fanning mill questions

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I just spoke to a retired farmer about purchasing his fanning mill , it is an old wood mill with an electric motor he said he only has the one screen that he used for cleaning oats before planting

i have recently purchased a grain mill and am looking forward to milling my own flour , when i heard about this fanning mill for sale i thought well theres my way to clean grain that i would like to purchase from a local farm buy the bushel when they are harvesting.

how dificult is it to find screens for these old mills , my understanding is that 2 screens are often used and that i may want different sizes depending on what i am cleaning.

[haypoint]

Screen are very expensive new.
I'd hold out and buy a fanning mill that has screens with it. They aren't expensive. Most farms don't clean their own seed any more.
Different fanning mills take different size screens.

thanks , i have also heard of mills with different speeds for the fans ,this one was single speed, it sounded like you increased the speed till it started blowing hole kernels of grain out then back it down just a touch.

the pastor at the church down the road , not my church but we are a small town and get along and have ecumenical services and such ,grows his own wheat , i think i may call over there and ask him about how he does his , if i can come help when he is harvesting he does it all with old equipment certainly nothing any newer than 1950 from what i have seen.

oops , i acidentlaly posted under wifes logon , this is GREEN COUNTY PETE

[rancher1913]

mine has several screens with large at top then working down to size you want and droping out tailings as they go. screens are easy to make or can be found for next to nothing at auctions. the last mill I bought at auction came with 6 different screens and I only paid 5 bucks for the whole thing.

[farminghandyman]

depending on the mill one can cover the fan openings and cut the air flow on the fanning mill,

you may be able to make your own screens using hard ware cloth if you have some place to buy different sizes,

and there is a place I have bought perforated sheets from, one time,
http://www.mcnichols.com/viewer.htm?pageCode=home

and depending on how determined one is you could take a piece of sheet tin, and drill your own holes in it.

normally there is a screen that will let the product drop through, screening the large things off, then it many times drops thought a air steam, or suction, then a screen that is just a bit smaller than the seed so the small, cracked, and dirt will drop through, and some times there is third screen that will (or the second screen may be a combination screen, two in one), that will size the seed as well,
http://www.mcnichols.com/ecommerce/e...avCode=cc:perf

[haypoint]

Fanning mills I've seen have a step pulley to change the speed of the fan.
Good to find out what size screens you'll need for wheat. No use buying a fanning mill with 30 screens and then find out the screens you need are missing or rusted through.

[rambler]

And the fanning mills I'm familiar with have a lever in the belly to move a flap that opens or closes to allow more or less air to blow out the back.

--->Paul