August 21, 2015 - 7:24pm
Retsel stones get glazy
Hi all,
I recently purchased a used Retsel (I believe it's MillMaster) with stones. A very exciting event since I've been baking for about a year now and grinding my own flour is very appealing. However, when I try to use the grinder, after about 10-15 minutes of running it stops grinding. When I eventually remove the outer stone to clean it, I see that the stones are glazed. I use Montana's Prairie Gold and Bronze Chief hard wheat.
I can use some rice to clean up the stones, but doing this every time I need to grind some flour is not what I envisioned when I purchased the used Retsel.
What can I be doing wrong? Any ideas you can share with me?
Thanks
Vasiliy
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I have the Retsel Mil-Rite, which I think turns more slowly than the Millmaster. The only time I've had a glazing problem was when the grain was a little too damp.
Thanks Charbono. Is there a way to determine whether the grain is too damp without taking it to a lab or to dry it?
Can it also be an issue if the stones are tightened too close to each other while grinding?
Moisture meters are available, but it's probably not cost-efficient.
You could dry some grain in a slightly warm oven and then see if it mills better.
If the stones are too tight, they would probably glaze. However, you'd know they were too tight because of the low rate of flour production. Mine are just touching when I start the mill.
I will try that and report back with results. I definitely need to make it work :)
It appears that warming the grain in a stove a little and letting it sit there and then using it for grinding works. I applied this method for a few pounds and so far, the grinder hasn't glazed yet. Thanks Charbono!