Malt is one of the main products used in modern brewing. Moreover, it is widely used in other industries - in cosmetology, cooking, and also for the production of food additives. To properly prepare the product, industrial enterprises and craftsmen use a malt grinder. This unit allows you to grind raw materials efficiently, spending a minimum of effort and time.
Malt crusher - design features of the unit
Professional malt grinders are large, powerful units that may differ in design. Depending on the main operating mechanism, such crushers are divided into:
- Conical;
- Cheek;
- Rotary;
- Hammer;
- Roller;
- Centrifugal.
In the home production of intoxicating drinks and cosmetics, grinders that are simpler in design are used. However, they are almost as good as professional machines in terms of performance and efficiency.
The “classic” of simplified crushers is the roller-type crusher, which can be supplied as an automated or manual model. The main mechanism of the roller design is the expected movable shaft. Its function is to redirect the flow of grain into a small gap between the stationary part of the entire structure and itself. This element ensures high-quality and fast grain grinding.
Despite their high efficiency, malt crushers cannot be called expensive. Any average household can afford to purchase such a unit. The purchase of a unit quickly pays for itself due to increased productivity and quality of the finished product.
What is a chiller?
First, it’s worth understanding what a chiller is in general. A chiller is a special device for cooling wort. The fact is that the brewed wort must be cooled as quickly as possible, otherwise we risk the entire batch. At high temperatures, bacteria multiply faster, which means the longer the wort remains hot, the greater the chance of infecting it with unwanted pathogens. Slow cooling also has a detrimental effect on the taste of homemade beer. The third factor that votes FOR a chiller is the volume of brewed beer. If the volumes are not large (5-10 liters), then cooling will take place quickly enough; just take a larger pan. But if you brewed 50 liters, you can’t do without a chiller.
Malt crusher - types of units with a simplified design
These grinders are intended for crushing for the purpose of preparing whiskey, beer and other alcoholic beverages at home. Depending on the design, a household crusher can be:
- Double-roller - has lower productivity and a very simple design;
- Three-roller - equipped with an additional shaft, and makes it possible to grind the feedstock more efficiently.
Most often, a hand-type mill is used in domestic conditions. It is a small mechanical unit. The grain in it is crushed by mechanically turning the handle. In other words, it's a larger traditional meat grinder.
The most popular model of household crushers is the Comfort 500 device, which is popularly called “Corona”. It is inexpensive, reliable and easy to use. Despite this, this model shows fairly high performance.
Do it yourself: freon chiller from an air conditioner
The idea of redesigning the cooling system of a laser machine has been in my head for a long time, but, as usual, my hands can’t keep up with my head. Initially, the work of cooling the “pipe” (laser emitter) was performed by a simple Chinese chiller, exactly like in the picture.
Its design is banal and simple: the liquid passes through a radiator made of an aluminum tube, which, in turn, is blown by a fan. Of course, there can be no talk of any temperature stability or power reserve. In the summer, a regular window air conditioner was purchased to accompany it, which simply cooled the air supplied to the chiller. The solution was temporary, but, as we know, there is nothing more permanent than something temporary.
The last straw was the upgrade of the machine to a more powerful “pipe”, which required more serious cooling. Initially, the choice fell on a Chinese freon chiller, but delivery times and costs turned out to be higher than expected, so it was decided to modify what was available. The system requirements were as follows:
• Stable temperature maintenance in the range of +8 ... +14 C • Autonomy • Ability to work in 24/7 mode • Less electricity consumption compared to the current system
The simplest thing that could be thought of was to immerse the cold part of the air conditioner in the liquid that directly cools the “pipe,” which is ultimately what was done.
We disassembled both devices, so recklessly that we forgot to take a picture of it. The outer casing, the fan impeller that blows through the cold part, the insulation and a pair of tin walls were removed from the air conditioner. We took out all the electrics and the expansion tank from the chiller.
It was decided to make the reservoir for the cold part from PVC 6mm thick, since there was an abundance of plastic; it can be easily cut with either a router or a simple knife. And it's easy to glue. In addition, I didn’t want to disassemble the freon part of the air conditioner - I would have to re-pressure the tubes, refill, etc. The tank was glued almost in place, creating a rectangular box 360x300x90mm, which was connected to the expansion tank using two fittings mounted on sealant and a hose.
(I apologize for the quality of the photo - I only had an old iPhone at hand)
We glued the top cover of the tank with a bolt as a plug for the gas outlet (not shown in the photo)
We connected the pump, operation indicators and alarm system from the old chiller, charged the system (antifreeze was used as a refrigerant), and turned on the air conditioner in the “chill until victory” mode. Pretty soon the thermometer showed +5 degrees.
After some time, the temperature dropped to -2 and continued to fall. At this point, it was decided to stop the tests and work on the visual component of the device. The front panel and top cover were made from a piece of thin plastic, the air intake hole was covered with a mesh, and the tubes were thermally insulated.
Russian interface
Then came the turn of the front wall (with an air intake closed by a mesh and a window) and thermal insulation of both vessels.
