The Road Home

The Road Home
There is no place like home.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Grain Grinder, Manual Type

Hi Everybody, Frank here.

There has been some spooky news in our country lately. This has given Fern and I a reason to think about our homestead situation. So, this morning Fern went out and dragged in a product that we bought a couple of years ago and have never used. We have lots of things like that. Things we have stocked up on and never used. But, today was the day to try out one of our manual grain grinders.


This product is a Wonder Junior and it's manufactured by Wonder Mill. Our electric grain mill is also made by Wonder Mill. The electric one turns at significantly greater 
speed, since the hand mill is rated at one human power. It's not rated the highest of the hand grain mills, and it's not made for industrial or agricultural purposes. But it was rated consistently among the good to better hand grain mills. So here is the results of our test today.

Assembly was pretty straightforward. It is durable enough that when I tightened all of the pieces down, nothing fractured or warped. The instructions are self explanatory. They're written in plain English, by someone whose first language is English. The reason I mention that is I buy some radios that the manuals are in English, but you can tell it's not the writers first language. Back to the mill.












Okay. It's assembled. Instructions are easy to follow. Here goes 1 cup of hard red winter wheat, and you know who starts cranking. The instructions say that if the grinding is real difficult, then release a little pressure off of the grinding plates, we did, and cranking was much easier. But the flour was still too large of a grit, which the instructions addressed. We were to grind it once, resulting in a more coarse flour, tighten the grinding plates and re-grind it a second time. The instructions were correct. It took a little bit more time, but it was much easier to grind, both times. So, again, the instructions were right.

I am so funny.



You can remove the handle if you choose, and attach a pulley wheel kit assembly. We did not purchase this option. It also comes with a little gizmo type drill bit, which is an optional accessory, and use your electric hand drill. We did order this attachment, but I can't find it. So. After watching the video of how to remove the handle, where this man used his fine adjusting tool, more commonly known as a hammer, to pry loose the handle. Well, the one in the video had obviously been removed a few times before. You would now say that mine is definitely a used machine. There are a few dings and chips in the back side of the handle, but I got it off. The video made it look real easy, but they have editing. 


So, what I did was after removing the handle, I replaced the retainer bolt back into the auger, found the appropriate socket size, which I will share with you is 13mm, and that little gizmo turned just fine with my battery operated hand drill.




We have since ordered the little gizmo bit attachment thingy, that is made especially for this hand drill type purpose. Remember, I lost the first one. I do believe a larger drill, like a 1/2 horse, with an adjustable trigger for speed control, would be a better choice. That's what I will use next time. But, it worked just fine grinding the wheat. I have a large, older electric hand drill that I use for much heavier jobs when I really want to twist the head off of something. Back to the mill.

This mill comes with two sets of grinding plates. One set of grinding burrs is for dry items like corn, wheat, barley, things with a much, much lower oil content. The other set of grinding burrs are made of stainless steel, which is made for things like peanuts and other oil producing type seeds or grains. So, if you're into making peanut butter, stainless steel is the way to go. Or, if you choose, you can use the stainless steel all the time. But if you do mess up and use the stone burrs for something like peanut butter, it will not ruin them, you will just have to spend a little time washing them with a very coarse type brush.

After having used the mill, some of the flour was a little difficult to contain. While we were ordering the hand drill bit attachment, we also purchased a flour guard. This should make clean up significantly easier, not that it was difficult at all though. 


Overall, I found the hand mill easy to assemble, the instructions were easy to follow, we only ground a dry type grain, which was wheat. It gave us a nice flour, and it was easy to disassemble and clean. I can't speak to it's long term durability, but it appears to be well made from durable products. I do have another hand mill that I have also never used. It comes from my Y2K days. And it's not going to get used in the near future. The Wonder Junior made by Wonder Mill appears to be a good quality product. If you have any questions about this particular product, I hope this helps. And, yes, I have the ability to recharge my hand drill batteries if the electricity goes off, because I know somebody is going to ask that question. At my age, I would not want to crank this mill enough times to make four or five loaves of bread. 


If you have items, like I do, that you have bought, put in storage and never used, now is a good time to try them out. You never know when you are going to need them, and I'm as guilty as anybody for not having tried all of my stored items. But that's just the way it is. I would certainly encourage you, if you haven't, to pick out one and make sure it works. Now I'm going to go find the Ben-Gay, my arm hurts. Just kidding.

We'll talk more later, Frank.

