Best method for seperating corn from mash

[Bushman]

Anyone else hoping for a video of one of these sawzall/drill equipped strainer baskets? Boy, I am.

If I could figger out how to post a video, I'd do it.

Here you go: FIrst make a YouTube video
In bedding youtube videos
Hit the youtube button in reply to post it will bring up something like this..

[youtube)(/youtube] ( I changed the brackets so it would show.) also our button is misspelled utube.

Then go to the address bar on the youtube page and copy everything after the ='s sign..

Before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q8atYd-jD0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

After:
You only want the bit 9Q8atYd-jDO

Paste that inbetween the middle brackets (or type it in) and hit submit..

(youtube]9Q8atYd-jD0[/youtube)

[MichiganCornhusker]

Thanks, Bushman. I guess my question is can I just post video directly to HD?
I'm guessing that the only way for me to post a video to youtube is to have a youtube account set up. I don't, but I'm looking into how to do that now, trying to still keep some sense of anonymity.

[Bushman]

That's what I did with a different email account when I posted a video of my vacuum filter system and it looks like that is the way Cranky is posting his builds. It would be nice if we could post our videos direct but I haven't found it yet if it's possible.

[MichiganCornhusker]

Brewing up a special batch of Blue Corn Malt Whiskey, just so I can show you guys the powerful nature of my new vibrating filter system.
Well, that, and to have some delicious blue corn malt whiskey.

If all goes well, video tomorrow!

[MichiganCornhusker]

Here is the video.

A few things:

This is a bit rushed as I'm heading out of town. I will swap it out with a better show when I get back.

It's about a 5 gallon bucket of mash that I pour in there.

This is a very thick mash, so it's kinda hard to see how much drama the rig inflicts on the liquid.
What you can see it that the mesh is not cloth. It is a very fine, thin plastic, and I think that is one of the keys to this thing working.
You can also see that the mesh never clogs while under power. As I move the grains around with the spoon, you can tell that the mesh is perfectly clear and free of clog, ready for the next bucket of mash. At no time do you need to rinse out the filter during the process, and when done it rinses right off with a hose, no problem.

When I tried this earlier, the mesh would load up and stop draining if not shaking. I will try to show that next time.

The grains are quite spent by the end. They are at least as dry as I ever got wrestling with a nylon bag.

This is my blue corn mash, and I want to ferment on the corn, so I actually just dumped the grain back in the wort after the vid.

After this thing ferments out, I will see if I can put together a better shot.

[Fart Vader]

Oh man, I broke out in a sweat just watching that.
That is hard work buddy. Sure beats the Rubbermaid mop method I guess (never tried it)

I guess I'll be breaking out my sawzall on my next batch.

[DAD300]

Nice...slicker than any separation I've done.

The whole thing seems to work between the rubber can and the size of the filters.

[MichiganCornhusker]

Sure beats the Rubbermaid mop method I guess...

I've never tried the mop bucket, but I have done a lot of popeye bag handling, a small fruit press, a version of the corntrifuge, and of course, the ass press.
Even the GeoFabric will stop draining, I think because I grind my grains to meal texture.

All of those pressure methods have let me down because once the thick corn mush starts to clog the straining material, the pressure just compacts it in and the draining slows to a trickle.

The beauty of this setup is that the vibration, and the fairly rigid filter medium, keeps the particles from settling into the holes. They're jiggling and hopping around too much to clog the filter.
If I just dump the bucket in, it will stop draining if left alone. It's the magic of the shakin' that makes it all happen.

[MichiganCornhusker]

The whole thing seems to work between the rubber can and the size of the filters.

Yes, this is a first volley, lots of improvements can be made from here.

At first, I had attached the blade directly to the trash can, and there was juice everywhere. By using the piece of radiator hose, it makes a better attachment, and absorbs some of the shock for a smoother action.

Another nice thing about the rubber hose is that you can change the angle of attack for the shaker. As volume of liquid decreases, the grains respond better to some up and down shaking. Being able to adjust angle and blade speed allows you to find a sweet combo that avoids too much of a mess the whole time.

The size of the filter is great. I had some success with a similar method early on with a kitchen strainer, but got tired fast of shaking by hand, and processing only a few quarts at a time.
For a while I had considered trying something like this made up from window screen, but never got around to trying anything. These filters are the shite, durable, and very fine @ 600 microns!
This setup will easily handle 5 gallons at a time.

[shadylane]

MCH
It's information like you just posted that makes this forum great.
I'll be ordering some of the mess filters and give it a try.
Instead of a sawsall I'll try using an electric motor with an eccentric weight connected to the shaft for a shaker.

[MichiganCornhusker]

MCH
It's information like you just posted that makes this forum great.
I'll be ordering some of the mess filters and give it a try.
Instead of a sawsall I'll try using an electric motor with an eccentric weight connected to the shaft for a shaker.

Shared knowledge is a wonderful thing, I've already taken a lifetime's worth from this site!
Our friend Fart Vader deserves a lot of the credit for bringing the filters to our attention, they are the jewel that makes this work so well. I was really just the first guy to cobble something together.
I'm taking credit for my sweet ass proto-vibrator, so around my shed I'm calling it the Fart Husker. (no offense, Husker )

I still like the idea of an eccentric, would love to see an example of that in action. But again, it was Fart who tipped me to the sawzall idea.
A couple of immediate improvements would be something quieter, and something stationary that you don't need to hold the trigger down with one hand.
Your motor idea might do both.

Happy to hear you're going to get the filters. You won't be disappointed.

[WIski]

That is just awesome..... Thanks for the ingenuity and sharing the fun!

[shadylane]

...Our friend Fart Vader deserves a lot of the credit for bringing the filters to our attention...
I'm taking credit for my sweet ass proto-vibrator, so around my shed I'm calling it the Fart Husker.

