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I can pick one up locally for fairly cheap, and need to be able to do 50lb bags of cracked corn at a shot.

The only Whisper Mills I saw are small far from being able to contain 50lb of corn.

RM... don't know TOO much about the Whisper MIll but I recall that 50lb bags are a bit much (from what I read). I spoke with someone here about this:
who said they like it and they are using it for corn and other grains with no problem. Not sure how much you are getting the WM for though...

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Yeah, those are $250, which isn’t in the budget right now, but I could grab the whisper on Craigslist for ~$100. I’m not looking forward to running 50lbs through the corona.

raketemensch wrote:Yeah, those are $250, which isn’t in the budget right now, but I could grab the whisper on Craigslist for ~$100. I’m not looking forward to running 50lbs through the corona.

That Corona will give you the most bang for buck if you are smart enough to work with it . Be strong enough to bend .

50# isnt THAT bad in a corona. If it tires you out, consider it exercise. Your sweat might have a nice flavor contribution! Or just take breaks. crank...sip...crank...sip..sip what was I doin? And why am I all sweaty?

if you're somewhat handy you could prob make a hammer mill?
(says the man who uses a corona)

I could look some more, but the DIY ones I saw last night required welding, which I do not yet know how to do. It’s been high on my “to learn” list for like 10 years now, but somehow I just never get it done.

I blame the kids. Yeah. Totally their fault.

I know of a lad that made one in wood.
only the hammer and the an other wee part was in metal.

I concur, it's the kids fault, always the kids fault...

Maybe Craigslist or some such. Not to belabor the point, but once you have a hammer mill you will be spoiled. As TB said, you can do it with a corona mill (I assume with a drill motor conversion), it is still a pain in the ass. With the hammer mill that I have, I can divide a 50 lb bag of grain into two 5 Gal buckets, then put a bucket into the HM and let it do it's job. While it's not the fastest (but faster than a corona) I don't have to do much more than load it, let it go, and come back when it"s done. I'm lazy efficient and have quite a lot to do when stripping 2 50G mashes and making another 2 50 gal mashes on Saturday, with a spirit run on Sunday.

RedwoodHillBilly wrote:Maybe Craigslist or some such. Not to belabor the point, but once you have a hammer mill you will be spoiled. As TB said, you can do it with a corona mill (I assume with a drill motor conversion), it is still a pain in the ass. With the hammer mill that I have, I can divide a 50 lb bag of grain into two 5 Gal buckets, then put a bucket into the HM and let it do it's job. While it's not the fastest (but faster than a corona) I don't have to do much more than load it, let it go, and come back when it"s done. I'm lazy efficient and have quite a lot to do when stripping 2 50G mashes and making another 2 50 gal mashes on Saturday, with a spirit run on Sunday.

That'd be ideal for me, as I'm going to do the Large Batch Mashing technique that SCD posted about, and one 50lb bag is the perfect size for a 32-gallon Brute can, as well as two keg charges.

It'd be awesome to grind 25lbs into the barrel, dump the water, grind the other 25lbs in, dump water again and move on. I'm just trying to make the process as easy as possible. I'll probably be able to grab a hammer mill come April, but right now I need something cheaper to get me there.

I should have qualified my first post . Drill powered Corona and 3 grinds on whole corn . 22 minutes from whole kernels to dust and some semi-coarse grinds . Conversions run in the 90's on 50# .
Oats are the most difficult grains I have ground .

Truckinbutch wrote:I should have qualified my first post . Drill powered Corona and 3 grinds on whole corn . 22 minutes from whole kernels to dust and some semi-coarse grinds . Conversions run in the 90's on 50# .
Oats are the most difficult grains I have ground .

Those are good numbers for conversion, more work than a hammer mill, but quite a bit cheaper. To each their own, glad that it works for you TB.

Truckinbutch wrote:I should have qualified my first post . Drill powered Corona and 3 grinds on whole corn . 22 minutes from whole kernels to dust and some semi-coarse grinds . Conversions run in the 90's on 50# .
Oats are the most difficult grains I have ground .

So that's 3 passes through the grinder? I'm thinking about hooking up a drill to my corona, but I've read of people burning out drills doing so, and the lack of a bearing worries me.

raketemensch wrote:

Truckinbutch wrote:I should have qualified my first post . Drill powered Corona and 3 grinds on whole corn . 22 minutes from whole kernels to dust and some semi-coarse grinds . Conversions run in the 90's on 50# .
Oats are the most difficult grains I have ground .

So that's 3 passes through the grinder? I'm thinking about hooking up a drill to my corona, but I've read of people burning out drills doing so, and the lack of a bearing worries me.

Cost vs results combined with operator skill .
A half inch corded drill works great if you understand it's limitations powering a Corona mill . And the Corona's limits .
First coarse crack will run through a Corona like shit through a tin horn . Figure a 5 gallon bucket for 25# .
Tighten the mill for the second run . If the drill labors ; loosen the mill a bit .
Repeat for the third ,or even 4th , run to get the desired grind .
That mill will work for you if you work with it .

Truckinbutch wrote: First coarse crack will run through a Corona like shit through a tin horn .

OK, time out!

Butch, a metaphor is supposed to HELP understand something by comparing to something already well understood. First of all, nobody here has a goddamned TIN HORN, and if they did they would be using it as a HORN EXCLUSIVELY.

And don’t try to pull any “country boy” BS. We know you got flush toilets.

Alright, I admit: I’ve had a few and your writing made me laugh my ass off. Thanks for the good humor. Carry on.

At the risk of hijacking a thread I will have to state that I incorporated a tin horn in the waste disposal in my plumbing . You shit in my house and it's going to flush though a tin horn .
You folks that came to '16 and '17 didn't know that , didjya .

Get one of these if you can. If I recall I can grind 4 pounds a minute with ease. The grind is adjustable and consistant. These can be found on CL and Ebay. I have purchased several for around $100 by just watching and waiting for the deal.

WIski wrote:Get one of these if you can. If I recall I can grind 4 pounds a minute with ease. The grind is adjustable and consistant. These can be found on CL and Ebay. I have purchased several for around $100 by just watching and waiting for the deal.

Thanks, I've been searching for coffee mills as well.

I got in touch with a local-ish farm, which will sell me 500lbs of "fine-ground corn meal" -- somewhere between meal and flour -- for $75. That's 15cents/lb!

Gonna go load up this weekend. Guess I'd better get those enzymes ordered.

raketemensch wrote:

WIski wrote:Get one of these if you can. If I recall I can grind 4 pounds a minute with ease. The grind is adjustable and consistant. These can be found on CL and Ebay. I have purchased several for around $100 by just watching and waiting for the deal.

Thanks, I've been searching for coffee mills as well.

I got in touch with a local-ish farm, which will sell me 500lbs of "fine-ground corn meal" -- somewhere between meal and flour -- for $75. That's 15cents/lb!

Gonna go load up this weekend. Guess I'd better get those enzymes ordered.

did ya tell him you love corn bread

Swedish Pride wrote:did ya tell him you love corn bread

I'm working on a special beer recipe. And, uh, I'm gonna use some on my lawn. Every coupla months :]