The air conditioner thermistor was inelegantly glued to one of the hoses using blue electrical tape.
What we got as a result:
Pros
+
the temperature does not rise above +14 degrees, does not fall below the dew point
+
the air conditioner operates in auto-temperature mode and cools for about 5 minutes, the next switch on occurs only after an hour and a half (the declared power of the air conditioner is 2500 W)
+
cheap (approximate prices are slightly lower )
Cons
-
general clumsiness of the solution
-
collective farm appearance
-
it would be more correct to place the temperature sensor from the air conditioner inside the expansion tank, slightly modify the circuit, calibrating it, say, to +12 degrees. Unfortunately, I am frankly weak in electronics and have little idea how to do this.
The chiller has been working successfully for the second month, it doesn’t leak, it cools, it maintains the temperature. In a word, he does what he should do.
Materials and prices:
• window air conditioner - we got it for 2000 rubles
• universal remote control for air conditioning - approximately
300 rubles
• antifreeze (30l) -
1500 rubles
• pump -
600 rubles
• thermometer, wires, relays, sensors -
500 rubles
• plastic, glue, fittings, ties, blue electrical tape -
1000 rubles
Total approximately 6000 rubles
. Agree, a pleasant amount, especially for a refrigerator of such power.
Making your own malt grinder
Although a household grinder is an inexpensive device, many brewers are trying to save money and are starting to look for ways to make the device themselves. Fortunately, making a crusher is not that difficult, and it can be done using available materials.
To do this you will need:
- 2 pump pulleys from any VAZ model, which will act as shafts;
- 2 axles for shafts - you can turn them yourself or order them from a turner;
- Body – can be welded from aluminum sheets;
- An old unnecessary pan can serve as a bunker;
- Manual mechanism - a small convenient lever is suitable for its manufacture.
First of all, you should install the shafts on the manufactured axles.
To prevent the crusher and hopper from turning over, you need to attach the handle with the shafts to the body in its middle part. In this case, the handle should be installed on the outside, and the shafts with axes should be installed on the inside.
In the end, all that remains is to place the pan in the body so that it is under the shafts.
Advantages of a homemade shredder
The main advantage of a grain crusher made from an angle grinder is its extremely low cost. The manufacturer does not need to buy expensive parts or components, since almost every garage has everything necessary for assembly.
In addition, a homemade chopper will have a very simple device. Unlike store-bought analogues, such a unit does not require special maintenance: the application of technical lubricants or regular adjustment of working units.
The only disadvantage of homemade products is its relatively low productivity. However, a grain crusher is quite enough to provide feed for several heads of livestock raised on the farm.
What will be required for production?
To make a grain crusher from a grinder with your own hands, you need to prepare a set of materials and equipment. The manufacturer will need:
- Angle Grinder;
- steel disc from a grinder;
- a small piece of plywood;
- metal bracket;
- nuts, washers and bolts;
- plastic bottle with a capacity of 5 l.
If necessary, you can use a larger plastic bottle. At the same time, it is extremely important that the finished straw cutter does not take up much space and is convenient for transportation.
Assembly
Here photographs will help more than a lengthy description in words.
I started by insulating the water blocks. The block was filled with foam, after drying, insulation was placed on the tubes and the whole thing was covered with electrical tape.
This way I insulated all three water blocks.
All that remains is to isolate the motherboard. I smeared the entire space around the socket and chipset with dielectric grease, did the same with the blocks, then made gaskets from foam rubber. I treated the back side of the motherboard and video card in the same way, then installed foam rubber and secured it with acrylic plates.
When the blocks were ready, I started working on the air conditioning. I completely disassembled it, being careful not to break anything.
To easily and painlessly bend the tubes in the right places, I recommend using a tool called “pipe bender” (I don’t know the exact Russian name).
The air conditioner evaporator is installed in the tank.
The same foam was used for insulation; I attached the temperature sensor to the pump installed inside.
Then I insulated the pipes near the compressor and installed a fan to cool the condenser.
After that I added methanol. The first check in a couple of hours showed the following results:
The water chiller freezes the refrigerant rather slowly, but the reverse process occurs in a well-insulated tank for quite a long time. After 12 hours of inactivity, the temperature rose to just -12C. And now - the final stage, installation into the system. Be sure to make every effort to insulate both the water blocks and the circuit boards. As you can see, the goal has been achieved - the processor is pleasantly cool at -9C.
Cutting a bottle in half using oil
You can cut the bottle with regular vegetable oil. Moreover, on the eve of the New Year, it is easy to create beautiful holiday candlesticks-caps or candlesticks-glasses from cut parts of bottles.
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To do this, take advantage of the proposed master class on making original gifts and souvenirs.
Plastic bottle on stripes
Among the craftsmen there are real innovators, and those who thought of cutting bottles into strips are certainly one of them. The width of such a tape can be even one millimeter. And the length of each bottle is several meters.
