So I got tired of hand crushing samples, and actually decided to build a simple ball mill using a pvc drum, steel ball bearings, and an old treadmill motor, I mounted it on rollers made from pipe and scrap wood, It wsnt so fancy haha but It did kinda work better than I expected because I ran some quartz and sulfide rock through it and got fine powder in just a few hours which is way easier than hammering, and way more consistent.
Crushing Ore the Easy Way
- Thread starter M1nerals
- Start date
TunnelRat
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 7, 2025
- Messages
- 77
You can whip up a pretty affordable and straightforward ball mill using a small concrete drum mixer! Just take a moment to trim the paddles inside, toss in your ore and some steel grinding balls, and let the whole thing do its thing while you add some water. Watch that slurry overflow as it mills away,it's quite the sight! Oh, and don't forget to add some liner plates inside the drum to give it a little extra durability. Trust me, it'll help it last much longer
