Victoria Manual Cast Iron Grain Mill 2400g with High Hopper

I purchased this Victoria Manual Cast Iron Grain Mill mainly to grind raw, inexpensive sunflower seeds into fine sunflower chips for our wild finches—and it works perfectly for that! The mill is solidly built, very sturdy, and easy to assemble. Adjusting the grind setting is simple, allowing me to get exactly the texture I want—fine enough to be easy for the finches to eat, but not so fine that it turns into flour. The hopper holds a generous amount of seeds, and the clamp mounts securely to my workbench. It grinds smoothly and efficiently without any wobble or slippage. Overall, this is a high-quality, well-designed tool that feels like it will last a lifetime. I’ve included a photo showing the texture of the ground sunflower seeds—it’s just right for finch feeders. Highly recommended!

Let's be 100 per cent clear: this is NOT a dry grain grinder! Yes, you can use it to make peanut butter or grind coffee or even crack grains for cooking or brewing, but if you're looking for a flour mill my best advice is to buy an actual flour mill. This mill is intended to mill wet corn. It is very good at that. The very first thing to do out of the box is to wash the mill in hot soapy water. I like to put the mill body, front brace, auger/rotating burr and associated wing nuts spread out on a cookie sheet and put into a 250F oven for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the oven cool. (I do not put the crank arm and wooden handle in the oven.) This helps insure that water is evaporated from the crannies where you can't reach with a towel. The very second thing to do is to get a couple of pounds of cheap generic pinto beans and grind them in the mill. The purpose of this is to remove any bits of the tin plating or machining swarf that may be left in the grinder. Throw out the ground beans because they will have metal bits in them. I grind masa three times through for best texture. I set the mill quite close for all three passes. I also made a "Masa Masher" wood pestle to push the masa down into the auger after the first pass. The website masienda.com has excellent videos about making masa; I encourage you to read and watch even if you think you know what you're doing. I took off the red plastic cover over the burrs. It's a good idea but masa tends to build up under the cover and squish out the back. This not only gets masa all over but it also partially blocks the burrs from clearing as you grind. I made an aluminum plate that fits just behind the stationary burr and is held on by the screws that hold down the brace. This allows masa to curl up but then fall into the pie plate I have under the burrs. Before each use, I recommend putting just a couple drops of vegetable oil onto the ball bearing inside the brace. That will help prevent wear in that spot, which gets a lot of pressure. I find an old toothbrush is handy for cleaning to get the masa out from where the stationary burr attaches to the front of the mill body. Leaving masa stuck in there risks mould, also rust. If you prepare the mill well, use carefully for the intended purpose and clean/dry well it should last for decades.

I ordered two of these grain mills (one as a gift) because they did not require electricity to operate (being prepared). Amazon offered the mill as used/like new at a reduced price, which generally means the original packaging was damaged in the warehouse but the product inside is intact. I have purchased many other products from them labeled this way and have been well pleased. This time I must say I was disappointed. Both the original boxes were severely damaged and taped together, then the shipping carton (no doubt due to the weight-they are heavy duty) was also damaged and taped extensively to keep it intact. One mill was okay once I removed the packaging and assembled it. The other, however had extensive damage to the hopper that holds the grain and would not fit onto the mill as it was designed to do. In checking about a return of the product I found I would have to drive a 70 mile round trip to a UPS Drop-off point in order to return it. Sooo, given the alternative, I elected to keep the mill and contact the manufacturer for a replacement part. I would highly recommend this grain mill as it is quite effective, but that said, I'd recommend passing on the reduced price offer for this item and getting it well packed and in good working order.

Easy to assemble and great quality

The Victoria Manual Grain Grinder with High Hopper is a solid, old-school kitchen tool built for those who value hands-on food prep. Made in Colombia with durable cast iron, this grinder is designed to last and delivers consistent performance for grinding corn, grains, coffee, spices, and more. Assembly was straightforward, and the clamp fits securely to my kitchen counter. The high hopper is a nice touch—it holds a good amount of grain, which cuts down on refilling. I especially appreciate the adjustable grind settings, which let me switch between coarse and medium textures with ease. Just keep in mind, it’s not intended for superfine flour. It does take some elbow grease, especially if you're grinding in bulk, but that’s expected with a manual mill. The grind is smooth, and once you get the rhythm down, it’s actually satisfying to use. Bonus points for the anti-corrosion tin plating, which helps with cleaning and longevity.

Really wanted this item to work for me. Sadly, that is not the case . . . The item description clearly states: ✔️Capacity of adjustment. The clamp is easily adjustable to most tables and boards 1/2” to 2” thick. Comes with a protective non-slip rubber, protects your surfaces and prevents the grain grinder from slipping in heavy work If the description had clearly indicated the maximum opening of the clamp was 1.75", I never would have purchased it. It doesn't even come close to 2" as described. Well, I have a commercial wood block countertop made by Michigan Maple Block Co. that measures 96" long x48" wide x1.75" thick-- as you can see in the photo. The clamp mechanism barely opens to a couple of millimeters shy of 1.75" because the upper part of the clamp (which contacts the top surface of the cutting board) has a slight lip -- as you can see in the other photo -- and when the essential rubber protector is used to prevent damage to the countertop, it reduces the opening to significantly less than 1.75". Even if I could get the clamp over the countertop without the rubber base, it would definitely mar my countertop, which is why the rubber base cover was an important consideration compared to similar items. Additionally, the bottom of the hopper was slightly bent. I'm sure I could have easily restored its shape with a pair of pliers, so this is a minor QC issue. The clamp opening dimension is not a minor issue. Although this grinder is very highly rated, and I am sure works quite well for those with an appropriate suface on which to mount the grinder, apparenly few purchasers have a professional wood block countertop that is an industry-standard 1.75". I have no other surface in my kitchen -- all other countertops are imported granite with insufficient space underneath for a clamp -- or anywhere else in my home, so it's being returned.

