# grist mill



## got grits (Mar 29, 2012)

I PM Pops6927 on some help and I told him that I make corn meal grist and he asked to do a post on making gits and corn meal. I told I would do it. I found a stone mill that someone was selling by my house that he didn't use and wanted to sell it. The mill is over 100 years old that I was told. The stones are white quarts that was mined in France up to 1910 that when the went dry. There was a company in Indiana called Nordyke & Marmon that made the mill. A company from New Orleans sold the mill and i don't know where it has been for years. I had to do a great deal of work to get it going for now. I am milling with now and have more work before I finish restoring it. As soon as I can I will start posting pic of the mill in parts and milling process with time.  I have to learn to put pic up.

Glyn


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 29, 2012)

Sounds like a blast from the past and some fun. There definately is a difference between fresh ground Masa/Grits and the packaged stuff. You may wish to read up on Nixtamalization of Corn. It greatly improves Grinding, Flavor and Nutritional Value...JJ

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-nixtamalization.htm


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## smokinhusker (Mar 29, 2012)

Sounds great and I'm in for this!


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## got grits (Mar 29, 2012)

This is one of the stones for the mill, it is called the running stone. They have a shaft that is set in the middle that turns the stone. The shaft has a pulley with 2 bearings supporting the stone. In the middle there a drive that pulls the corn in when It is fed from the bed stone. The groves are called Ferrel's where corn is fed into. The middle of the stone the groves are deeper that the edges. Every time the stone turns the grain moves and gets sheared. As it travails to the outer edge it breaks smaller and smaller. The space of the bed and running controls the size of the meal, grits, or flour that comes out.
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
    This is the bed stone and it does not turn. The middle is called the eye and that were the grain goes in the mill to be ground up. The size of what comes out set by the space of the stones. There is an adjustment in the middle of the bed stone to set how course or fine that the grain it is grinding.


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## daveomak (Mar 31, 2012)

Glyn, morning.....  So, tell me, are you going to build the supporting stucture that makes these stones do their job ????? 

If so, take pics so we can see the process....  Dave


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## got grits (Mar 31, 2012)

I have the mill working now. With time I will post more with pic. I have a great deal going on now. I am planing going all the way to the sifter and show the finish product..   Glyn


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## jalan43 (Mar 31, 2012)

Nice Job! Sounds like your really enjoying yourself!


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## got grits (Apr 1, 2012)

The round part on top is where the corn is loaded in to the mill where the grinding starts. The corn is fed at a rate where the stones don't choke. To much corn at one time can stop or break something on the mill. For now I have a 5HP motor. When I grind The amps run around 16 amps and seems to rum good. What I can see for now it can grind around 500 lbs an hour. That is not bad for a mill that size. 
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
  Where the weed eater is called the shoe where the corn falls into the top. There is a hopper on top where the corn is stored for the milling. A small gate controls the feed rate of the corn that is being milled. The more you open the corn goes in the mill. That how I set my feed to get 16 amp draw on my motor. 
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
  This is the hopper where the corn is stored for the grinding, it holds around 100 lbs at one time.
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
  The small wheel on the right is used to adjust  the spacing of the stones to make a course of fine meal or flour. The stones can not touch when grinding, they could be damage and have to be replaced.


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## got grits (Apr 1, 2012)

I don't have any book or extra parts for this mill, if it breaks I have to fix it.

Glyn


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