Rolling Mill basic question

Jewelry Discussion
1

I’m trying to set up a Karat rolling millI inherited from a friend but without a manual. The rollers are touching and its not clear to me which way to turn that handle on top to move the top roller back up. Both clockwise and counter-clockwise both have a bit of give but only a bit and I don’t want to crank on it and mar the rollers. Any suggestions?

1 Like
2

There should be three gears on the top of the mill. The two outside gears turn shafts that raise and lower the top roller. The middle gear with the tee handle or round handle turns the two outside gears. Start to turn the tee handle or round handle carefully and watch the top roller, it will move up or down depending on which way you turn the tee or round handle. Once you figure this out, write a reminder on the mill with a sharpie. The top roller may not be adjusted correctly to meet both sides of the bottom roller at the same time. You will likely have to remove the center hear by pulling up on the tee or round handle and then adjust each side of the top roller by turning each outside gear independent of the other. I usually do this by the feeling of resistance on the gear as you turn both of them simultaneously, but you can also measure it with a feeler gauge or by rolling wide stock and measuring the thickness of the stock on both sides as it is reduced by the mill. Most mills are adjusted in a similar fashion. Look for a manual for your mill or a similar one on line and follow the instructions for adjustment. You can clean the rollers with simichrome or a similar polish, grease the gears and oil the threads. Good luck…Rob

2 Likes
3

Righty tight , Lefty loose

4

Thanks Nancy, I wasn’t sure if that rule applied here. Jackie

5

“Righty, tight, Lefty loose”
Not on my mill. Turning the T-bar to the right (clockwise) opens the gap between the rollers.

6

My Pepe rolling mill is right turn to tighten, but looking at it there is no obvious way to know this.
Except by watching the effect on the space between the rollers as I turn the T handle, it would not be obvious.

If you can see the threads on the towers, you can see which way they turn to raise and lower the top roller.

7

Thanks for that suggestion. Since the crank was a bit frozen and the rollers touching, I ended up loosening some bolts to give me enough slack to finally move the crank and see which way was up.

If someone does have a copy of the Karat manual, I would love a copy! I couldn’t find one online.

Thanks again, J