Posts: 74
Threads: 13
Joined: Jun 2011
Reputation:
0
Hi all,
I recently got a handmill (Deepeeka) which is admittedly not exactly Roman, but the best option I could find.
Anyway, I tried to grind some wheat with it and it seems there's something I'm missing. It either doesn't do anything (I rotate it, but nothing comes out), or it just spills the grains out almost untouched - depending on how close the two stones are. I can adjust this by hitting the wooden piece in the middle and moving it down a bit, but it goes back up in a minute or so. I ended up having to pass the grains through it 4 times, and the result was still far from what I expected. At (rare) moments it was producing perfect flour, but I couldn't find out why and then it went back to disappointing again.
Any practical advice from people with experience?
www.romaiv.com - a Roman town in Australia? Why not?
Man saying it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it. (Chinese proverb)
Posts: 4,318
Threads: 127
Joined: Jan 2004
Reputation:
6
Well, the DPK mill isn't exactly made for grinding wheat, I get the impression. The groove pattern on it is simply wrong, so I would say you've bought yourself a nice decorational piece.
Of course grinding your wheat 4 times isn't a total disaster. Note that in Roman times the wheat was sold in 3 types 'single milled', 'double milled' and 'triple milled', so it is natural to grind it multiple times to get it grinded better (and more expensive).
Posts: 74
Threads: 13
Joined: Jun 2011
Reputation:
0
Yes, it will be a good conversation piece but I was hoping it's also functional (I thought it's a modern Indian type, as still used in India).
In any case, it was the only one I could find for sale online apart from these: http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/444711...l_Can.html but getting a minimum of 10 pieces seemed a bit excessive.
www.romaiv.com - a Roman town in Australia? Why not?
Man saying it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it. (Chinese proverb)
Posts: 39
Threads: 9
Joined: Aug 2005
Reputation:
0
Has anyone been able to locate a rotary grain mill/quern that is functional for sale anywhere?
I've looked on the internet for the last couple of days without success. If necessary I'll purchase a modern manually powered grain mill, but I'd prefer a quern for the sake of authenticity.
John Lucas
Luc. Ambr. Ianuarianus
Posts: 74
Threads: 13
Joined: Jun 2011
Reputation:
0
The ones in China I linked to above seem functional. However, the sellers want a minimum order of 10. I could write them and ask, I guess - it won't hurt. Or maybe ten members here can combine? Postage will not be cheap, but the pieces themselves are cheap so it will work out OK.
www.romaiv.com - a Roman town in Australia? Why not?
Man saying it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it. (Chinese proverb)
Posts: 15,116
Threads: 415
Joined: Mar 2002
Reputation:
76
Quote:I could write them and ask, I guess - it won't hurt. Or maybe ten members here can combine? Postage will not be cheap, but the pieces themselves are cheap so it will work out OK.
I would be interested, but I'd like to hear more about prices and postage cost first.
Posts: 4,318
Threads: 127
Joined: Jan 2004
Reputation:
6
Posts: 288
Threads: 2
Joined: Aug 2006
Reputation:
0
Quote:Hi all,
At (rare) moments it was producing perfect flour, but I couldn't find out why and then it went back to disappointing again.
Stick with it, you need to break it in. Buying things that work straight away is a western concept. In India most people are happy with the concept of buying things and then getting them to work themselves. When they started producing Royal Enfield motorcycles in India there was a lot of interest in the UK. The trouble was, everyone who bought one had to get the toolkit out to finish the job off. This was expected in India but not in the UK.
If you are occassionally getting decent flour, keep grinding, eventually you'll get more.
EDIT. Some of the millstones produced in India and China are copies intended for ornamental use in gardens. I don't know if you could ever get those to work.
http://www.ebay.de/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...1260645133
cheers
authun
Harry Amphlett
Posts: 74
Threads: 13
Joined: Jun 2011
Reputation:
0
So... I started work on it with a hammer and chisel, and hopefully will have it altered in a couple of days (it's slow work, and I can only spend half hour a day on it). I thought sandstone was soft, but this is not the case (or it's not sandstone...). I'll post before and after pictures when I am done. So far, it looks ugly (I can't get the lines straight), but for a novice I can't expect much I guess.
Re the stone mills on Alibaba (link I posted) - they look real and functional. I am waiting for a response from them. If they want to sell a minimum of 10, I hope we can find enough people interested here on this board. Unfortunately, most of those will be in the US while I am in Australia. Anyway, it may still work out cheaper than the Deepeeka model.
www.romaiv.com - a Roman town in Australia? Why not?
Man saying it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it. (Chinese proverb)
Posts: 74
Threads: 13
Joined: Jun 2011
Reputation:
0
After five emails and two chats on Skype, I have a quote on the Chinese handmills (for a minimum order of 10, with diameter of 30-40 cm and thickness of 6-14 cm):
$25/piece CNF Brisbane, Australia, or
$30/piece CNF Los Angeles, USA (I asked for LA as well, as most people on this board seem to be in the US).
The German company that authun posted a link to seem to offer the same stuff from http://cnsstone.en.alibaba.com/ , as the Chinese guys sent me the same photos of mills, column drums and stone tubs (I don't know what they are for, and the girl didn't seem to know either, they are selling them as garden decoration).
www.romaiv.com - a Roman town in Australia? Why not?
Man saying it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it. (Chinese proverb)
|
