homemade ball mill idea

[stormyweathers]

I've been researching different techniques on making ball mills, and I have an idea that i might want to test out.

I bought a 60Hz, 450 watt blender.

I think that I could take off the pitcher part of it, and smooth out the blades into a 4 pointed star. Then using mighty putty or some sort of epoxy to thoroughly bind it to the body of the mill.

 

does this idea sound good?

[Mindphreak]

Might be a bit loud. Blender motors are not exactly designed to run 3 hours straight either, might result in overheating, etc. Last thing you want when milling a composition is a fire.

What type of budget are you working with to build your mill?

[FrankRizzo]

A proper motor can cost you less than $20 if you look around. Old appliances are your best bet usually.

[Swede]

A dryer motor will work, as will a washing machine motor. More power = better, less heating and more efficient. The best motor would be a TEFC (Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled) motor, specifically rated washdown or sparkproof, but that would be overkill. 1/8 HP minimum IMO, 1/4 to 1/2 = best. Look for 1450 RPM, not the >3,000 RPM jobs.

 

If the motor does not have a fan, you may have to rig up an external cooling fan. A light motor under load can get HOT HOT HOT. Consider where the comp goes if the jar leaks, and shield or position the motor accordingly.

 

I designed (and was going to possibly market) a ball mill "kit" last year that works great, but the project is on a shelf. But these pics might give you some ideas:

 

First Entry

Second Entry

 

It is not difficult to make an excellent ball mill from off the shelf components. Good luck!

[stormyweathers]

my budget is fairly low [$40].

 

The blender cost $20, and is already wired, geared, cased, and has a cooling fan.

My design would attach the container's bottom to the blade of the blender. Meaning that if the container were to leak, it would leak out onto the floor instead of into the motor.

[FrankRizzo]

The blender will not work, plain and simple. The motor is not duty-rated for the load that you'll be applying, the shaft spins too fast, and most use brushes, which means sparking. It would be incredibly foolhardy to continue pursuing this project with that motor. Sorry, that's probably not what you wanted to hear.

 

Keep the blender as-is, and use it for making daiquiris. Visit the nearest appliance repair shop tomorrow.

Edited June 30, 2009 by FrankRizzo

[stormyweathers]

thanks for the input. Its better i find out now than after spending some time and money working on it. I had a really good motor to use, from an old paper shredder, but I accidentally shorted it out.

[Ventsi]

Well I'm building a new , good loking , good ballmilll. I've already got rollers, wood, bearings,jars etc.

 

I need a motor , I know washing mashines have exelent motors but thats too big for me right now. I'm looking at 4'' and maybe 5'' jars at the most. I wonder would one of those big heavy duty metal fan motors do it? They look pretty beefy and are meant to run for a long time, with some cooling mini fans installed it should work, right?

 

I'm going to the local thrift store to get a new coffee grinder/blender and im on the lookout for one of these:

http://www.lakewoodconferences.com/direct/dbimage/10220444/FE_Series_Floor_Powerful_Electric_Fan.jpgAny input would be great, thanks!

[andyboy]

Any motor will work to make a ball-mill, but to make a useful ball-mill you would need to get a real motor. Like Swede stated, get an old motor from a tumble-dryer or washing-machine (older is better since they often run at less rpm's).

 

Many times they can be found for free, look for discarded washing-machines, the motor is almost always good, usually they break a water-pump/line/gasket or something gets jammed inside so people buy a new one instead of fixing it.

 

I have 5 or 6 motors from washing-machines at home that I got for free (found them outside a store that sells new washing-machines and stuff). Many times when people buy a new one they get it delivered to their house and the delivery-guy brings their old machine back to the store so it can be collected by the recycling company. Ask if you could have a crack at it before they ship it of, most stores think nothing of it, it's just junk anyway and let you have a go. Don't forget the pulley and belt.

[iceax3000]

I've been working with stormyweathers on the ballmill and we have recently used a semi-square container for the mill. is this a good idea? any suggestions will be apreciated

[Mumbles]

It's probably not as efficient as a round or hexagonal type container.

[Arthur]

http://www.manchesterminerals.co.uk/acatal...ng_Machines.htm

 

HAve a look at this link, then find a lapidary supplier in your locality.

 

I used a mill like the Junior Tumbler It had only a wide drum so one mix at a time! It was noisy and only made 200g a batch. I then bought the Evans rubber barrel fir that mill and it was heaven! -Almost completely silent, So quiet that I could live in the same room without noticing it or let run overnight! But 200g wasn't enough so I bought their 2.25 Kg Mill with rubber barrel. It mills 1Kilo of ingredients to BP in 4 hours which is much more productive. It's noise is more than the smaller mill so I only tend to run it in the day time -it's like having a washing machine on!

 

 

My points being that

 

A commercial mill will arrive at your door for a fair price

A commercial mill will produce a good product quickly and easily

A rubber barrel will be quiet enough for you to persue you hobby without waking the neighbours to your activities.

 

While there is satisfaction in makung your own, I really doubt that there is value! If you have a well equipped workshop yes it's within your capacity, If you have to buy in machining then it's silly expensive!

 

 

I have more trouble and cost with lead media! It's heavy! I usually wait til I am going to meet the usual supplier and order a few kilos. (separate lead and drums for chlorates will be a reality soon! ) However Ebay often has suppliers of fishing weight moulds so You can likely get scrap lead fron a metal recycler and mould your own if you are safe and happy with molten metal.

[BlasterBen]

How strong does the motor have to be? You could use a larger Hibatchi cheap $5 motor which has a built in fan on the rear endbell. They might be around 2 and a half inches and about an 3/4 inch across. They can provide a decent amount of torque as well.

[andyboy]

1/4 to 1/2 HP seems to be the most used motors but if you want a small ball-mill you can use a motor that isn't as strong off course. I have a 1/2 HP motor on my ball-mill and I make 1 kg batches of BP per go, if you want to make less you can use a smaller motor.