Need to buy a Rolling Mill. The Mini rolling Mill, made in India,
looks good. It’s made in India, anyone have any good or bad comments
on the Rolling Mill? It’s considerably cheaper, is that a problem?
Should I avoid this machine and pay the difference?
Thanks,
Antiquitiez
The Mini rolling Mill, made in India....anyone have any good or bad comments on the Rolling Mill?
I got one from Harbor Freight a few years ago at a very good price
(much better than any I’ve seen since).
One of the gears was cracked and it took months to get a
replacement.
Changing rollers is very time consuming.
The textured rollers have multiple textures per roller so none is
very wide, limiting their usefullness.
If you get only one wire roller then all you can do is roll
half-round. the wire roller does not do ‘square’ wire, as Durstons
do.
Adjusting the rollers for parallel is difficult. Basically you have
to shim where the springs push down on the top roller. At least you
can use the mill to roll your shims to size…
My mill has a 3 to 1 crank ratio. I once did heavy texturing / roll
printing, and felt like the blood pressure in my head got really
dangerously high. I felt truly awful, and stopped using the mill for
a long time. I would never buy a mill with such a low ratio again. I
make sure not to strain too much any more.
However, the mill does work. If your choice is the India mill or no
mill at all then you might consider it for light-duty use only.
Your money would be much_better spent toward the purchase of a
Durston, if at all possible. Seriously.
Neil A.
I feel that having the strongest, most robust rolling mill you can
get is very important for your current needs, as well as future
needs. Your little Indian mill will most likely work on small items
you want to roll out, but won’t offer the sturdiness you’ll need for
bigger jobs. A larger mill, a combination mill with the option of a
removable side roller will give you just about all the options you
could want for making or modifying stock. Durston mills, as an
example, are renowned for their durability, strength, and precision.
I just don’t think a cheaper mill can offer those qualities.
Jay Whaley
Whaley Studios
you may consider the PEPE rolling mill. The combination is a very
good little mill with an easy to use 4:1 gear ratio. The 110MM is
not worth the extra money (so said the PEPE rep for N. America)
ecause it gives you only 10mm of extra capacity on the rollers. It
does roll out half round, square and full round wire (you can also
make triangular wire on it) and has a section for about 60 mm of flat
sheet. the mill is well made and far cheaper than the Durston- which
if you have unlimited funds is the best out there- unless you want
the added value of using interchangeable rollers, then Rosenthal’s
supply in Miami sells a vast number of styles of rollers for various
mills- consult their catalogue as to weather the Karat (K. Singh’s
mills) or PEPE (rollers not so easy to change) or a number of other
internationally available mills as stocked in Rosenthal’s catalogue
are available. FDJ Tools on time has regular great deals on PEPE
Mills so don’t overlook their site when comparative shopping. For
the money don’t buy the Harbour freight mill unless you make tools-
they aren’t suitable for jewelry - more for shop tasks like poutting
knurled finish on punches or rolling out flashing- really poorly
made and really hard to level, change rollers,get a straight sheet
out of once you have gotten the rollers truly parallel and adjusted
to the correct gauge (which slips out of alignment with each gauge
change) the best advice there is to put the money into a PEPE- they
are affordable, do a range of tasks and 90mm combo mill is a great
first mill- until you can afford something like a Durston. I do
always recommend using a manual rather than electric mill because
when there is no power the mill(s) can always be used unlike electric
mills which are more suited for production operations.
rer
I bought one of the Harborfreight mills a couple of years back and
have been very disappointed with it.
I too had a broken large roller. It took a couple of months to
replace it. Harborfreight does not have an inventory number for the
specific part and explaining the issue to their support people was a
pain.
There is an ongoing problem with the quality for rolling flat
materials. The get a corrugated effect in them. Thiner and thicker
areas. Nothing I have done has relieved this problem.
Do yourself a favor and get a good mill in the first place.
Otto Frei has a large selection to fit any budget. Plus they have a
large selection of rollers for the mills they sell. They also will
provide better customer service. I am sure. Better than
Harborfreight.
http://www.ottofrei.com/store/home.php?cat=282
Good luck.
Pat
In response to the post on the prices of Durston Rolling Mills. I
would like to add the point that for several years they were more
expensive due to the exchange rate between the dollar and pound. As
of January this year this changed. You can now buy a Combination 130
mill with reduction for $835.00. A Combination 100 mill with
reduction is $715.00. for more please see
http://www.durston.co.uk/lan-en/prod-m-drm100r-130r.htm
Matthew Durston
Durston Rolling Mills
Hi Matthew,
I’ve been eying your mills since this thread started–too much
consensus that the lowest “economy” grade ones are as likely to cause
woes as be a happy entry level.
However, while everybody mentions the extension rollers, I can’t
find pricing for them. About how much do those run for wire and
patterns? US sources? That versatility is a big part of why I’d go
for your mill over the Pepe, especially since my wish list has your
80mm @ $585 in it and my wimpy arms would be trading off a direct
drive with a 4:1 
Cheers,
Ann
Hi Ann,
If you want extension rollers and reduction then the best option is
the DRM C100 $920.00. This model comes with 4 half rounds in the
extension rollers.
Matthew
Durston Rolling Mills
hi
i just wanted to put my 2 cents worth in on this, i have one of the
small durston mills as it was all i could afford at the time but it
has served me well although its a direct drive i would rather have
that then any other brand, yes it makes it hard work but i would
rather have hard work on a quality mill than have it easy on a lesser
mill and i know that sound strange, i dont regret it for one second
durstons customer service is the best ever, any problems i have ever
had or any help i have ever needed matthew durston has always been
the one to email me with all the help and advice i have ever needed
and that is priceless and for that reason when i can afford another
mill for sure i will buy another durston mill
i would just like to say once again a big thanks to matthew, your a
star mate
regards
jason