23 comments:

  1. Frank & Fern, Thanks for the tutorial on grinding flour. I do not have a way to grind flour so it looks like I be will purchasing something. I have to confess I too have "things" lying around I've purchased and never used. With things looking the way they are you just never know when you'll need those "things". Oh one more thing, just an observation but you may want to consider purchasing a pair of camouflage suspenders, just a thought.
    Thanks for sharing N.W. ILL.

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    1. N.W. I have tried to find a quality pair of camo suspenders. If you know of a good site online that sells them, let me know. I prefer the heavy duty version, in a 2 inch tall. I do have a green pair, of course, to go with my red pair. Remember the old TV program, The Red Green Show?

      I've got stuff stored away that I don't even know I have, and I know that's not the way it's supposed to be, but I don't have the time to do everything I want to do in life. But I've got one less on the list after yesterday. Let's see, need to build a greenhouse, build an outhouse, brush hog, plow, disc, repair, caulk, paint, etc., etc., etc.

      Thank you for the observations.

      Frank

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  2. Whew, that looks like a lot of work. I have a Country Living Mill which, with the power bar, isn't too bad to turn for fine flour at all. I confess I sometimes wish I had an electric one, but it's probably just as well I don't.

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    1. Leigh, thank you for the comment. We do have an electric Wonder Mill, and it does a fine job making the flour that we want. It uses a high speed technique that I don't fully understand. The flour is normally pretty hot when it comes out, but it seems to work just fine for bread.

      The Country Living Mill receives excellent reviews. I sure hope we don't ever have to use a hand mill because there is no choice. But, let's face it, a mill requires grinding, and there's no way around that.

      Enjoy your site. The pig plow was interesting. Thank you again for the comment.

      Frank

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  3. Are you psychic? It is night here and I am doing a batch of tomato sauce after making Mixed pepper/veggie pickles. Okay night shift for Ralph has me doing things at the oddest hours...so while I was waiting for the sauce to reduce some more I went to read your blog. Much to my wondering eyes should appear but this grain mill post. Ralph and I were talking about them a lot today and were wondering how the hand crank ones perform. Thank you for this information!

    This poor old world is taking beating right now isn't it!
    God Bless you both!

    Fiona and Ralph

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    1. Hi Fiona, thank you for the read. There are lots of good hand grain mills out there. Some folks still use a Corona hand mill. Years ago they were made in America, but I think they have since moved to one of the South American countries. Corona makes meat grinders, and they made them many years before Y2K or the so-called prepper movement. Most grandmas had a Corona mill/grinder at one time. Also take a look at the Country Living Mill. Many folks use and like these. Lehman's has a good selection of mills and they are very proud of their products. But they are an excellent source of information.

      Psychic? No. Maybe psycho.... It's not my fault. The world made me this way. Take care.

      Frank

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  4. where do you get hard red winter wheat I live in Kentucky. Thanks for the info on the grain mill. I will be getting one of these. I really enjoy reading your posts I learn so much!
    Thank
    Betty

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    1. There are many places to get wheat, Betty. As a starter try Sam's Club online. They carry red and white wheat in 6 gallon buckets along with rice, beans, etc. The last time we ordered some they also had free shipping, which was a surprise.

      Locate a local LDS (Mormon) Bishop's Storehouse and they should have bulk grain sells. To locate the Bishop's Storehouse, you might need to contact one of the local LDS churches. The LDS church website also has lots of information about food storage, it's a great site, just look around until you find what you're looking for. Hope this helps.

      Frank

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  5. We're with Leigh on the Country Living Grain Mill. Had it for years. Hubs attached it to a large board for me which is large enough to set the bowl on and you can clamp the whole thing to a countertop or to the kitchen table. Now if we could just find a supplier for einkorn or emer wheat I'd be in hog heaven. Don't get me started on those hybridized wheats that everything is made out of today and giving so many chronic illnesses! If you aren't aware of this problem, try reading "Grain Brain" by Perlmutter or "Wheat Belly" by Davis. Sorry if this rains on anyone's parade, but having read these books and having a mother who loved bread now having Alzheimers I have to see the correlation if not necessarily the causation. Seems the wheat we have today in the US is not the wheat of the bible. ~Sassafras

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    1. Sassafras, I wish more people were aware of the modifications in grains. Outside of doing a Google search I don't know where to locate either of these grains. Thank you for the recommendation of the Country Living Mill. We're trying to help folks decide what they might need or want. Thank you for reading and thank you for the comment.

      Frank and Fern

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  6. Though I do limit my intake of wheat - because of exactly what Sassafras brings up - I still don't want to eliminate it completely and this post came at a good time for me, too.