I was wanting to build something to filter mash, not a sawzall powered sex toy

[MichiganCornhusker]

I was wanting to build something to filter mash, not a sawzall powered sex toy

Oh dear, that was some unfortunate phrasing...

[shadylane]

Sorry couldn't help myself
Back on subject
Yes we have Fart Vader to thank for the link to the filters.
He has a low post count, so we will give him credit, in case something goes wrong

[WIski]

Shadylane, I'm surprised your a post count watcher..........

[MichiganCornhusker]

He has a low post count, so we will give him credit, in case something goes wrong

Share the blame!

[MichiganCornhusker]

I just did a quick test with this mockup and it shows great potential.
It's a board loosely held down to a table at one end with a bolt through a slotted hole, not tight but almost snug. Allows movement.

The eccentric is just a disc with a hole drilled through it off center. It has a hex bolt attached to it, with the bottom nut and washer sunk into the eccentric.

There is a hole in the board that matches the dia. of the eccentric closely, and a hole through the table below to act as a guide for the eccentric bolt.

I spun the eccentric by using a hex socket in the end of a drill on the hex bolt through the eccentric. It give a very nice, smooth, oval shake pattern.
You can vary how far the business end of the board travels side to side by making more holes, and moving the eccentric hole along the center of the board. The front to back movement stays the same.
This worked very well, smooth action and quiet.

Could experiment with different offsets on the eccentric, and different locations along board axis.

I know there is some way to make that image not go sideways when you click on it, but damned if I can remember how right now.

[Fart Vader]

I'm taking credit for my sweet ass proto-vibrator, so around my shed I'm calling it the Fart Husker

Bwah ha.That's funny.

I find it amazing how a simple question like" Best method for separating corn from mash" can result in what I think is a revolutionary solution to an age old problem.
I know I've searched high and low across many different forums to see what people have been using. Nobody has come up with a solution like this. Until now.

I've been seeing a lot of "back shed" engineering around here and it just amazes me how many clever and simple solutions people come up with.
Hats off to you Michigan for pushing the idea forward. In record time too I might add.

Cheers.

[MichiganCornhusker]

Thanks, Vader, this has been a real breakthrough.

I keep thinking that the real beauty is in how these filters are made.
The screen is so thin, and relatively smooth. That makes it very easy for the grain to slide around on it rather than plugging up the holes.
I don't think widow screen, with its woven texture, would have worked nearly so well.

As fun as the sawzall was, I think the eccentric drive will be the better direction for shaking.

I'm also hatching a plan to make a base that can attach closer to the actual screen, so that the vibration is transferred more directly to the part that does the filtering.
I think it will help in two ways. First, a lot of the motion won't just be absorbed by the side walls of the filter. Second, shaking it from the top down puts more drama on the liquid when full, shaking from the bottom might allow the surface of the liquid to be less lively.

[Bushman]

I really have enjoyed the direction this thread has gone. Would be great to have details of your finished product MCH and a video showing it in operation.

[MichiganCornhusker]

I find it amazing how a simple question like" Best method for separating corn from mash" can result in what I think is a revolutionary solution to an age old problem.

So true, you never know when a topic is going to trigger a snowball effect of group thinking. I've seen it happen over and over in the current discussions.
I think I've learned as much simply by following all of the current posts as I have from researching existing threads. I'm always picking up little gems of knowledge that get brought up in the discussions.

[MichiganCornhusker]

Would be great to have details of your finished product...

Like so many things with how we do what we do here, I'm not sure the product will ever be finished.
I expect there will be lots of evolutionary steps explored by many folks.

This morning I blew the dust off an old trolling motor someone gave me a while back for my Corona.
I didn't think it would be powerful enough for grinding corn, but I bet it might be just the ticket to drive a mash shaker.

I will keep y'all posted with any progress I make along the way. And now that I can show live action video, watch out!

[MichiganCornhusker]

Here is a prototype for an eccentric driven shaker.
I also made an arm that will shake the filer from the bottom rather than the top edge.

This will shake the strainer in a more circular, or elliptical pattern. This was the motion that worked best back when I used to do it by hand with the little kitchen strainer.
I'm looking forward to trying it out with my whiskey ferment soon.

[Fart Vader]

Awesome!

[masonsjax]

This is really slick. I gotta get that filter and some trash cans for sure!

[bilgriss]

Nice.
Mass production model out soon?

[MichiganCornhusker]

I filtered out a corn mash ferment today and have a couple observations.

The orbital motion of the eccentric shaker works great, much more efficient than a simple back and forth linear shake.

My prototype orbital shaker arm worked great at first, but after about 20 gallons of mush, under load, it started to smoke.
It was, after all, just a circle thing in a wood thing. I didn't think there would be that much force on it, thought it might work, it didn't.
So, I'll need to come up with something a little more durable for the surfaces where the eccentric meets the hole in the arm.

After the fire, I had to strain the last few buckets without the benefit of the shaker.
Good news for anyone who doesn't want to bother with the shaker arm system: the filters still work great if you just scrape the mash around manually with a big plastic kitchen spoon.
The plastic mesh of the screen is low profile enough that the spoon will scrape the grain across it and clear the mesh, allowing it to drain.
Not as fast or fun as the shaker, but works fine, and still better than squeezing a bag.

This was a corn/corn malt mash and it drained easily. I'm still waiting to give it the real test with a big sloppy rye-heavy bourbon mash to see what this thing can really do.

[jedneck]

I'd be curious to see how much booze is locked up in the strained grains. Any chance your up for an experiment.

[MichiganCornhusker]

I'd be curious to see how much booze is locked up in the strained grains. Any chance your up for an experiment.

Now Jed, you knew I wasn't gonna just toss them...