tongue.gif)

Since about 1999... (IMG:style_emoticons/brewboard/wink.gif)

[karrezza]

http://schmidling.com/maltmill.htm ..

What a piece of JUNK.

What you see in that first pic on the link is NOT what you get. No plexiglass base, NO gears to drive the rollers.

You know what makes the secondary roller move?? A cheap o-ring that is wrapped around one! Seriously! When it wears out, you will only have one roller that moves!!

Totally false advertising! And the guy was SUCH a jerk to deal with.. told me to go take my meds, when I complained. But I didnt stop till I finally got my $$ back AND kept the mill. It was not worth it to him to even take his product back!! He kept saying he would have UPS pick it up.. after 3 months clearly that wasnt going to happen.

Read my brother's review of it.

Regarding Jack Schmidling Productions "MALT MILL":

I would not recommend this product for use in milling grain or anything else. This product is a perfect example of the internet market spoilers who ruin it for us all. It is one thing to cut a few corners to keep production costs and low, and quite another to go out of your way build something that cannot last any reasonable length of time. Below is a detailed description of what you will actually get should you purchase one of these gems.

The basic design consists of two 1 3/8" carbon steel rollers that have been knurled to a fine texture similar to the handle of a ratchet or torque wrench. These rollers are spaced 1/16" apart and ride in copper bearings on short 3/8" carbon steel shafts. Two aluminum blocks that measure 1/2" x 3" x 3 1/4" are drilled to hold the bearings and make up the sides of the mill section. One of the 3/8" shafts is extended and has a flat spot ground on it to accept an aluminum and wood handled crank. the other two sides are made of 1/8" thick Masonite (thin material on the back of cheap furniture) attached with 2 cad plated Phillips head screws. The hand crank turns one roller with a direct drive and the other turns because a 1/16" o-ring around the secondary roller contacts the drive roller. The base and hopper are made of Masonite and MDF board, also unfinished with minimal fasteners.

-The carbon steel rollers will rust very quickly, even though they appear to be slightly dirty with oil from the knurling process. Stainless steel would be the best choice here.
-The aluminum blocks have not been finished and still bear the marks from the mill. A cosmetic thing, and more of a pride in craftsmanship issue that could have been easily been taken care of.
-The choice of unsealed Masonite for the sides is one step above cardboard. This should be at least plastic, however aluminum to match the ends would have been the best. It is only held on by two cap screws, one on each end. Counter sunk screws would look better, but the material is not thick enough. As it is, it is coming loose as you would expect it to do before you receive it.
-All the screws are inexpensive, cadmium plated, and will eventually rust if exposed to water.
-The base is made of 1/2" PDF board unfinished with three rubber bumpers on the underside to keep it centered on a 5 gallon bucket while milling. The unfinished PDF will dissipate in time when exposed to moisture as it is basically a ground sawdust material pressed together with glue. It should be made of something finished or another material that would hold up to the elements better.
-The hopper section should not have been made of Masonite and PDF board and unfinished for reasons mentioned above, and also appears to be a prototype of a considered design rather than a finished product. There are scraps of plastic inside to direct the grain and keep fingers out, but the whole thing looks like it was made from materials lying around rather than planned. I would recommend removing the hopper and starting over. This is easily done as there are only two screws barely keeping it attached.
-The drive system is the worst part of design in that the o-ring will fail and is susceptible to grain jamming in the same area. A gear drive is the common design here so both rollers will have sufficient torque to actually "mill" the grain. Mr. Schmidling says the o-ring, should it fall off, is not necessary. The mill will work without it. Makes sense, doesn't it?