UPDATE 5/2024: Still going strong w the molino. It has not rusted at all but I keep the whole thing well oiled w mineral oil. It still makes great masa. UPDATE 12/2021: It’s been more than a year since I bought this grinder and I’m still happy with it. I use it about once a week to make masa for corn tortillas mainly. No problems w rust. Original post: I was a little nervous about buying this grinder because of some of the reviews but overall it seemed like a majority of buyers were happy with their purchase. I bought this mainly to grind nixtamal (limed corn) to make masa. The grinder came in good brand new condition except for a little dent in the hopper but that was ok with me. It doesn’t affect functionality in any way. I wish they had better written directions on how to put the grinder together but there is an online video that shows how to put it together. There is a certain way to put the hopper on so it stays put. I’ve used the grinder three times already and I’m happy with the results. The masa is very smooth. No metal shavings or residue. It does take some time to clean and dry the grinder. Overall I am happy with the grinder. I’ll update my review if I encounter issues with the grinder.

!!!! DO NOT USE THIS FOR FOOD UNTIL YOU HAVE READ REVIEWS. THIS GRINDER WILL, WITHOUT QUESTION, LEAVE PAINT AND POSSIBLY METAL SHAVINGS IN YOUR FOOD. !!!! Other reviewers have written countless warnings and I took all into account before purchasing this product. I was fully prepared to take a cheap piece of garbage and work it into a usable machine, and that's exactly what will be happening. The WORST offense of this product is the coating. This is not a nitpick coming from almost every negative review, The ENTIRE machine is coated in metallic silver spray / powder coat, INCLUDING the grinding wheels. It is not a question of IF, you WILL get chips of paint in your food. It took me less than 3 rotations of the handle for the wheels to start spitting out shiny little bits of paint (see attached photos of the paint on my fingers and shorts). This is no doubt harmful to the consumer and is simply lazy on the producer's end. If you still plan to purchase this, please for the sake of yours and your family's health, give the whole thing a long bath in paint thinner, then give it some canola oil to protect the (incredibly cheap) cast iron from the inevitable oxidation. The LESS offensive problems would mostly come down to construction. Only the hopper is made of steel, the rest of this product is made of cheap powder cast iron that is improperly treated and extremely brittle, typical for cheap overseas metal products. There are extremely poor tolerances in almost every aspect, but they're manageable with small adjustments, new wingnuts, and rubber grommets. JB Weld is probably more structurally sound than the entire grinder so don't be afraid to glue it back together when it eventually snaps. The last complaint that myself and hundreds of others have had is the ridiculous amount of NON FOOD SAFE LUBRICANT that this thing was drenched in upon arriving. Smelled (and tasted, don't judge) like 3 in 1 machine lubricant. It was actually almost impossible to hold in my hand until three rounds of degreaser and dish soap. I'm still planning on putting charcoal through the grinder a couple more times to get the last of the paint and lube. For a $50 used, repackaged, powder cast iron that needed a little love and elbow grease, I would be perfectly happy to take this and shut up considering how much a good grain grinder is. But the fact that they are selling hundreds of these a month and implying that this thing is safe to use for food right out of the box is just immoral and frankly quite upsetting. I will be reporting this product and I hope you will too, it's literally criminal that this product is being sold without warnings.

bom

ممتاز واصلي القمع الكبير فيه طقات والبلاستيك فيه كسر جزئي لكن امازون كعادتها تعطيك حقك شكرا امازون

鉄製であるためサビ対策が必要となることです

Als erstes vorweg, die Mühle tut, verrichtet ihre Arbeit super! Was ich nicht so gut fand: Der Karton ist etwas zu instabiel scheinbar für den Inhalt. Da dieser aber nochmal verpackt ist, ist das kein Problem. Es war nichts kaputt! Was ich gut finde: Die Mühle lässt sich schnell und einfach zusammen bauen. Ebenso lässt sich diese schön einstellen auf das geschrotete Gut. Reinigen klappt auch super. Sonstige Punkte: Ja die auch meine Mühle war mit Öl benetzt, dafür gibt es aber Sphlmittel, dadurch war es überhaupt kein Problem. Von Chrom abklappern oder der gleichen kann ich noch nichts berichten. Wir haben in kurzer Zeit 5,5kg Malz damit geschrotet. Ich würde diese Mühle sofort nochmal kaufen und genau so weiter empfehlen.

Me encantó este molino es lo que necesitaba para moler maiz y hacer mis tamales de elote. Muele cualquier grano. Los granos de café la molienda es ideal para disfrutar de esta bebida. Lo recomiendo ampliamente.