You can use the strips to create crafts, weave ropes, or make durable heat-shrink fastenings. At first it is difficult to understand how it is possible to cut a bottle into ribbons, however, like everything ingenious, it is very simple.
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The device for cutting a bottle into strips consists of the following parts
- Board serving as a base
- Two bolts
- Two nuts
- 10-20 metal washers
- Replaceable blade of a construction knife.
The assembly order is as follows:
- Two holes are drilled in the board.
- Bolts are inserted from below.
- Washers are put on the bolts.
- A blade is inserted between the washers.
- The nuts are screwed on top.
There should be a gap of about one millimeter between the washers. You can loosen the nuts and move the blade to different heights - the width of the resulting strip will depend on this.
The bottom of the bottle is cut off and a “tail” is made that can be inserted under the blade.
Flame
First we need a glass cutter, a bottle and a possible fire source, preferably a narrowly focused one. To do this, you can take another bottle in which you can light a flame. It is worth noting that cutting bottles with a glass cutter and without using fire is also possible, only in this case you will need to spend much more time.
First you need to make an even cut on the bottle along which you want it to split. This may require tesques or some other type of fixation. You can cut it using a glass cutter, or you can take a drill or screwdriver and insert a nozzle into it for working with glass. The quality of the resulting cut will depend on how smoothly you make the cut.
Now we need to heat up our cut. To do this, the bottle must be gradually scrolled over the flame. A candle is perfect for this. You need to rotate evenly and without jerking so that the surface heats up equally in all places. We do this for about five minutes, after which we dip the bottle into a container of cold water.
How to cut lengthwise
A designer item can also be obtained from a bottle cut longitudinally. The following materials are required for work:
- a bottle of ordinary water with a spray nozzle;
- a piece of nichrome wire;
- a piece of heat-resistant material (asbestos, paronite);
- rubber bands;
- a power source that can provide 30-40 V and an electric current of 3-4 A.
The nichrome wire is carefully straightened, since this determines whether the edges of the cut will be smooth. The bottle is wrapped lengthwise with wire and secured with rubber bands in several places - this will be the cut line. Asbestos or other material should be broken into small pieces and placed under the rubber bands on all sides. Thus, when the wire heats up, it will not damage the rubber bundles.
If there is no asbestos at hand, you can use small wooden slats. A lump of heat-resistant material is also placed in the neck of the glass container, due to which the wire is pressed against the edges of the hole. It is also necessary to press the asbestos to the bottom, since it, like the neck, is thick. It is best to place the container on a piece of asbestos or a wooden plank.
An electric current is connected to the ends of the wire - it does not matter whether it is constant or alternating. Electricity is applied for 30-60 seconds until the wire turns red. The current source is turned off, and the places where the glass comes into contact with the wire are intensively sprayed with water from the prepared bottle.
After a loud click is heard - the crack of a bottle - the rubber bands are carefully removed. The result was two absolutely equal parts of the container, ready for use.
The wire is fixed with rubber bands.
Asbestos pieces.
Place pieces of asbestos under the rubber bands.
We put a piece of asbestos into the neck.
We connect the electric current.
Turn off the source and use a spray bottle to vigorously spray the areas where the wire comes into contact with the glass.
Two parts of the bottle.
Step-by-step procedure
The workflow for cutting a bottle with a diamond glass cutter can be divided into several stages:
Step 1: Take a clean, dry bottle and glue a strip of copper tape along the center of it, this will be the cut line. Instead of copper tape, you can use a marker or do without basting at all.
In addition, bottles with factory seams on the sides are often found. But for convenience, copper adhesive tape is usually used.
Stage 2: Dip the bottle in water and cool slightly.
Stage 3: install a diamond blade for cutting glass in the drill and proceed to the main process, cut the surface of the bottle carefully, periodically rinsing the cut area under running tap water.
To prevent splashes from flying around, it is necessary to cover the work area with plastic film. The bottle is cut first on one side, then along the bottom, and then on the other side.
Step 4: Once the bottle is cut, you need to sand its edges to make them even and smooth.
For grinding, use powdered silicon carbide mixed with water and a piece of cut glass, moistened sandpaper or a drill with a glass grinding attachment.
Step 5: You now have two original bottle halves that can be used for different purposes.
For example, in one you can germinate wheat sprouts or ornamental grass, and the other can be used as a dish for ice cream, candy or fruit.
But if you don’t have a glass cutter, it won’t hurt you to find out how to do without it and cut the bottle into halves.
Method 6 – use specialized equipment
This method involves using an electric tile cutting machine. The diamond blade cuts thick glass well and evenly. It is recommended to work with gloves, a protective mask and goggles, as glass dust is very dangerous. The advantage of using a cutter is the ability to cut the bottle into small pucks, which is not possible with other methods.
You can also use an electric multitool with a rotating working head for cutting. But when working with this tool, you need to securely fix the bottle so that the cut is smooth.
In conclusion, I would like to add that not all of the methods discussed are safe. When trying to repeat, follow safety precautions and use protective equipment (gloves and goggles).
