62 replies to this topic

[marble]

Got my cheap grinder, works well

no more slow ball milling for me

[Asteroid]

Are there any serious disadvantages comparing a cofee grinder to a ball mill?

[marble]

Are there any serious disadvantages comparing a coffee grinder to a ball mill?

Higher friction
Particle size will be bigger
Cannot mix things that are sensitive to friction, heat or shock

Its great for breaking down some cheap chems that come in chunks or prills

Edited by marble, 20 July 2007 - 01:20 PM.

[Frozentech]

Higher friction
Particle size will be bigger
Cannot mix things that are sensitive to friction, heat or shock

Its great for breaking down some cheap chems that come in chunks or prills

Add 1 more - the bearing seal is not that good, material can fall into the motor windings. I've had a small charcoal dust flare up inside the body of one from that. If it had been BP it would have been really unpleasant.

[dr thrust]

is a blender a better option then? ,just got to sneak it out the kitchen when the wife's not around, lets face it they only ever get used a few times then sit in the cupboard for months, years, just say " sorry not seen it" if asked

[pyromaniac303]

is a blender a better option then?

I have one for pyro use, it was only £10 from Argos and is excellent for charcoal and bentonite but the seal failed after a couple of uses. It now has to be used outside the shed on a sheet of newspaper as it literally pours charcoal out the side. Fortunately there are no vents in the top which lead directly to the motor, they are all underneath on the base of it.

I wouldnt really recommend it as i think the seals are designed to work with damp foods and liquids.

The best device I've found for reducing charcoal from up to 5cm lumps to 10 mesh and below is solid metal meat mincer, mine weighs at least 3 kgs and was only £5. A few large 10 mesh pieces come out but the majority is dust and can be used 'as is'. I use a resealable bag and seal around the end of the grinder where the charcoal comes out, then all the powder stays within the bag and produces very few airborne particles, another advantage over the coffee grinder. It doesnt require much force to wind the handle and I can grind at least 100g/minute.

[cooperman435]

Im gonna get a new coffee grinder this week as my old small blender has given up the ghost finally.

Its going to be used for charcoal and magnalium so has to be sturdy and preferably stainless steel so I was considering this one from ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...1QQcmdZViewItem

It stainless steel cupped and bladed but I was hoping to find one in a shop to look at first but cant find it anywhere. Or any coffee grinders at all really!

If anyone reading this has this model or can suggest a specific one they have and bought in the UK then please make your opinions known.

Phill

[Asteroid]

That one looks good, but It also looks like one of those fancy type ones they have on shopping channels which are secretly awful. I'll be looking for an ugly but solid one

[pyrotrev]

Im gonna get a new coffee grinder this week as my old small blender has given up the ghost finally.

Its going to be used for charcoal and magnalium so has to be sturdy and preferably stainless steel so I was considering this one from ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...1QQcmdZViewItem

It stainless steel cupped and bladed but I was hoping to find one in a shop to look at first but cant find it anywhere. Or any coffee grinders at all really!

If anyone reading this has this model or can suggest a specific one they have and bought in the UK then please make your opinions known.

Phill

Phill
Avoid the James Martin things like the plague, they look good, but really aren't much good for anything other than the occasional cup of Columbian to impress the guests. They fall into the same category as elephants and some girlfriends ( & boyfriends - I suppose I have to be politically correct here ) , great to look at, but who'd want to own one?. Problems include poor sealing round lid, very difficult to unscrew lid and a safety interlock switch that jams when it gets dust in it. I would advise spending an extra 10 quid and getting a Moulinex blender with grinder attachment or tap up a mate in the USA and get him to send you a Kitchenaid grinder.

[dr thrust]

hmm back to coffee grinders! whats a "burr mill" is it better? or waste of dosh, i,am not posh we drink instant in our house

[icarus]

if you want to get from large lumpwood barbecue charcoal to fine powder start by putting it through a good old fashioned hand wound mincer the rusty old clamp to table model tie someone elses sock to the outlet to collect charcoal in with hardly any dust then into coffee grinder to finish

[pyromaniac303]

if you want to get from large lumpwood barbecue charcoal to fine powder start by putting it through a good old fashioned hand wound mincer the rusty old clamp to table model tie someone elses sock to the outlet to collect charcoal in with hardly any dust then into coffee grinder to finish

I have one of those, picked it up from Netto for £5! The output is around 10 mesh to dust, and it takes in most small to medium sized lumpwood pieces, larger ones still must be broken up though.

I usually run most of it over a 40 mesh screen for use in fountains, delay comps and charcoal stars, but the amount that passes this is only about 1/4 of the grinders output, the large 10 mesh pieces are fairly useless and must be milled/ground.

I get a resealable bag and inflate it fully with air to open it out, then put the end over the grinder output. If you seal the bag as tightly as possible around the grinder output then you can reduce the amount of airborne dust to almost nothing.

[icarus]

i cant find any dedicated coffeee grinders in uk cheap outlets at moment they seem out of fashion just add on ones for liquidisers ive got an old one. it is much faster than a ball mill but heat is generated so i grind single compounds in it kno3 mainly . there was postings on vibratory mills for al powder i might try steel ball bearings in a snap lid lunch box tie wrapped or glued to a vibrating sander i will use the good quality ones with closure levers as an aluminium dust cloud sucked into a sparking motor might qualify me for darwin award

[dr thrust]

yeah i think they are out of fashion aswell!, i got one off ebay last week, second hand( still had coffee in it ) bought for £9, useing it to grind up fuels for stars at the moment, but could do with another, tried to win one last night but got out bid in the last dieing seconds

[Bonny]

Don't any stores (Walmart or something) over there carry small cheap coffee grinders? I have a couple that cost about $12 CDN each. I use one for oxidizers and another for fuels. Only good for small batches, but still faster than ball milling.