Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Ball Mills

hkparker - 6-4-2011 at 14:33

Hey everybody!

I dont want to seem like I'm spamming but I wanted to know if anyone was interested in buying ball mills. If you dont know a ball mill is like a rock tumbler in design. You add lead or steel balls and whatever you want to grind up and start it turning. Over hours or days it will turn even glass to a fine powder, and I've found them very useful in the home lab. My friend makes a really solid cheap ball mill design and is considering selling them on a larger scale, so I wanted to know if anyone here is interested in purchasing. Price I'm not sure of yet, but maybe around $30. Ill have pics asap with the final design.

ldanielrosa - 7-4-2011 at 00:04

Possibly. The one I have is small and unimpressive. It also stinks of gasoline since it was new. I don't know how useful a ball mill your friend can make for $30, but I'd like to see how the project progresses.

hissingnoise - 7-4-2011 at 07:04

Quote: Originally posted by hkparker  
Hey everybody!
Ill have pics asap with the final design.

And a working video perhaps. . . ?

MrHomeScientist - 7-4-2011 at 07:31

I'd be interested, that would be a handy item to have. I spent a while yesterday grinding up silicon for that video I posted, and it'd be nice to just be able to throw it in a mill. Would also be really nice for that one step in the boron synthesis! Pics and specs would be great.

Bot0nist - 7-4-2011 at 08:03

I am also interested if the mills are of workable quality. The price seems to good to be true though.

Do you know the approximate volume of the drum?

hkparker - 7-4-2011 at 08:26

Price will probably be a bit higher. All specs and a video will be up in a week. My friend is still finishing the design and wanted to know if there was enough interest. I see that there is so if you have anything you think should be included in the design let me know.

chemrox - 7-4-2011 at 09:52

I have one I made from a Harbor Freight rock tumbler and 1/2" steel balls. I used it to make K2CO3 powder. I would like more volume and an inert chamber. By the time I get the reagent packed in its own bottle inside the tumbler I don't have a lot of room. List me as highly interested.

jamit - 7-4-2011 at 18:06

Would it be able to make powdered metals? If so I'm seriously interested.

hkparker - 7-4-2011 at 18:11

@chemrox this will be larger then the harbor freight one, more specs soon I promise. Chamber will be made out of HDPE.

@jamit no, at least not any metals I know of, and certainly not aluminum. That takes massive ball mills.

jamit - 7-4-2011 at 18:17

Hkparker... so this ball mill is for just grinding down non metals to Piwder?

hkparker - 7-4-2011 at 18:41

@jamit um yea...

From my friend, here's some specs:
Quote:

-Will be powered by 2 380 DC motors
-Barrel will be 4.5" in diameter by 4.9" in height (32 oz) and is made of hdpe
-The body of the mill will be made of 6061 aluminum sheet
-will spin around 93 rpm
-will cost about 30 dollars
-I should have the first prototype done in about a week along with pictures and videos


EDIT: can use a 68 oz barrel that is 5 inches in diameter and 7 inches tall if you guys want something a little bigger

[Edited on 8-4-2011 by hkparker]

Curious George - 8-4-2011 at 08:36

I'm interested if it can be closed "water tight". Need to do some wet grinding

hkparker - 8-4-2011 at 09:12

Quote: Originally posted by Curious George  
I'm interested if it can be closed "water tight". Need to do some wet grinding


Will be water tight for sure.

hkparker - 8-4-2011 at 15:53

Everyone who's interested:

My friend needs to know which is preferred, a 32oz countainer or 68oz, it has to be one or the other. Whichever is more desired will be built. Thanks!

Bot0nist - 8-4-2011 at 15:57

All other things being equal, then bigger is better, as the ladies tend to say...

SWilkin676 - 12-4-2011 at 08:02

Don't think an HDPE container is going to hold up to grinding media. Glass vs Plastic vs metal ??

Got a Retsch mill jar on ebay - sucker is very solid and I think it's heavy ceramic coated metal.

Also some chemicals may affect HDPE. Ball mills are used to mix ingredients in dry media reactions.





[Edited on 12-4-2011 by SWilkin676]

IrC - 18-4-2011 at 14:41

Saw this on fleabay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Complete-Ball-Mill-Chemicals-other-p...