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Post by bob1520 on Nov 21, 2006 10:46:27 GMT -5
As I was watching my first batch grind yesterday, I couldn't help but think I would have designed the surface scraping blades differently. As the unit turns clockwise, especially after the mass becomes fluid enough to actually stay on the outside of the pan due to the centrifugal force, notice how the roller in the 12 o'clock position is not being fed very well. The scraper blade immediately after this roller forms a very nice roling wave, which mixes the mass and feeds the entire leading edge of the roll in the 6 o'clock position. I had the lid off, and was scraping the directly opposite the fixed scraper with a hard spatula, and reproduced the same shaped wave to feed into the roller at 12 o'clock. It seems to me that this arrangement would "probably" increase (maybe double, but I know things are never as simple as they seem) the grinding effieciency and cut the process time. Has Santha (or anyone) ever tried to mount a second scraper to accomplish this? I'm going to contact Santha and ask, and maybe buy a second hub and scraper set (when I get some free time...). I'll let the group know how it works out.
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Post by sweettooth on Nov 22, 2006 6:19:04 GMT -5
Yes I noticed this yesturday when the Santha was running and i was scrapping the chocolate off of the walls of the bowl oppiste the scraper and thoght it could do with another one on this side to also clear the wall when working with smaller amounts Like 2lbs of nibs Im might try rigging something up! Let us know what Santha says.
Regards
Sweettooth
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Post by jamescary on Mar 31, 2008 17:02:54 GMT -5
I've been wondering the same thing. The "12 o'clock" roller does not seem to add much usefulness. bob, did you ever get around to getting a second scraper?
How do the industrial melangeurs regulate the flow of the chocolate?
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Post by ripvanwinkle on Jul 27, 2008 10:46:46 GMT -5
Here's my two cents worth: I suppose that the crushing in the Santha is under the wheels and that flowing is not contributing to the pulverizing. Then as long as there is some chocolate running underneath the rollers - maybe 1/8 or 3/16" thick sheet - and as long as that rolled material is constantly being mixed into the whole mix then the rollers will be doing all the crushing that they can do. We will have maximized the grinding efficiency.
If we have a huge amount of chocolate piling into the rollers we are simply increasing the work the motor has to do, to do all that plowing with the rollers. So probably one scraper bar is enough and two levelers would help.
My feel is that plows would redirect the chocolate more efficiently than the brute-force plowing by the wheels.
Then again with the increased efficiency maybe we would have to add heat to the mix to keep it warm enough. Having to add more heat seems like a bit of a stretch - the grinding must be doing much of the heating either way.
I wonder if my thinking has merit. Hmmmm.
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Post by princessvaliant on Jul 31, 2008 1:13:18 GMT -5
I've just started making my chocolate without the champion.....winnowing the nibs well, heating the cocoa butter, etc....and it's been working great, in addition to less mess. But after the second batch done this way (in my Santha 10) I went to wash the bowl and realized that there are now grooves worn in the sides - and not just one but several. The flat edge of the scraper seems rougher to me now than when it was new. Is it possible that the un-championed nibs did this, or might it be something else that now has the scraper too tight against the side of the bowl? The machine is working fine - and I add the nibs to the cocoa butter in small increments to avoid overworking the machine.
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