What is the scale unit on this mill?

[muddy]

Hi,

What is the unit on the scale of this old mill? I'm in a metric country but the mill was made in USA so it could be some kind of measurement I've never heard of.

Thanks!

[TGTimm]

That' the clearance setting for the rollers--how far apart they are. Not sure what units, if any, are used. Could just be reference #s.

To measure the clearance of your mill rollers, run a length of plumber's solder--lead-free--through and then mike that. Much easier than trying to use feeler gauges.

[dick murton]

And depending on how long the rollers are, at least the first time you check the gaps, you should check at least at two or three points along the length, and after my experience with old poorly maintained mills at one brewery, rotate the rollers a quarter of a turn, repeat the checks, turn another quarter and check and so on. This will identify if you have uneven wear of the rollers and / or the bearings.

[UnFermentable]

Don’t use it! You obviously need one that goes to eleven!

Seriously though, it probably isn’t an accurate measurement, but I’d be willing to bet cash it is millimeters. You’re set just above 1.2mm which is too coarse for a good efficiency. You should be able to work down around 0.95mm or less if all is right in the world.

Verify the gap and trueness of the rollers as stated above to see if the marks are accurate. Get a set of sieves.

[muddy]

Thanks for the replies. I tried the solder trick and got measurements of 1.5mm between teeth tips and 2.6mm between tooth valleys. This result surprises me because the cracked grain has shredded husks and too much flour so I was expecting the gap to be too tight. Efficiency has been excellent but stuck sparges are a nightmare. Now I'm confused and don't know what to do, I had been hoping to find that I can open it up a bit, should I try that anyway?

[Thirsty_Monk]

You should try the sieve test to find out what is your grain milled to. Take your sample from grain hydrate point.

[muddy]

I decided not to get hung up on measurements and the scale etc (I don't have access to graduated sieves anyway).

I decided to focus on one thing: results. I've widened the mill gap and now I'm getting a great-looking crush, an easy sparge, and great efficiency. I've marked the new position on the mill in case it moves again.

Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions.

p.s. fwiw the new setting is 1.85 so it's definitely not measured in mm!

[liammckenna]

Unitless. Just relative to the last setting. Gap your rollers using feeler guages. Note the number on your dial when the rollers are properly gapped. BTW, if this is a used mill, you likely will wish to swap out the bearings on each roll. They get sloppy over the years. When they do, properly gapping your rollers will be largely meaningless as one or the other or both sides of each of the rollers will unpredictably drift in their bearings. Good luck. Pax.