Well, might as well be the first muller build here. Been a few years now and its working great. My plan was heavily influenced by this video. Thanks Ironsides! Started by picking up some old parts for $75 for the load. Speed reducer/motor combo on the left was 3 phase so couldn't use it but still have. Air conditioner motor got swapped at a repair shop for one with a C-mount. Speed reducer on the right got a rebuild with new seals and gaskets. Steel tube to make rollers. Sort of designed as I fab'd based on the materials I could get. Did redo the wheels as the first ones were too light and small in diameter and dug into the sand to easily. Second wheels were three 10lb. weights bolted together and skinned with sheet metal. They work great. After some use I added hooks to hang the wheels from while I'm changing sand. Here's how I do it.
I like it Cactus. Looks like some nice fab work. Both fixed and rotating drum approaches have their advantages. What swayed you toward the rotating drum? Curious too as to drum diameter, rpm, and motor HP? Best, Kelly
With mullers you can use anything that can be adapted to build one. The wheels works best when they are heavy. After mixing I lift the wheel and let it run for a few minutes to fluff up the sand. To empty the muller I use a plastic scoop to transfer it to a bucket. I used to mix sand by hand but after a while I saw the light and made this mixer.
Added the video to the original post. For Kelly, I went with rotating tub because it was easier for me to figure out than a thrust bearing and the rest, along with Ironsides' vid. But my tub floats on the rollers underneath, not a bearing. That's 1/2hp and never has a problem. There's a longer write up over at AA. I never could have progressed with my sand casting as I have without this.
Encouraged by both Cactus and Ironsides' builds I also built a rotating drum muller. I bought a rotating work table at auction that already had frame, wheels, adjustable speed motor, gearbox, and bearings. It was an easy decision! The wheel and plow arrangement was a bit of a corker and has to be set up differently for petrobond and greensand, but it really does the job.
You guys have some nice mullers. Figuring out the plows can be tricky. I looked at an old Simpson muller for how to set up the plows. The wheel has a vertical stop adjustment, so that it does not actually touch the floor.