    I actually have a grain mill but have not been entirely happy with it. It was inexpensive and I could afford it. It does an okay job, but the burrs are made of cast iron and if they're not adjusted perfectly, they leave too many filings in the flour. It's aggravating to have to throw any away because of filings. To get good flour, I need to send it through about 3-4 times.

    I've been considering the Wonder Mill because of the stone and steel burrs. Think I'll go ahead and get one now.

    Thanks so much for the informative post!

    Just Me

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    1. We've only had ours out of the box and ground a couple of cups of wheat. Please look at the other mills around and read other folks recommendations. Make an informed decision. Glad we and the other comments could be of some help. Take care.

      Frank

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  7. Hello Frank, Follow up on the suspenders. Bass Pro Shops carries them and you can order online. Also look at Duluth Trading Co. lots of quality goods there. Say hello to the Missus and thanks again.
    N.W. ILLINOIS











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    1. N.W. Thank you for the information. I'll check out Bass Pro. Actually, all of my suspenders come from Duluth. Well, actually, everything I had on that day came from Duluth, except my socks and shoes. My socks come from Cabela's. For most of winter here in Oklahoma, and all of summer, I wear the same sock, and have for probably 20 years. Did I ever mention that I hate change? The camo t-shirt that I normally wear comes from Carhartt. All of my shoes come from B.A. Mason. When I used to be in the public in the professional world, most of my dress shirts and slacks came from L.L. Bean. What all of this means is that I never have to go to a store. Hallelujah! And I have enough of all of the above to last the rest of my life, easily. I'll check out Bass Pro. Online, of course. Take care.

      Frank

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  8. To grind, I use my vitamix with grind attachment. Very pleased with it and not worried about power as already off grid.

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    1. Thank you for sharing this information. How do you power your Vitamix since you are off grid? I would be very interested in this information.

      Fern

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  9. Thanks so much for this review, I really needed an item like this. I also recently got my Technician ticket thanks to all of Frank's writings. I appreciate your blog!

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    1. O.C. You're welcome for the review of the grinder, but please do your own research.

      That being said, Congratulations! on your Technician ticket. I genuinely hope you enjoy the hobby, if you choose to use it as a hobby. As you are aware now, there is a whole world open to ham radio. And you are aware that I use it for survival purposes.

      I would highly recommend that you go ahead and pursue your General license. Same number of questions, one more formula, and about the same level of difficulty. The General will open up the rest of ham radio to you. There isn't anything you can't do with the General, just a few places you can't go that the Extra will allow you.

      Very few people ever comment on the radio posts, but on occasion I get a comment like yours, stating that an individual had received their Technician and sometimes also their General. Your comment is why I do this. Thank you again. Best of luck.

      73s, Frank

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  10. Frank, I do plan on getting my general. I am a mechanical engineer so the formulas and schematics aren't hard, it is the stuff you just have to memorize that slows me down. I wanted to get my tech before the pool questions changed. I joined the local ham club and the emergency comm group, which is a great way to learn. To me, having a tech is like a learners permit - I can legally practice and learn the culture and then get my general.

    73, christi

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    1. Christi, Fern was kind enough to indulge me when I was working to get my Technician and General. She also picked up her Technician and General. We use radios in our life everyday, and not always ham radio. Fern didn't have the interest in getting her license like I did, so she just memorized all of the answers. We took our Technician's and she did better on the test than I did. She missed one, I missed three. The funny part is, when we took our General test, I was surprised that the guys doing the testing remembered us. When I went up to get mine scored, the older gentleman said, "You missed one." Then kind of laughed and said, "And your wife still did better than you did!" I had a buddy that took his Technician and General on the same day, and he just memorized the answers. I, on the other hand, can't do that. Yes, there are a couple of them that I would never learn. So I found some cute little pattern to try to associate the numbers. But, I have to be able to see how things work in my head. So, that's our story.

      I think you have a real good plan, and I really hope that you enjoy it. If you're going to do emergency comm work, check out the CA 2x4 SR. This antenna works outside of the ham bands and does a real good job. And if your area is like most, emergency comms fall in the lower 150's. And there is a ground plane kit for a stationary mount, a Tram 1460.

      Take care and keep me up to date.

      73s, Frank

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  11. Frank, thanks for the recommendation. I will check them out. I am really excited by this hobby. I can't wait to get a setup that works for me. I have a baofeng HT and am researching what more I want. I enjoy seeing your shack.

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  12. I have a question in mind, can this particular machine be used with meat, to grind meat? Have you done such.

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    1. No, Donna, this grinder has grinding wheels, not an auger for meat. We have separate grinders for meat and grain. Fern

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